Directory

Startup ecosystem in Cambridge

Local startups, investors, and operators based in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

12 entries.

BoS Europe (Business of Software) 2026

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Event

Single-track, founder-focused conference for SaaS and software leaders held in Cambridge. Features deep talks on scaling, product strategy, and company culture from experienced operators. Tickets cost about GBP 995-1495. Intimate format with 300-400 attendees, making it ideal for B2B SaaS founders seeking actionable growth and leadership insights.

CuspAI

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Startup

CuspAI is a frontier AI company building a generative-AI search engine for materials that accelerates the discovery and design of new molecules and engineered materials. Users specify desired properties (for example, selective CO2 binding for carbon capture), and the platform generates, evaluates, and optimises synthesisable candidate structures. It combines generative foundation models, deep learning, and molecular and scientific simulation, targeting applications across carbon capture, water purification, energy storage, catalysis, and industrial chemistry. The company was co-founded in 2024 by Dr Chad Edwards (CEO) and Prof Max Welling (CTO), and is headquartered in Cambridge.

Darktrace

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Startup

Darktrace is a cybersecurity company founded in 2013 in Cambridge by mathematicians from the University of Cambridge alongside former intelligence professionals. The company pioneered the use of self-learning AI for cyber defense, modeling the immune system to detect novel threats and anomalous behavior across enterprise networks, cloud, email, and operational technology. Darktrace listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 and was later acquired by Thoma Bravo in 2024 in a deal valuing the company at approximately $5.3 billion. Its products serve over 8,000 organizations globally.

George Malliaras

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Person

George Malliaras is the Prince Philip Professor of Technology at the University of Cambridge, a leading researcher in bioelectronics and the use of organic electronic materials for medical devices and neural interfaces. He is a keynote speaker at NANOTEXNOLOGY 2026 in Thessaloniki.

Hermann Hauser

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Person

Austrian-British technology entrepreneur and investor, co-founder of the Cambridge-based venture firm Amadeus Capital Partners. He earlier co-founded Acorn Computers, the company whose work led to the ARM processor architecture, and has spent decades backing deep-tech, semiconductor and life-science startups across Europe.

Manish Chhowalla

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Person

Manish Chhowalla is the Goldsmiths' Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, a leading researcher in two-dimensional materials, nanomaterials and their applications in electronics and energy. He is a plenary speaker at NANOTEXNOLOGY 2026 in Thessaloniki.

Nyobolt

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Startup

Cambridge, UK battery company developing extreme fast-charge technology using tungsten-based anode chemistry. Its cells recharge to 80% in under five minutes, targeting industrial EVs, power tools, and consumer electronics. Raised a $60M Series C in 2024 at a reported $1B valuation.

Sherry Coutu

Cambridge, United Kingdom · Angel Investor

Sherry Coutu CBE is a prominent angel investor and entrepreneur known for championing the UK’s scale-up ecosystem. Originally from Canada, Coutu moved to the UK and in 1994 founded Interactive Investor, an online brokerage, which she led to an IPO in 2000. After exiting that venture, she became a full-time angel in 2000 and has since invested in 50+ tech companies, focusing on consumer internet, education, and fintech startups. Coutu has been an early backer of notable UK startups like Zoopla and LoveFilm, and holds LP stakes in several venture funds. Beyond investing her own capital, Sherry Coutu is famed for her advocacy of “scale-ups” – mid-stage companies poised for high growth. In 2014, she authored the landmark Scale-Up Report for the UK government, highlighting the economic importance of helping startups grow into larger firms. This led her, alongside LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, to found the ScaleUp Institute in 2015 – a nonprofit that provides resources, mentorship, and policy advocacy for scaling businesses. Coutu also founded Founders4Schools and Digital Boost, initiatives connecting students and small businesses with experienced entrepreneurs. She remains an active non-executive director on multiple boards – past roles include serving on the boards of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), the University of Cambridge Finance Board, and Pearson plc. In the angel community, Sherry Coutu is respected not only for her investments but for her mentorship and network: she often provides board-level guidance and operational mentorship to founders. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 for services to entrepreneurship, Sherry Coutu is a pivotal figure helping UK tech startups navigate the jump from startup to scale-up.