Head of Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds: Cambridge Enterprise Ltd
Are you excited by cutting edge science and technology and its potential to change the world for the better? Are you ready to lead and inspire a team to help build global businesses based on the world class research?
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to lead the Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds team. Supporting it to be the best university seed fund in the world, investing in excess of £7m each year in new and developing companies.
This is a place where new technologies emerge, companies are born and products that transform society are developed.
Cambridge Enterprise:
Cambridge Enterprise is renowned internationally for translating research to create economic and social impact.
Sitting at the epicentre of spin-out activity in Cambridge, the unicorn capital of Europe, Cambridge Enterprise is part of the University of Cambridge and supports academics, researchers, staff and students in achieving knowledge transfer and research impact.
The team:
The Seed Funds team identifies, builds, and invests in the new companies that can be formed from the >£600m of research funding invested within the University each year. Over the last decade it has built a portfolio of 130 companies that represent the best life science and deep technology businesses emerging from research in UK universities. These companies have raised over £2.7bn in follow on funding with many successful exits and high performing investment returns.
The team doesn’t just invest in new companies started by academics, researchers, staff, and students but helps founders in the early stages to build their companies from scratch. We support them in developing their initial business cases, connect the founders to entrepreneurs, advisors, non-executive directors and executive teams, map out a funding strategy and an investment syndicate.
The role:
There is now £107m of assets under management and we want to grow this significantly in the next five years; the Head of Seed Funds role is a critical appointment to continue this amazing story. The role involves managing, motivating and inspiring a team of investment specialists, establishing best in class processes to support the scaling of deal flow and bringing a strong understanding of technology trends and how they apply to start-ups. And as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the role holder will also have a key role in shaping the strategic direction of Cambridge Enterprise.
For more information, read the candidate brief , visit our case studies webpage to read some of our spin-out stories, and find out more about company creation at Cambridge Enterprise.
Your skills:
Our ideal candidate is a dynamic leader, with engaging communication skills. Your deep expertise /insight in the tech and/or life sciences space will underpin significant evidence of commercial success in, business, or academic technology transfer. You will bring significant experience either investing in early-stage companies and/or managing commercialisation of early-stage technology and/or serving in executive positions within early-stage companies in relevant market segments.
The role will suit a consummate networker able to engage with the world’s leading researchers. We are seeking analytical and creative thinking, clear evidence of successful completion of commercial transactions, and a desire to collaborate with, guide, mentor and influence colleagues.
Benefits:
We offer a stimulating environment, surrounded by cutting-edge research, working alongside some of the most experienced commercialisation professionals in the world. Our values champion impact, excellence and adventurous opportunities. Bridging the worlds of academia and industry, we attract top minds to work within an outcome-focused, collaborative, dynamic and highly autonomous environment.
Our benefits package includes 30 days holiday per year and a University pension. This is alongside a commitment to employee personal development and wellbeing in a highly flexible environment.
The University of Cambridge and Cambridge Enterprise value diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity.
Location:
We offer hybrid working, combining home working with collaborative office time in our modern office space on the West Cambridge Site, home to a thriving community of academics and a hub for pioneering research and development.
To apply:
We are working with the executive search firm Odgers and Berndston. For more information about the role and information on how to apply, please visit the Odgers and Berndston website.