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A Cambridge story of entrepreneurship: spider silk and spinning out
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Increasingly, sustainability challenges beckon the inspired entrepreneur
Enter Xampla, a startup from the heart of Cambridge that speaks volumes about the University’s entrepreneurial space.
Xampla founder Professor Tuomas Knowles’ entrepreneurial journey started with Alzheimer’s research and led to a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products. The polymer film mimics the properties of spider silk, one of the strongest materials in nature – bringing new meaning to the term ‘spin-out’!
Cambridge is where invention and innovation have been joining forces for centuries. Today, it’s the cradle of ideas that are mapping a sustainable future. Hear Professor Knowles talk about entrepreneurship at Cambridge and why we’re world-leading in spinning out and starting up.
The evening provides an exclusive opportunity to network and engage with some of Cambridge's rising entrepreneurial talents who are at the forefront of developing innovations in biotech, cybersecurity, waste resources and software.
Running order
- 6pm: Welcome reception
- 6.30pm: Keynote Address by Professor Tuomas Knowles, followed by the chance to hear from Andrew Williamson and our incredible Cambridge entrepreneurs
- 7.30pm: Networking reception
- 8.30pm: Close
The event will be hosted by Ashley Alder (Downing 1982), chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Register to attend
Keynote speaker
Tuomas Knowles (St John's, 2004) is a Professor of Physical Chemistry and Biophysics in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and co-founder of Xampla. He received his PhD in biophysics from the University of Cambridge in 2007.
He was elected to a Research Fellowship in 2008 at St John’s College, Cambridge, and was then appointed to a University Lectureship in Physical Chemistry in 2010, joining the faculty at the Department of Chemistry in Cambridge. Tuomas then successively held a University Readership between 2013 and 2015 and a Professorship since 2015.
In 2023, he was elected as the 1920 Professorship of Physical Chemistry at Cambridge. He is the recipient of several international prizes, including the Sackler Prize in Biophysics and the Corday-Morgan Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
His work focuses on using the tools and concepts from physical sciences to understand the behaviour of proteins, the fundamental molecules of life, and exploring applications in human and planetary health. This research has generated new approaches for discovering therapeutic molecules as well as new types of sustainable functional materials.
Our host
Ashley Alder (Downing, 1982) became Chair of the FCA Board in February 2023.
Ashley was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong, a role he has held since 2011.
He also chaired the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).
Ashley began his career as a lawyer in London in 1984 and practised in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. He was the Executive Director of the SFC's Corporate Finance Division from 2001 to 2004, before returning to private practice at Herbert Smith LLP, a law firm, as Head of Asia.
Guest speaker
Andrew Williamson (Robinson College 1990) has been Managing Partner of CIC since 2019. He has 15 years of experience in venture capital with Physic Ventures in San Francisco, True North Venture Partners in Chicago, and CIC.
Andrew began his career as a physicist researching batteries, fuel cells and solar energy. He has a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. Andrew is also the Chair of the Venture Capital committee of the BVCA, and recently co-authored the UK independent review of spin-outs.
Cambridge entrepreneurs
Enjoy unique access to Cambridge's rising entrepreneurial talents, including:
- Dr Franck Courbon CEO, Ethicronics — building a unique and scalable software solution to verify hardware assurance in cybersecurity.
- Teja Potocnik founder and CEO of Nanomation — a start-up based on the technology she developed during her PhD at Cambridge. Nanomation is a semiconductor software company that automates the manufacturing of nanomaterial-electronics.
- Dr Yudi Ding CEO, PACT — transforming waste resources into climate-responsible alternatives to leather.
- Dr Hendrik Runge CEO, Cambridge Nucleomics — a biotech spin-off developing fast diagnostic sepsis tests.