Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge helps power Cambridge’s innovation pipeline

The Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge (PVCC) is the University’s flagship competition designed to help postdocs take their first steps in transforming research into real-world ventures.

Welcoming innovative ideas across DeepTech, life sciences, AI, software and social impact, the PVCC has a track record of producing some of Cambridge’s most exciting startups. Previous winners have gone on to raise over £172m in investment, with alumni including Xampla, Nu Quantum, 52 North, and Sparxell.

The eight finalists of the latest challenge have just been revealed by IE Cambridge, the University’s central hub of innovation and entrepreneurship support. The finalist teams will go on to compete in two categories (business venture and social venture) for £50k funding at the Grand Finale on November 13.

Cambridge Enterprise Ventures will be offering £20k for the winners of each category and Cambridge Innovation Capital will be donating £10,000 as a second prize. The challenge is sponsored by law firm Mishcon de Reya, HSBC Innovation Banking and accountants BDO. The PVCC is more than just a competition. Applicants benefit from hands-on training, mentoring and talks from other academics turned founders.

Christine Martin, Head of Ventures at Cambridge Enterprise, the innovation arm of the University says: “Building on the legacy of the Chris Abell Postdoc Business Plan Competition, the Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge has become a vital bridge between postdoctoral research and real-world impact.

“It supports Cambridge postdocs to explore entrepreneurship, backed by the incredible mentors across our ecosystem who give so generously of their time and expertise. We love seeing cutting-edge ideas move from the lab into the world, creating real difference and that’s why we’re so proud to invest in the winners of this challenge.”

This year’s finalist teams represent what the University of Cambridge excels at - cutting-edge, transformative research with the potential to improve lives. They are:

Dielectrix: Building the future of semiconductor hardware through smaller, more energy efficient and rapid transistors. (Led by Maheera Abdul Ghani, Ph.D)

GreenMixes: Developing a new biomass waste-derived additive to sequester carbon in the atmosphere to reduce environmental damage. (Led by Callon Peate)

Obasense: Creating a new form of low cost, hyper sensitive sensors using advanced nanomaterials for detecting toxic and dangerous gases and pollutants for multiple areas and industries. (Led by Osarenkhoe Ogbeide and Timothy Lambden)

Ötzi: A unique venture developing an AI platform for accurately predicting extreme weather events in changing climate. (Led by Omer Nivron)

Protalea Bio: Leading the development in new drug discovery platforms for cancer diseases based on 15+ years of research into Gaucher’s and Myeloma. (Led by Elena Pavlova)

Somnyx: Developing a new form of sleep condition diagnostic equipment for potential applications in multiple clinical areas, including at home care. (Led by Nina Rzechorzek)

Episteme: A social venture aiming to reshape the ways of building and governing algorithmic systems. (Led by Kristina Khutsishvili)

CLEAR Methane: A social venture developing a novel catalytic technology capable of oxidizing atmospheric methane. (Led by Aliki Marina Tsopelakou)