Cambridge University and its business incubator Ideaspace spearhead pan-European platform which aims to launch globally-competitive startups.
Cambridge University and its incubator Ideaspace are part of a consortium launching the Start-up Europe Partnership (SEP), a pan-European platform aims at generating globally competitive start-ups.
The programme, which will be supported by the European Commission, is based around three elements. First, SEP will act as a matchmaker between start-ups and corporates at a series of international events with a view to promote investments and acquisitions. It will also create a map of start-up hotspots and tech clusters to shine a light on innovation hubs to the international community. Finally, the SEP will encourage sharing of best practices on entrepreneurship, corporate venture capital, and start-up support from an international network.
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: “The University of Cambridge has been extremely successful in supporting spin-outs, and last year invested a record £2.3 million in seed funds to support such enterprises. This has helped build Europe’s most successful technology cluster, with 14 companies valued at more than $1 billion. That is why we welcome this initiative, which is key to the future economic growth of Europe.”
Other founding members in SEP include: Telefonica, Orange, BBVA, European Investment Fund (part of the European Investment Bank Group), IE Business School, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, UK innovation foundation Nesta, and entrepreneurial support non-profit Mind the Bridge.
