Business Weekly newspaper

Florida-based global technology company Citrix has brought more than a touch of sunshine to Cambridge by donating handsomely to The Centre For Computing History. This is the eighth year in which the US company has backed the venture. The Centre for Computing History (CCH), an educational charity and museum, offers schools an immersive full-day experience that brings to life the past, present and future of computing. Interactive, hands-on activities engage students in coding, robotics, and problem-solving, all within an environment that brings purpose and context to their learning. Citrix’ continued support highlights the provider’s commitment to promoting digital skills and STEM education in Cambridge. A business unit of Cloud Software Group and a global leader in cloud computing and workplace technology, Citrix has gifted £10,000 to the CCH Learning Programme. Since 2017, Citrix has played a vital role in enabling the Centre to discount schools’ access to its Learning Programme – benefiting more than 3,000 schoolchildren annually. Mark Sweeney, Area Vice President of Sales at Citrix, said: “At Citrix, we believe in the power of education to drive innovation. Our ongoing support for the Centre for Computing History reflects our commitment to fostering a deeper understanding of technology and empowering students to explore their potential.” Lisa McGerty, CEO of The Centre for Computing History, added: “We are incredibly grateful to Citrix for their continued support of our Learning Programme. Since the pandemic and cost of living crisis, many schools are struggling to run the educational trips which provide children with vital inspiration and deeper understanding of a subject. Citrix is helping to empower thousands of young people to see how technology has shaped our lives, the diverse range of tech careers available to them, and how they themselves can be future innovators.” Article – https://lnkd.in/eg9Mqtgs

Faye Holland has been elected Chair of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, succeeding Brian Jones in the role. Hailed as ‘one of the UK’s top marketing strategists,’ Faye Holland is the founder of cofinitive, a multi-award-winning PR and Communications agency based in Cambridge. Following its recent acquisition, cofinitive is now part of Cambridge Management Consulting where Faye continues to lead the practice. She also co-hosts the Cambridge Tech Podcast with James Parton, exploring ‘all things tech from the heart of the UK’s most dynamic tech cluster.’ Highlighting her intention to build on the foundations laid by predecessor Brian Jones, Faye stated that her initial priorities will centre on ‘profitability, profile, and people’. She said: “Over the past year, we’ve witnessed a remarkable surge of women stepping into senior leadership roles across the region – Michaela Eschbach and Olu Orugboh as CEO and Chair of Cambridge Wireless Ltd, Rebecca Porter and Harriet Fear MBE as CEO and Chair of Cambridge Science Centre, and of course, Charlotte Horobin, our very own CEO of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce. This makes it an especially thrilling time for me to assume the role of Chair of the local Chamber. “Over the past few years, the Board has implemented a strategy that has transformed the Chamber both locally and nationally, positioning us perfectly to amplify the voice of businesses. This progress is a testament to the Board’s dedication and the relentless efforts of Charlotte and her team. “We are now shaping the next three-year strategy, focusing on the key themes of profitability, profile, and people. More details will be shared with our members and stakeholders in the weeks and months ahead.” “I would also like to take this moment to thank Brian for his exceptional leadership in guiding the Chamber through one of the most challenging periods in its history.” Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce CEO, Charlotte Horobin, added: “Faye has been an incredibly proactive Board Director over the past four years, so we are thrilled to welcome her as our new Chair. We look forward to collaborating closely with her to drive meaningful benefits for businesses across our region. With her exceptional and well-documented record of success, we are eager to see the positive impact she will bring to this role.” Full article – https://lnkd.in/ev-n8nmM

One of Cambridge’s most promising biotech startups – OutSee Ltd – is collaborating with an organisation in Finland to advance biomedical research in dementia. OutSee, which develops and applies innovative computational approaches to genomics for drug target discovery and precision medicine, is working with Finnish Biobank Cooperative – FINBB – on the initiative. OutSee’s proprietary AI technology, Nomaly, provides a novel approach to analysing genetic cohorts and to genomics-led discovery of causal mechanisms. Now it seeks to examine predictions from its hypothesis-free, reverse genetics approach for improved understanding of dementia and for novel target identification. The collaboration includes access to pseudonymised genotype and selected phenotype data of Finnish biobank donors with dementia. Data access is enabled through FINBB’s Fingenious® service, a first-in-class digital gateway to Finnish public biobanks and biomedical research. Julian Gough, CEO of OutSee, says: “Nomaly’s predictive genetic analysis can unlock further biological insights beyond that of current associative methods alone. We are delighted to start this collaboration with FINBB to discover new targets and biomarkers in dementia. We are looking forward to applying our proven technology on high quality pseudonymised data and are grateful to all the Finnish biobank donors for sharing their data to improve human health.” Marco Hautalahti, CEO of FINBB, added: “Public-private partnerships with R & D-focused innovative companies like OutSee have the potential to develop innovations and benefit patients suffering from devastating diseases like dementia. We are very excited about our new and meaningful collaboration and making things happen in practice.” OutSee has applied Nomaly to UK Biobank and Genomics England data and will validate and expand the results using the dataset from Helsinki biobank. Examination of predictions will involve statistical tests and validation of promising findings for drug development. OutSee has already applied Nomaly to over 500,000 human genomes to identify novel disease targets and biomarkers. The company is backed by the leading deep science VC investor Ahren Innovation Capital. • Photograph of Julian Gough. Credit – MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). Full article – https://lnkd.in/eiRG-BrU

CMR Surgical – the global surgical robotics business anchored in Cambridge – has launched the Ultrasonic Dissector – a robotic advanced energy instrument delivering ultrasonic energy to cut and coagulate tissue, as part of its Versius Plus offering. The Ultrasonic Dissector is the first instrument in the advanced energy instrument range to be introduced by CMR Surgical. It was developed to deliver ultrasonic energy via a torsional design, and can seal vessels up to 5 mm in diameter, with a mean burst pressure of 908 mmHg,ii – 7.5x that of normal systolic blood pressure. Versius has been used to perform over 27,000 surgical procedures globally, with over 130 different surgical procedures undertaken across seven surgical specialties. The introduction of the Ultrasonic Dissector to the Versius instrument suite completes a series of product launches made as part of Versius Plus, which is designed to facilitate advanced surgical procedures across all specialities. Michelle Paknad, President of Global Marketing & US Market Entry at CMR Surgical said: "We're excited to be bringing advanced energy, in the form of the Ultrasonic Dissector, to the Versius Plus offering. “We have listened to the needs of our clinical partners and I’m delighted that we have been able to develop a practical tool that provides the ability to cut and coagulate tissue through ultrasonic energy, enabling them to perform more complex surgical procedures with Versius and bring the benefits of robotic-assisted minimal access surgery to more patients.” Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder at CMR Surgical added: “The introduction of the Ultrasonic Dissector is an important next step in our instrument portfolio. We’ve worked closely with our clinical partners to bring this proven ultrasonic instrument to Versius and are looking forward to seeing the positive impact it will have for surgeons using Versius. “As a multifunctional instrument, Ultrasonic Dissector provides enhanced capability to Versius, allowing surgeons to seal blood vessels – supporting them to do more complex procedures with the system and thereby bring more robotic-assisted minimal access surgery to their patients.” https://lnkd.in/d-VDDCb8

Monumo, a Cambridge-based company reinventing electric motors, has appointed Michael Black as its Chief Financial Officer. Black has played a critical CFO role in various tech companies for the past 20 years in and around the Cambridge technology cluster. He has experience in multiple sectors including automotive, battery technology, AI, material science and healthcare. Black joins Monumo at a key stage as it prepares to launch its Series A fundraise. As well as fundraising from both private and public markets, he brings valuable IPO and M & A experience, as well as a proven track record of helping start-up companies scale, taking groundbreaking technology from early stage to world-changing commercial adoption. Black said: “Monumo is harnessing the potential of AI technology to radically improve electric motor design, to make a significant contribution to global de-carbonisation. This makes it a hugely exciting company to join.” Dominic Vergine, Monumo’s CEO, added: ”Michael strengthens and completes our leadership team, ready for our next stage of growth. We have strong customer interest which will convert to multiple contracts in 2025 and Monumo will need to be expanding into new markets and territories. Michael will play a key role in helping to ensure that we grow successfully.” Article – https://lnkd.in/dSAntFGX

ExpressionEdits, a Cambridge biotech company leveraging AI-driven insights and proprietary intronisation technology to enhance protein expression, has brought in Dr. Paul Bolno as Chair. He brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the life sciences industry to the University of Cambridge spin-out. He has served as President and CEO of Wave Life Sciences since 2013 and oversaw the company’s initial public offering in 2015. Prior to joining Wave, Dr. Bolno held key leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline including Vice President, Worldwide Business Development – Head of Asia BD and Investments, as well as Head of Global Neuroscience BD. Dr. Bolno also currently serves as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group for NATA - Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator in the UK. Founded in 2021 on pioneering research from the University of Cambridge, ExpressionEdits specialises in optimising transgenes through intronisation. The company combines AI-driven insights with cutting-edge innovations to redefine how genes are designed for therapeutic applications. Dr. Kärt Tomberg, CEO and co-founder of ExpressionEdits said: “Paul’s experience in drug development, business strategy, and company building will be instrumental as we translate our innovative intronisation technology into novel therapeutics that address key production challenges and unlock previously infeasible opportunities.” Dr. Bolno added: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Tomberg and the ExpressionEdits team to help realise their potential. The proprietary Genetic Syntax Engine has incredible capabilities beyond protein-based therapeutics, including in the field of gene therapies. “For gene therapy, Expression Edits has the potential to boost potency and precision by creating in-cDNAs with optimal sites and introns, leading to increased protein production without altering core designs. I’m very excited about the future of this platform to solve big challenges in genetic medicines.” ExpressionEdits raised $13 million seed funding earlier this year in a round co-led by Octopus Ventures and redalpine, with participation from BlueYard Capital, Wilbe, Acequia Capital, Amino Collective, and Hawktail. Full article – https://lnkd.in/d3KEbPMU

Companies from a range of sectors including agriculture, medical, construction and food production are pitching for a major new award hosted by law firm HCR Hewitsons. The Impact55 funding competition will see ten businesses pitch for cash and kudos at an event in February. They shortlisted companies have already enjoyed funding success; now they are seeking support to prepare for the next stage of their growth journey. Shortlisted are Barocal, BioTryp Therapeutics, Cambridge Nucleomics, Cellcraft, Cellexcel, Directed Systems Ltd, LAMBDA energy, Nanomation,  Spotta and VundaHaus. Designed to support businesses in Cambridgeshire who are using technology to create a positive social or environmental impact, the Impact55 programme (https://lnkd.in/e2vpCFgS) will provide £25,000 of legal advice to the business judged to be making the most impact, is investible and has potential for growth. Up to three runners up will each receive £10,000 of advice. Inger Anson, Partner and Head of the Cambridge office, HCR Hewitsons, said: “We’re delighted by the response to Impact55. The volume of applications we have received highlights just how many entrepreneurial businesses there are in Cambridgeshire and the impact they are already making. The calibre of applicants was extremely high and we’re excited to meet all the shortlisted businesses at the pitching event in February.” Full article – https://lnkd.in/dyzYWX_z

Cambridge-headquartered Echion Technologies has come up trumps Down Under with a world first breakthrough for its core technology. Heavy-duty battery and electric vehicle engineering services provider, Switch Technologies (Switch) – based in Perth, Australia – has unveiled the maiden operational vehicle powered by Echion’s proprietary ultra-fast charging XNO® active anode material technology. The vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series that has been modified into a plug-in hybrid configuration, participated in a live track demonstration at the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct (AARP) in Perth. The new Land Cruiser is equipped with cells manufactured by Li-FUN, an XNO® cell development partner. XNO® enables lithium-ion batteries to safely fast charge in less than 10 minutes, maintain high energy densities even at extreme temperatures and deliver high-power across a cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles. The material has been specially engineered to enable electrified heavy-duty vehicles, such as the Land Cruiser, to operate with the highest productivity and lowest total cost of ownership. The launch event of the XNO®-powered Land Cruiser was attended by more than 60 representatives from key mining stakeholders representing Tier 1 miners, contractors, service providers and government. Jan Haak, CEO of Switch said: “Mining customers are telling us that they’ll be able to operate the vehicle as a pure EV for a whole shift, with the confidence of a full range diesel machine should they need a longer trip. Being able to fully charge in less than ten minutes removes friction that operators experience with conventional EV systems on site.” Echion’s XNO® anode material is available at scale, today, thanks to the company’s longstanding partnership with the global leader in the production niobium products, CBMM. Full article – https://lnkd.in/dxZvCuNx

bit.bio, a Cambridge-based global leader in cell programming technology, has closed another significant growth funding round and changes at the top of management. A $30 million round was led by M&G Investments, a leading international savings and investment company. Existing investors, including ARCH Venture Partners, BlueYard Capital, Milky Way, Puhua Capital and Tencent participated. The money will accelerate bit.bio’s transformation into the leading provider of human cells for research and drug discovery, furthering its mission to revolutionise tools for biomedical innovation. bit.bio has strengthened its executive leadership team as part of its growth strategy. Abcam founder and serial biotech entrepreneur and investor Dr Jonathan Milner will take on the role of Interim CEO and join the Board of Directors from January 6. Dr Mark Kotter, bit.bio founder and inventor of the revolutionary opti-ox™ cell programming technology, will take on the role of Vice Chairman of the Board, continuing to help shape the company’s strategic vision. He said: “I’m delighted to welcome M&G, our first UK investor and a titan in life science investment, to join us in our mission to revolutionise drug discovery tools and transform human health. Since founding bit.bio in 2016, it has been a privilege to lead the company through remarkable growth. Jonathan was not only the first investor in bit.bio but also my first business mentor. “As part of our next phase of growth, I will work closely with Jonathan and the team to help shape bit.bio’s future and establish bit.bio as the leading provider of human cells for research, drug discovery and the preferred partner for iPSC-derived cell therapies.” bit.bio also announced the appointment of two distinguished biotech leaders to its Board, further strengthening its leadership team. Cornel Chiriac is an investment director with M&G Crossover Fund, focusing on late-stage investments in technology and science globally. He founded and invested for 10 years with 2050 Capital specialising in biotech and deep technology ventures. He also leads the Chicago Booth Angels Network in London and has extensive experience in strategy consulting at LEK Consulting. Dr Richard Klausner is co-founder and chief scientist at Altos Labs and a visionary leader in biotechnology. He has co-founded several leading biotechnology companies, including GRAIL, Juno Therapeutics, and Lyell Immunopharma, and has held senior executive positions at Illumina and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As former director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr Klausner was instrumental in advancing CAR-T therapy and shaping the nation’s cancer research agenda. Full article – https://lnkd.in/dUt_hs2a

Majicom, a Cambridge-based social enterprise specialising in sustainable water technology, has received significant new financial support from Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Innovate UK and the Royal Academy of Engineering to underpin global expansion. The investment is set to accelerate Majicom ’s mission of providing affordable clean water to communities across East Africa through its innovative solar-powered water kiosks and partnership model, expanding its reach and impact in several crucial ways. Majicom says it will use the new investment to extend its product pilots beyond Tanzania and into neighbouring Kenya. Backed by Arm, among others, Majicom was created by a team of scientists and engineers from the University of Cambridge and has grown apace. The company’s solar-powered water kiosks, which purify, store, and dispense clean water, have initially been deployed at university sites in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with a mission to reduce the cost of clean water for students by over 50 per cent whilst slashing the plastic waste burden of ‘drink and drop’ practices. The two largest universities in Kenya – the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University – have now committed to testing and implementing Majicom’s water kiosks on their campuses. The unspecified funding has also enabled Majicom to forge a strategic partnership with INNO-NEAT Energy Solutions, a Kenyan technology company tackling the problem of e-waste. Across Sub-Saharan Africa up to 90 per cent of battery waste goes unrecycled – ending up in landfill and fragile ecosystems. INNO-NEAT has developed a process for re-purposing this lithium-ion battery waste into recycled solar power management systems. The two companies are now working to integrate this re-purposed solar system into the Majicom kiosk. Majicom CEO Mike Coto said: “Our collaboration with INNO-NEAT enables us to build even more sustainable kiosks while supporting the local economy. Together, we’re not only providing clean water but also championing a greener, closed-loop system that reuses existing resources.” Full article – https://lnkd.in/egFFME5D