Cambridge will soon play host to the latest and greatest innovation in technology as part of its second annual Cambridge Tech Week. The event gathers industry leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors together to explore the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, quantum computing, semiconductors and much more.
Launched last year to showcase the city as a centre for global technology, we’re pleased to be taking part again this year as we continue to invest in deep tech companies from Cambridge and beyond. Paragraf, an Amadeus-backed company pioneering the mass production of graphene-based electronics, is a sponsor of this year’s event.
It’s a packed schedule featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops – that presents a problem, what should you see? For attendees that don’t want to miss out on the best opportunities to network and learn this year, we’ve put together a short guide with some key discussions featuring the Amadeus team.
Tuesday, 10 September – Innovation Landscape Day
Location: The Guildhall
10:15 – 10:55 | Panel: Tackling Innovation and Growth Throughout the Start-Up Journey
Amelia Armour, Amadeus Partner, chairs a discussion on navigating the start-up journey with two leaders at different stages of their journey. This panel will cover everything from obtaining investment, scaling, and selling to global tech giants. Amelia will be joined by:
- Ed Wood, VP of Product at Nu Quantum
- Jon Reynolds MBE, co-founder and CEO of SwiftKey (acquired by Microsoft in 2016)
Amadeus led the pre-seed investment round into Nu Quantum in 2019 and has continued to invest in the quantum networking company. This session promises to provide valuable insights for entrepreneurs and founders at all stages of their journey.
12:15 – 12:55 | Panel: Being on the Business Frontier as ‘Dontrepreneurs’
Professor Steve Young, Amadeus Venture Partner, will be part of this exciting panel discussing the unique aspects of Cambridge businesses and their success in creating spin-outs from the University of Cambridge. Joining Steve on the panel will be:
- Tony Quested, CEO of Business Weekly (session chair)
- Sir Andy Hopper CBE, University of Cambridge
- Professor Florin Udrea, University of Cambridge
Steve was a founder and VP Engineering at Amadeus-backed speech recognition company Entropic Inc, which was acquired by Microsoft in 1999. He later went on to found VocalIQ, into which Amadeus led the early stage investment round in 2014. The company was acquired by Apple in 2015 and Steve subsequently became a senior member of the technical staff in the Siri development team in Cambridge.
Wednesday, 11 September – Tech Deep Dives & Big Tech Debate
Location: Pembroke College
10:00 – 10:40 | The Stages of Adoption from R&D and spin-outs to Enterprise
Gary Brotman, CEO of Secondmind, will be discussing his personal experience of leading a company that offers the world’s first decision-making platform using AI. Joining him on the panel is:
- Duncan Clubb, Senior Partner – Data Centre & Edge Capability, Cambridge Management Consulting
Gary has over 20 years of leadership experience and leads the Amadeus-backed company on its mission to help automotive engineers design better cars faster, while achieving greater sustainability through machine learning. There will be unique insights to gain from this panel from Gary’s first-hand experience in delivering enterprise solutions from research and development.
Thursday, 12 September – Scale-Up Day
Location: Cambridge Union
11:50 – 12:10 | Fireside Chat: From Acorn to Amadeus – Secrets to Scaling
Hermann Hauser, Co-founder and Venture Partner at Amadeus will be sharing his story in this intimate fireside chat. Hermann will share the secrets to scaling successful ventures, drawing from his extensive experience in the tech industry. Having helped scale countless companies and supported founders on their journeys, there’s sure to be some amazing insights for entrepreneurs at all stages.
Scale-Up Business Plan Competition 2024
This year’s Cambridge Tech Week will also debut its Scale-Up Business Plan Competition. It promises to be an opportunity to celebrate and promote inspirational scale-ups for the future generation of entrepreneurs.
The free to enter competition is strictly for scale-ups that fit the following criteria:
- Demonstration of strong revenue and/or are about to raise or have just raised a series A investment (£5m+)
- Proof of growth in headcount (i.e. over 50 people)
- Demonstration of unique innovation in technology or business models
An expert judging panel which includes Amadeus Partner, Manjari Chandran-Ramesh, will review entries and shortlist five companies. These companies will then have the opportunity to pitch their business plans in a closed session to the panel. They will also engage in a Q+A, get feedback and potential further support during Cambridge Tech Week on Wednesday, 11th September.
If you’d like to submit an application, you can do so here.
Join Amadeus at Cambridge Tech Week
We are excited to engage with the vibrant tech community at Cambridge Tech Week. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or an established business leader, these sessions will offer invaluable knowledge and networking opportunities. We look forward to seeing you there.