More than $2bn in deals for Cambridge cluster in March

Cambridge UK business and technology cluster, closely linked to Cambridge University, made $2.08bn worth of deals in March taking the rolling 24-month total to $64.11bn.

Many businesses operating in the cluster are either spinouts from the university or startups that have been set up by university staff, students or alumni. The university itself provides consultancy and intellectual property licensing to companies operating in the cluster.

Deals in the month include:

Domino Printing Services, a printing company, was acquired by Japan-based printing and machinery company Brother Industries for $1bn. Domino Printing Services grew out of Cambridge Consultants, a research centre founded by Cambridge University in the 1960s.

Darktrace, a UK-based cybersecurity company using technology developed at the Cambridge University, raised $18m from UK-based venture capital firms Invoke Capital, Talis Capital, Hoxton Ventures and undisclosed private investors.

The company uses machine learning and mathematics developed at Cambridge University to identify attacks on a system.

Ilumink, a brand authentication and anti-counterfeiting spinout from the university, was acquired by UK-based detection, diagnostic and measurement company Tracerco for an undisclosed sum.

X01, a medical technology startup commercialising a novel anticoagulant that has potential to prevent heart attacks and strokes without causing bleeding, was acquired by Belgium-based pharmaceutical company Janssen for an undisclosed amount.

X01 had raised $11m in startup funding in June 2013 from Switzerland-based venture capital firm Index Ventures.