Budding entrepreneurs wooed by Trinity-Bradfield competition

One of the most valued startup competitions in Cambridge – The Trinity Bradfield Prize 2022 – has just opened for applications from researcher-entrepreneur teams advancing a technology or life science proposition with commercial potential.

Teams with at least one member of the University of Cambridge can compete for a first prize of £10,000 and second prize of £5,000. The winners also receive three-months support including eight hours a month of bespoke mentoring at The Bradfield Centre at Cambridge Science Park, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Additionally, the Geoffrey Hellings Prize, in memory of a Trinity College student from the 1920s, offers £5,000 and mentoring for a current Cambridge student. 

The original essay prize, established by Mr Hellings’ family in 2008, has evolved into an award for an idea that ‘demonstrates outstanding innovation, creativity, and enterprise in Sciences or Technology by a student or students pursuing a course for the award of a Cambridge University degree.’

Bradfield Centre managing director, James Parton, said he was excited by the return of the awards. He said: “Since we launched the Trinity Bradfield Prize nearly 300 teams have applied, representing the top-notch tech and life science entrepreneurial ideas across the university. 

“Winners can again look forward to non-dilutive cash prizes, mentoring, and membership of The Bradfield Centre, which together make the Trinity Bradfield Prize one of the most exciting and innovative start-up competitions at Cambridge.”

Dr Benjamin Droguet, post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Chemistry, won the 2021 first prize for innovating cellulose-based colours and glitter for use in an array of commercial sectors, including cosmetics, where there is significant demand for more environmentally friendly products. 

He said: “The Trinity Bradfield prize was a great opportunity to showcase the technology that I developed during my PhD to the greater Cambridge tech ecosystem. 

“The contacts that arose from the event were multiple and winning the prize provided that external business credential that is crucial when launching an innovative venture.

“The monetary element was the cherry on the cake, allowing me to secure critical legal services for the venture – Sparxell –with greater peace of mind. If you have a great idea at the right maturation stage, I can only recommend applying.”

Runner-up Dr Molly Haugen, a senior research associate at the Department of Engineering, has used the £5,000 prize money to develop a mini detector of tiny particles – including viruses and pollutants – for use by consumers, researchers and in commercial settings.

She said: “The Bradfield Prize supplied our research group with funds to iterate on our previous design, improving the overall function of the device. 

“The mentoring programme was also useful to network with successful entrepreneurs, as they were able to provide advice of how to move the commercialisation of our product forward. It was great to meet so many people who wanted to offer their help.”

Jack Davis, who was studying for MPhil in Machine Learning and Intelligence, won the Geoffrey Hellings Prize last year for developing an AI-based rendering engine that creates realistic video content of real events and scenes.

He said: “Winning the Hellings Prize was an excellent foundation for helping to commercialise my research. The prize funding was useful for accelerating the next steps of building my startup, including market research and completing applications for further grant funding.

“I also learnt a huge amount from the experience of pitching during the competition, which was invaluable when approaching private investors. This ultimately led to a successful pre-seed investment round from leading European VC funds.

“Since winning the prize, we have increased the headcount from 1 (just me!) to five people and are working hard to launch our initial product offering by the end of the year.”

Former Master of Trinity, biotech entrepreneur and Nobel Laureate, Sir Gregory Winter, was instrumental in setting up both the Bradfield Centre and the Trinity Bradfield Prize. 

He enthuses: “Each year the competition gets better, as do the chances of seeding a unicorn! At the prizegiving event last year, we heard some great ideas based on sound science, together with plans of how the applicants might turn them into businesses. 

“The event was itself a learning experience, and proved a real cliff-hanger, both for the audience and the judges.”

Last year 125 teams applied for the Trinity Bradfield Prize which was judged by Sir Greg, Kerry Baldwin of IQ Capital, Anne Dobree of Cambridge Enterprise and serial entrepreneur Robert Swann.

Applying for the Trinity Bradfield Prize is straightforward. Complete an online form (15 short questions) by 31 October. Finalists will be selected for a live pitch on 6 December when the judging panel will select the winners.

The Bradfield Centre is one of Cambridge’s outstanding and uplifting success stories. In its first five years, it has supported almost 400 startups, creating a vibrant hub for the city’s tech community in an inspirational lakeside setting.

Today the 40,000 square ft centre is home to 118 companies and 609 members who enjoy workspaces, communal areas and facilities including meeting rooms, a 100-seat auditorium, café, bar and high-speed Wi-Fi.

Since opening in 2017, The Bradfield has hosted nearly 1000 events, attracting more than 30,000 people from the city and wider region. The seeds of the venture began to germinate in 2013 from discussions between the Master of Trinity – now Nobel Prizewinner Sir Gregory Winter – and the college’s senior bursar, Rory Landman.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron added his support, leading to part funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for the £20 million project. Initially the managers were Central Working, who have since been succeeded by Mantle Space.

The aim of the centre, named after Trinity’s legendary former senior bursar, Sir John Bradfield, was to attract and retain scientific and tech entrepreneurs in Cambridge and provide a collaborative hub with the key ingredients readily available to enable them to scale-up their businesses.

Both Rory Landman and centre MD James Parton highlight the buzz of The Bradfield. “It’s a hive of activity; you can hear the humming when you enter,” says Landman, now a Fellow of Trinity. “That alone is a great achievement – there is that feeling of shared endeavour.”

Parton believes the centre has “created something genuinely special, and it all starts with an amazing, attentive team who truly care about the companies and individuals that call The Bradfield Centre home. 

“When that is combined with incredible architecture, the collaborative workspace, the idyllic setting and a comprehensive range of support to help our member companies grow The Bradfield really stands out.”