WOW what a bow for Cambridge Wide Open Week!

CWOW brought together sci-tech enthusiasts, policymakers, investors, academics, local residents and community leaders to explore Cambridge’s thriving ecosystem and meet the people behind the innovations.

What began as a one-day open door event a year earlier has grown into a week-long celebration of life sciences – a community-driven initiative that captures the energy and momentum of Cambridge’s buzzing bio scene.

CWOW launched with the Ventures Tour, a two-day investors showcase, spotlighting 50+ biotech and techbio companies ranging from seed stage to Series B/C. These ventures pitched to leading investors, corporate funds, and ecosystem leaders.

The tour began at The Glasshouse, with opening keynotes from Dr. Hermann Hauser, Co-founder of Amadeus Capital Partners, and Shaun Grady, Chair of AstraZeneca UK, sharing new perspectives on the future of innovation and Cambridge’s place in it.

The first pitch session kicked off at The Glasshouse, hosted by Amadeus Capital Partners, setting the tone for a day of some promising venture showcases. This was followed by Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, which hosted its session at the Deloitte Life Sciences Catalyst Lounge, highlighting early-stage biotech innovation.

After a networking lunch, Dr. Kathryn Chapman, Executive Director at Innovate Cambridge, delivered a keynote highlighting the Cambridge Pledge and many other brilliant initiatives being taken by Innovate Cambridge to support the growth of the cluster.

The tour then moved to Cambridge Judge Business School, where Accelerate Cambridge presented a cohort of university-linked founders. At Hauxton House, o2h Ventures and Meltwind co-hosted a joint pitch session, spotlighting ventures backed by both funds.

The last pitch session for the day was at Babraham Research Campus, where Accelerate@Babraham brought together investors, pharma leaders, and policymakers to connect with startups working at the cutting edge of therapeutic development.

Tuesday kicked off with the Inward Investors Breakfast at The Glasshouse, with an engaging discussion led by Harriet Fear, Andrew Lansley and Kristin-Anne Rutter on the growth and opportunities in Cambridge’s life sciences industry.

Anne Horgan, Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), opened the morning session with strategic insights into CIC’s investment approach. What followed was a series of well-attended showcases led by CIC, Cambridge Angels, Innovate UK Business Growth, Cambridge Enterprise, Parkwalk Advisors, and a joint session by Cambridge Gravity and Science Entrepreneur Club.

The sessions featured a diverse mix of university spinouts and early to growth-stage biotech ventures spanning AI, therapeutics, drug discovery, and more.

The showcase featured a varied range of ventures, including Nuclera, Healx, Five Alarm Bio, Isoform Oncology, ViaNautis, TRIMTECH, Spectre Bio, Promatix Biosciences, BugBiome, Zetta Genomics, and Psyomics, among others.

Back with its third season, Cambridge Wide Open Day itself took place on the Wednesday, welcoming 1,500+ participants across more than 15 innovation centres.

Participating venues included Cambridge Science Park, St John’s Innovation Centre, Unity Campus, The Maxwell Centre, Babraham Research Campus, CISL, Cambridge Research Park, Allia Future Business Centre, Wellcome Genome Campus, Co-Labs by journey, Granta Park, The EpiCentre, Melbourn Science Park, The Press Foxton and Hauxton House.

Prashant Shah, Co-CEO of o2h Group, commented: “What started as a one-day event has now evolved into an interactive festival celebrating the life sciences at the home of life sciences for a whole week. Cambridge Wide Open Week is a community-driven endeavour that reflects the energy of our buzzing ecosystem.

“From company founders to seasoned investors, from public policy leaders to local communities, the week offered a rare lens into the people, places, and companies that make up the culture of Cambridge.

“The Ventures Tour brought a unique angle, with over 50 biotech and techbio companies and leading funds showcasing ideas flourishing in Cambridge. The week brought together over 4,000 people across innovation hubs, science parks, and institutes, while the AZ Exchange provided insight into AstraZeneca’s strategy and the BIA TechBio X event highlighted key conversion themes.

“Community Day with Form the Future reminded us of the role we all play in guiding future generations. We created this week to celebrate what’s already here and inspire what comes next. It’s a joy to see founders, investors, scientists, creatives, and local communities participating in a shared story.

“By giving innovators the opportunity to pitch, share and engage directly with the ecosystem, CWOW plays its small but valuable part in helping Cambridge continue to lead and inspire globally.”