Why Cambridge?

The entrepreneurial ecosystem

As well as being part of a world-renowned research university, Cambridge Judge Business School benefits from a rich local business community.

Cambridge is surrounded by science parks, incubators and innovation centres. The Cambridge Cluster or Silicon Fen, is now the most successful technology cluster in Europe and one of the most successful in the world.

Why Cambridge?

Many of these businesses have connections to the University of Cambridge. To date, innovators based at the University and in the wider local community have developed over 1,600 firms employing more than 30,000 people. Collaboration between the University and the private sector continues to influence the growth and prosperity of what is known as the ‘Cambridge Phenomenon‘. Here are some of the other initiatives within the Cambridge entrepreneurial ecosystem:

The University Enterprise Network

This network links enterprise and innovation activities across the University of Cambridge, organises meetings of groups involved in supporting enterprise and innovation, and provides a Google calendar of entrepreneurship events in Cambridge. It includes a number of organisations and activities, as well as the group of departmental Enterprise Champions.

Cambridge Enterprise

Cambridge Enterprise is responsible for the commercialisation of University of Cambridge intellectual property and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the University. Cambridge Enterprise provides access to angel and early stage capital through the Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds and Cambridge Enterprise Venture Partners, and offers business planning, mentoring, specialist surgeries and other related programmes.

Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club

Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club (CUTEC) is a team of young professionals expanding the Cambridge enterprise community by connecting technically-gifted and commerce-savvy individuals from all corners of the globe. CUTEC hosts workshops throughout the year to help develop the enterprising mindset and culminate their efforts every June to host the Technology Ventures Conference (TVC) – a conference aimed at energising the start-up and venture capital community.

Cambridge University Entrepreneurs

Cambridge University Entrepreneurs (CUE), founded in 1999, has evolved to being a key part of the University’s ecosystem for supporting and accelerating entrepreneurship and innovation. CU Entrepreneurs run one of the most successful student-run business creation competitions in the world, which, along with the training, mentoring and networking events that support it, take you from idea to business in under a year.

Cambridge Science Park

Established in 1970 by Trinity College, Cambridge Science Park is Europe’s longest-serving and largest centre for commercial research and development. It provides and fosters close links with the scientific excellence of the University, facilitates technology transfer, supports R&D companies from start-up to flotation, fosters and encourages the growth of biotechnology and high-tech research and development clusters, and provides specialist facilities and technology transfer expertise to R&D companies across a range of sectors.

St John’s Innovation Centre

St John’s Innovation Centre provides early stage knowledge-based companies with tailored business services and flexible accommodation. It was the first innovation centre of its kind in Europe and has become widely known for its success as a business incubator offering experience, contacts, resources and a presence in the community.

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