Increasingly, sustainability challenges beckon the inspired entrepreneurEnter 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 order6pm: Welcome reception6.30pm: Keynote Address by Professor Tuomas Knowles, followed by the chance to hear from Andrew Williamson and our incredible Cambridge entrepreneurs7.30pm: Networking reception8.30pm: CloseThe event will be hosted by Ashley Alder (Downing 1982), chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).Register to attend 

Keynote speakerTuomas 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.

Cambridge entrepreneursEnjoy 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.

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