Scientist to Founder: Building the Next Wave of Deep Tech Companies in the UK
Penicillin, DNA’s double helix, MRIs, monoclonal antibodies, the electric motor, the telephone, and the World Wide Web were all invented or discovered by brilliant UK minds. Yet, none of those inventions were successfully commercialised in the UK.
How can we bridge the UK's invention to commercialisation gap?
Whether you're curious about entrepreneurship or ready to commercialize your research, join us to learn from Seth Bannon, Founding Partner at Fifty Years – a leading Silicon Valley VC firm. Fifty Years has backed over 100 deep tech companies from the earliest stages and helped them raise over $4.6B in funding. 50Y has published the widely used Spinout Playbook and supported hundreds of scientists in translating breakthrough science into deep tech startups.
Fifty Years is bringing their free 5050 program to the UK to inspire and equip scientists and engineers to build the next decade of civilization-defining companies. Participants identify civilization-scale problems to tackle, develop essential entrepreneurship skills, grow into great founders, learn how to commercialize their research (from hiring to fundraising to negotiating IP), and join a supportive community of entrepreneurial scientists and engineers.
Join us to dive into the nitty gritty of entrepreneurship and spinning out. Connect with fellow entrepreneurial scientists over drinks!
Seth Bannon is a Founding Partner at Fifty Years. He has seeded a range of startups shaping the world for the better — companies like Solugen (engineering enzymes to produce industrial chemicals sustainably), Astranis (small satellites to cover the Earth in Internet), Upside Foods (culturing meat to eat), Athelas (next generation healthcare OS), and Opentrons (affordable lab robots). Seth is also the co-founder of Impact.Tech, a community of entrepreneurs combining purpose with profit, and was previously the founder & CEO of startup Amicus. After dropping out of college to found his startup, Seth "graduated' from Y Combinator. Helping great scientists & engineers become entrepreneurs is his jam.
Coco Newton is a 2023 Schmidt Science Fellow based between University of Cambridge, University College London and Delft Technical University in the Netherlands. Her work focuses on advocacy for transformative change in dementia healthcare systems, combining neuroscience with health systems design and engineering to translate new technologies for earlier disease detection and dementia prevention.
Ale Borda runs the 5050 program, from operations and recruiting to crafting workshops with 50Y Partners and fireside chats with founders. She's excited to help entrepreneurial scientists and engineers bring seemingly impossible ideas to reality. Previously, Ale led two non-profits in Peru, building houses in Lima's poorest slums and bringing education to over 3,000 children without access to education.
WHEN: Friday, 1 November 2024
5.00 PM – 6.00 PM: Fireside chat in the Provost’s Drawing Room
6.00 PM – 6.30 PM: Drinks and networking in the Provost’s Lodge
WHERE: King’s College, Cambridge
TICKETS: book your free ticket here