This week’s episode features an insightful discussion with Roz Bird (Anglia Innovation Partnership) and Dr. Nicola Hancock (University of East Anglia) on the cutting-edge research, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem at Norwich Research Park.

“We have more microbiologists here than anywhere else in the UK—possibly the world. That’s a testament to the depth of expertise we’re building.” – Roz Bird

Key takeaways:

• A Hub for Science & Startups – The park hosts top-tier institutions, including the John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute, and the Earlham Institute, alongside the University of East Anglia and a thriving community of startups.
• From Lab to Market – Norwich Research Park fosters commercialisation through the ICURE programme, which helps scientists explore market applications for their research, and a £200,000 pre-seed fund supporting early-stage spinouts.
• Bridging the Talent Gap – The university and research institutes play a critical role in supplying skilled graduates and researchers to the growing tech and biotech companies in the region.
• A Future Accelerator – Plans are underway to launch a venture builder programme in 2025, offering targeted support to high-growth startups in biotech, #agritech, and #medtech.

We were also joined by two standout startups who shared their journeys: Sophie Vaud, Head of Microbial Engineering at Colorifix and Rory Hornby, Cofounder of Alora.

This episode is a must-listen for tech founders, investors, and anyone interested in #deeptech and #biotech innovation.

Produced by Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we caught up with Farbod Shakouri of Phantom Technology, a returning guest who’s undergone a significant pivot in his startup’s journey. Originally focused on building an operating system for smart glasses, Farbod and his team made a bold decision: to build the entire hardware and software stack themselves. Their mission? To help people combat smartphone addiction and improve cognitive health.

If you’re a founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, this episode is packed with insights on:

· The evolving AI debate & public perception

· How Cambridge startups are tackling energy-efficient computing

· The hard truths of startup pivots & funding strategies

· Why attention-tracking wearables might be the next big thing

Produced by Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we sat down with Nick New, CEO of Optalysys, to explore the groundbreaking technology transforming data security, AI, and cloud services. From optical processing to fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), this episode dives into the cutting-edge innovations driving the next era of secure computing.

Nick shares:

· His journey from his PhD in optical pattern recognition to founding Optalysys.

· How Optalysys leverages optical processing and FHE to process encrypted data without ever decrypting it—ushering in a new standard for secure AI and cloud computing.

· Optalysys’s big win at the Cambridge Tech Week Scale Up Awards and their plans for product launches, blockchain applications, and setting up a U.S office.

· Their mission to establish global hardware standards for FHE as part of the FETCH consortium.

· And, Optalysys's vision to become the “Nvidia of FHE.”

Produced by Cambridge TV

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.