51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Our goal: We will scale up our world-class innovation ecosystem for world-changing impact.

Now: We pride ourselves on our startup culture at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, nurturing the supportive and interdisciplinary environment that science entrepreneurs need to thrive. That enabling environment includes 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Enterprise Lab, our Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and our network of hackspaces, incubators and accelerators. Our network of business angels supports our students and staff as they turn their ideas into prototypes, their prototypes into startups, their startups into scaleups, and their scaleups into world-changing businesses.

Next: We have reshaped our spinout formation process, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Founders Choice, which offers both entrepreneurs and investors clear, fair and competitive rewards.

The next phase of our White City Deep Tech Campus will allow us to increase our capacity to host more startups, scaleups, and industry partners and co-locate with other knowledge organisations. The development of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø West Tech Corridor, in partnership with local and national government, our NHS partners and business community, will create the kind of vibrant innovation ecosystem required to compete for major international investment.

With support from alumni and investors, we will establish Science Capital 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, a new venture fund to provide 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s entrepreneurs access to capital and proof-of-concept funding to realise the full potential of their businesses. And through our new 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Global network, we will access and engage other innovation ecosystems around the world.

Together, these complementary efforts will see 51³Ô¹ÏÍø grow more high-impact enterprises, serve as a trusted partner for industry, and act as a powerful catalyst for UK economic growth.

“Science Capital 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is a natural next step in our work to make 51³Ô¹ÏÍø a global centre of gravity for scientific innovation and entrepreneurship. It will fuel experimentation and enable 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s visionaries to turn their big ideas into trailblazing companies that will drive progress.” - Professor Ian Walmsley, Provost

Startup success at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

• Co-founded by an 51³Ô¹ÏÍø student, Improbable pioneers new ways to connect, play, create and build value across interconnected virtual worlds.
• Co-founded by an 51³Ô¹ÏÍø student, Tractable uses computer vision and deep learning to speed up the time taken to process motor insurance claims, by automating the appraisal of visual damage.
• Co-founded by an 51³Ô¹ÏÍø academic, PsiQuantum is a quantum computer company aiming to build the world’s first commercially viable one million qubit quantum computer.
• Founded by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø academics, Ceres Power grew from an 51³Ô¹ÏÍø spin-out founded to develop fuel cell research and was named the UK’s most valuable clean technology company.
• Founded by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø students, Magic Pony Technology was an AI start-up using machine learning to build improved systems for visual processing. It was acquired by Twitter to enhance the social media company’s live and video offerings.
• 51³Ô¹ÏÍø spinout Nexeon is a global leader in silicon anode material development for Li-ion batteries, and is set to make a major contribution to the future of rechargeable battery technology.
• Founded by an 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Masters student Koalaa has developed a range of soft prosthetic limbs that are light, comfortable and suitable even for very young children.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

• Enterprise Lab is a dedicated support service for thousands of students, staff and alumni who have an idea they believe in, and the drive to turn it into a reality.
• Advanced Hackspace brings together inventive minds from all backgrounds, disciplines and levels of expertise to collaborate, experiment and prototype the future.
• 51³Ô¹ÏÍø White City Incubator is a state-of-the-art wet lab incubation space and training facility to help startup companies. It welcomes spinouts and non-51³Ô¹ÏÍø ventures in order to maximise innovation and collaboration. Since 2006, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s incubator companies have raised over £1bn in investment and grant funding.
• Undaunted is a partnership between 51³Ô¹ÏÍø and the Royal Institution to create new routes into climate entrepreneurship. It is a founding member of Cleantech for UK, a coalition of investors and venture builders launched at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø by Bill Gates and Rishi Sunak in February 2023.
• DTPrime is backed by the Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship and helps 51³Ô¹ÏÍø staff take their science- and engineering-intensive commercial ideas to ‘cross the chasm’ from commercial concepts to high-value, investable propositions.
• MedtechONE is a centre of excellence to support MedTech entrepreneurs across 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.
• MedTech SuperConnector empowers early-career researchers to translate academic insights from the arts and sciences into early-stage medical technologies.
• AI SuperConnector is here to find and support the next generation of UK-based AI startups.