Autumn Update From CFT
It really is the end of an era. I'm excited to share news that will change the face of the company over the months and years to come. We're on the brink of a whole new look: something we've been calling (amongst the team) 'CFT 2.0.'
By the next update, the Cambridge Future Tech brand will have had a shake-up. I've seen a preview and this shift is far more than visual: it marks a meaningful change in our evolution as a company.
Over the next month, we'll be announcing new hires, new ventures and new FTSE100 partnerships.
Looking back on this quarter, I'm delighted to share that Cambridge Future Tech has been selected by InnovateUK as an Investor Partner for the Future Economy Investor Partnerships Programme. The judges commended CFT on the strength of our application and the experience of our team. For more information on the programme, click here.
In September we proudly partnered with Cambridge Tech Week. Five Cambridge Future Tech ventures pitched to a packed courtroom of investors at our Deep Tech Pitch Event, and our exclusive Investor Rooftop Drinks event was standing-room only. It was great to see so many of you there!
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Congratulations to CEO Owen Thompson, recognised at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Director of The Year Awards 2024
Cambridge Future Tech were awarded Highly Commended for Sustainability at the ceremony at The Grand Hotel Birmingham. The Institute of Directors (IoD) Awards recognise the achievements of outstanding business leaders across the UK.
BEST TECH ACCELERATOR
Cambridge Future Tech has been shortlisted for the Best Tech Accelerator in the 2024 UK Business Tech Awards!
When we started Cambridge Future Tech we wanted to do things differently – getting involved right from the start to help bring groundbreaking tech to life. This award nomination is a testament to the brilliant technical talent we work with and the incredible impact they’re capable of when given the right tools and support.
CAMBRIDGE TECH WEEK: HEAR FROM OUR VENTURES
VENTURE NEWS
-
Literal Labs have been busy pitching at Extreme Tech at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco and Web Summit in Lisbon. Their new benchmark results will go public in October, seeing greater than 54x speed-up and energy savings.
-
With 130,000 messages of immediate, spontaneous clinical interventions, CamAI have created the largest private dataset of psychological first-aid conversations with adolescents, including a pilot study with NHS Hospital's Adolescent Eating Disorders Unit and a Summer Research Programme with product trialling across 18 schools. Bridge round closed.
-
Having completed integration of their Secure Data Environment with a live military exercise, receiving initial approval from Authority, and onboarding their second contracted secure-AI service client, Mission Decisions are soon to close their £2m seed round (limited capacity remaining).
-
Welcoming an Automation Lead to commercialise lab processes and establish efficiencies for scaled production, as well as submitting their first patent for the methods and composition of genetic signature insertion, GitLife Biotech look forward to announcing a new commercial collaboration partner and a huge addition to the leadership team in the next quarter.
-
Nearing completion of $2m pre-seed round led by a prominent US VC fund, SAIF Systems were also selected for the Zenzic /Centre for Autonomous Connected Vehicles scale up programme and have made significant steps forward in the development of their core technology with live flights on an AI controlled UAV.
-
Reaching a huge milestone with their first commercialisable MVP, NeuroXR software version 1.0 is complete, integrating over 10 emotions with 3 biometric inputs, and a cloud space for software downloading and licence key management. NeuroXR are imminently launching their highly anticipated £2.5m seed round.
-
After a successful harvest season of demos, Gus the asparagus harvesting robot has learnt to steer in a whole new way, leading to a complete chassis overhaul! With further projects involving grapes and daffodils developing well, fuelled by over £1.5m of grant funding, AutoPickr will launch their £2m seed round imminently.
-
After a successful week developing commercial relationships at Climate Week in New York, and continued development with Welsh Railways Network, Mimicrete are looking forward to opening their £4m investment round.
-
One of our newest builds, working on advanced drone-based sensor technology for precise geosurvey capabilities, GravTech are shortly closing a small angel round to develop a fully operational proof of concept demo.
NEW VENTURES… COMING SOON!
Unlocking value and insights from battery data with digital twins by building a comprehensive battery analytics platform.
A revolutionary satellite propulsion system capable of achieving hypersonic speeds and atmospheric refuelling.
A robust green hydrogen and oxygen source utilising globally accessible materials, with a conversion efficiency of 70% from a simple design that reduces unit cost, provides fast on/off, and operates without water purification.
An ear-worn computing platform, uniquely designed to continuously monitor all five vital signs and provide augmented hearing capabilities.
A sustainable 'phytoremediation' solution, allowing polluted land to be repurposed for agriculture, housing, and re-wilding.
A groundbreaking steel decarbonisation technology capable of retrofit to traditional steel manufacturing plants
QUANTUM REPORT: LIVE!
This year, Joshua Daniel and the research team have been traversing the UK’s quantum technology landscape. The fascinating technologies they came across ranged from new methods for improving qubit coherence times for quantum information processing, to dual use quantum gravimetric sensors.
To download the full 50 page preview, visit our website.
COMING UP...
There will be a series of announcements over the next few weeks including new partnerships, new hires and new beginnings. I look forward to sharing more!
Thanks for your support.
Owen Thompson | CEO
