Cambridge Tech Podcast

James Parton & Faye Holland

Your weekly tech news download from in and around Cambridge, plus in-depth conversations with the founders, innovators, and enablers within the Cambridge tech ecosystem. Published every week and hosted by James Parton and Faye Holland. Get in touch with the show via info@cambridgetechpodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago

    PVCC 2026: Seven Founders to Watch

    The Cambridge Tech Podcast goes inside the Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge (PVCC), to meet seven University of Cambridge teams turning rigorous research into investable ventures. Hosted by Faye Holland and James Parton, this episode is a snapshot of where the next wave of Cambridge innovation is forming: construction intelligence, regenerative medicine, industrial biotech, robotics, grid analytics, battery circularity and climate resilience. What you will hear Camentis, led by Dr Ashan Senel Asmone, is piloting a construction data platform that gives site leaders earlier visibility of productivity risks, helping prevent delays and cost overruns.A therapeutics company, led by Dr Jin Seok Lee, is developing a temporary mRNA signal designed to help heart muscle cells regenerate. The team is progressing from encouraging animal data towards further preclinical studies.DroplexBio, led by Brian Ng, uses RNA nanotechnology to create compartments inside bacteria, aiming to make commercially valuable proteins that are difficult to manufacture today.Haptos Technology, led by Zhuo Chen, is building electronic skin for robots. Its sensors capture pressure, temperature, texture and slip, with industrial robotics as the first market before wider applications in care, agriculture and surgery.Loom Light, co-founded by Dipanshu and Leonie Muck, provides grid risk intelligence for renewable projects, lenders, insurers and infrastructure investors.PeatWaterWise, co-founded by Dr Neha Joshi and Dr Hamid Rahimi, combines satellite data and hydrological modelling to help farmers and land managers understand water tables without manual dip well measurements.MetCycle, founded by Esther Gray, is developing a room temperature process to recover critical metals from used batteries, with potential to fit into existing recycling operations. For founders and investors, the recurring lesson is clear. Great science is only the starting point. The teams making progress are validating urgent customer problems, narrowing their first market and using mentors to turn technical capability into a compelling commercial story. With the PVCC Grand Finale approaching, this is an early look at founders building technologies with the potential to reshape major industries. Listen for practical insight on commercialising research, then subscribe to the Cambridge Tech Podcast to follow the next generation of deep tech companies as they move from breakthrough to business. Headline sponsor Holden Polestar Produced by Cambridge TV #CamTechPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    PVCC 2026: Seven Founders to Watch
  2. Oct 20

    Radical Innovation with Cambridge Consultants

    What does it take for an established company to create the kind of breakthrough that changes its market? In this episode of the Cambridge Tech Podcast, host James Parton speaks with Joe Corrigan, Chief Technology Officer, and Tim Fowler, Chief Commercial Officer, at Cambridge Consultants about 'Radical Innovation'. The conversation explores the Deep Tech Index and a challenge familiar to founders, investors and corporate leaders alike: businesses say they want radical innovation, yet their systems often make it difficult to pursue. The guests unpack why incremental improvements can preserve the status quo while disruptive ideas create genuine strategic advantage. Joe and Tim argue that innovation is not simply a technology question. It is a leadership and execution question. Radical ideas can threaten an existing business model, which is precisely why they are often slowed down by familiar processes, short term return expectations and organisational caution. The organisations that succeed are those with a clear strategic direction, leaders who can sustain conviction and teams able to turn technical promise into commercial momentum. The episode also offers practical insight for startup founders selling into large companies. Rather than relying solely on procurement, the guests recommend building broad internal support among technical and economic buyers, identifying the value that is unique to the customer and creating enough stakeholder belief that a decision cannot be easily delayed. Subscribe to the Cambridge Tech Podcast for more conversations with the people building the technologies, companies and investment stories shaping the future. Headline sponsor Holden Polestar Produced by Cambridge TV #CamTechPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Radical Innovation with Cambridge Consultants
  3. Oct 6

    The (UK) Deep Tech Playbook

    From Cambridge Tech Week 2026: The (UK) Deep Tech Playbook The UK has the research, talent and capital to create category defining deep tech companies. The missing piece is a more connected system that turns breakthrough science into globally scaled businesses while keeping more of the economic value in the UK. In this Cambridge Tech Podcast panel, Joanne Hosker of Northern Gritstone is joined by Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair of Innovate UK, Bradley Jones, founder and CEO of ThatRound, Owen Thompson, CEO of Cambridge Future Tech, and Dr Christina Yan Zhang, CEO of The Metaverse Institute. Together, they unpack the practical shifts needed to make the UK a stronger launchpad for founders building in fields such as quantum, AI, climate technology and advanced engineering. The conversation challenges a familiar assumption: that UK deep tech lacks capital. The panel argues that the issue is less about the total amount of money available and more about how confidently investors understand technical risk, how effectively funding connects with founders, and how incentives keep high value companies rooted in the UK. What you will hear Why the UK’s world class science base needs stronger commercial pathways, not just more research fundingHow founders can adapt their pitch for different markets while keeping a genuinely global ambitionWhy early stage deep tech must be evaluated differently from software businesses with immediate revenueWhat investors look for when product market fit is still emerging, including defensibility, market access, resilience and coachabilityHow government procurement could become a major growth engine for UK innovationWhy employee ownership, exited founders and angel reinvestment can create a more circular capital ecosystemWhere US expansion makes sense, and why a UK research and development base can remain strategically valuable This is a sharp, practical listen for founders, investors and operators who want to help build the next generation of UK deep tech leaders. Headline sponsor Holden Polestar Produced by Cambridge TV #CamTechPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The (UK) Deep Tech Playbook

About

Your weekly tech news download from in and around Cambridge, plus in-depth conversations with the founders, innovators, and enablers within the Cambridge tech ecosystem. Published every week and hosted by James Parton and Faye Holland. Get in touch with the show via info@cambridgetechpodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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