The Royal Society support
The Royal Society announces support for some of the fastest growing science-based companies in the UK, in association with Silicon Valley Comes to the UK
16th June 2014, London: Tomorrow, the Royal Society is holding the Science CEO Summit in partnership with Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (“SVC2UK”). The 23 CEOs in attendance have been identified as having some of the most innovative, high-growth ventures in science in the UK, with the potential to scale globally in the next five years.
By partnering with SVC2UK, the leader in ‘identifying and supporting scale-up CEOs’, this half-day invitation-only event brings together CEOs of these fast growth science companies, with a number of high-profile business leaders. Mentoring participants in tomorrow’s Science CEO Summit include Robin Saxby, former CEO and Chairman of ARM Holdings; serial entrepreneur, angel investor and VC with Amadeus Hermann Hauser; and Andy Richards, adviser to Cambridge Innovation Capital. These workshops are part of a programme focusing on the value ‘scale-ups’ bring to our economy.
The ‘Science Fifty’ – a list of the fifty fastest growing science-based companies in the UK – will also be released on the 17th of June. This will be an ongoing index, tracking the performance and growth of the UK science and enterprise sector and the extent to which it boosts UK economic growth. These companies grew their revenues last year by 92% to £1,312,707,840 (2013) from £684,596,030 (2012). Needless to say that this is much faster than most British Businesses.
Sherry Coutu, co-chair of Silicon Valley Comes to the UK, commented: “We are excited to partner with the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, expanding the work we have been doing in the UK focusing on celebrating and supporting the CEOs of the fastest growing science-based companies. The Science CEO Summit celebrates the success and innovation of a talented cohort of science company CEOs, and supports them with mentorship for scaling their business. The Index highlights the extent to which these companies contribute strongly to UK economic growth.”
Hermann Hauser, serial entrepreneur, VC with Amadeus Capital Partners and angel investor, said of the workshop: “The UK has long been a hub of science, innovation and technology; the UK’s research base is second in the world to the US for scientific excellence and is the most productive in the G8. This is why it gives me great pleasure to be involved in the SVC2UK Science CEO Summit – it is imperative that we do all we can to support British science entrepreneurs, and the Summit sets out to do just that.”
Dr. Eliot Forster, Executive Chair of MedCity, launched in April by Mayor of London Boris Johnson to drive the life sciences sector of London and the greater south east, said:
“The UK has an extremely strong and fertile science base, and its great to see that translating into commercial success, with huge benefits to the economy. We’re very pleased to be working with SVC2UK on this Summit to celebrate the achievements of our leading entrepreneurs and encourage even more innovation.”
Participating businesses in the Summit include the CEOs from Glasgow-based M-Squared Lasers, York-based, Libertine, life sciences company, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, which is set to expand to the US after receiving FDA approval for their product, Duofertility; Blaze Components, which uses laser technology to innovate urban cycling; and Quantum Waste, which focuses on creating more sustainable practices around waste disposal. The cohort is 35 percent female, double the percentage of female entrepreneurs in the UK.
The event and the index have been supported by the Science Museum and by MedCity. To follow the event updates and join the conversation, join us on Twitter with the hashtag #royalsocietyindex.
Via svc2uk
