• You are developing a technology-based solution from University of Cambridge research or knowledge. This could be University-licensed IP or IP developed independently.
• You are building a consumer or enterprise AI solution that can be deployed quickly, has a large addressable market and can scale fast – even if it’s not based on university research.
• You are ready to commit to growing your company. If spending time in your lab is necessary to do that, that’s ok.
• One founder has attended University of Cambridge in the last 5 years. We are looking for everyone from professors to postdocs, to undergrads.

START is designed for founders, teams and companies aiming to reach a pre-seed or seed round of investment – or secure substantive revenue – within the next 6 to 12 months.

We support founders building high-impact solutions across all technology areas and sectors. For START 3.0, our primary focus is on DeepTech and AI – whether you’re building advanced technologies, engineering new solutions or applying artificial intelligence in innovative ways. This includes, but isn’t limited to, sectors like Sustainability, New Materials, Finance and Life Sciences. We also support AI companies across the spectrum – from breakthrough AI models and research-heavy innovations to consumer and enterprise AI solutions with large addressable markets and rapid deployment potential.

Within Life Sciences, we particularly welcome HealthTech, MedTech and Tech-Bio ventures, but we also consider BioTech companies where we can add significant value.

If your innovation doesn’t fit neatly into these categories but has strong potential for impact, we still encourage you to apply.

Yes – although we will be looking for evidence that you can build a complementary team around you quickly.

Yes! We have expanded eligibility from two years to five years for University of Cambridge affiliation. This means students, postdocs, faculty and alumni can now apply within five years of their time at the University.

The 4-week Strategy sprint builds your foundation. The 16-week Customer sprint provides deep technical development and market validation time. The final 4-week Investor sprint prepares you for fundraising. This structure supports longer technology development and enterprise sales cycles, while equipping you for a successful fundraise.

The programme uses a hybrid format with varying attendance expectations:

• Weeks 1-4 (Strategy sprint) and Weeks 20–24 (Investor sprint): At least one founder should attend in person 2–3 days per week.
• Weeks 5–20 (Customer sprint): Fortnightly in-person or virtual meetings, plus additional events that may benefit your business.

Attendance is required during the Strategy and Investor sprints. We are open to discussing adjustments during the Customer sprint if needed. If the overall hybrid model does not fit your circumstances, the programme may not be the best match – but please reach out to explore whether we can accommodate your needs.

Given the programme’s focus on business and market development, we expect only the CEO to participate full-time. However, some events and sessions will be beneficial for CTOs and/or other team members which they are welcome to join.

It is a three-step process. The first step is to fill out our online application form. If shortlisted, you will be invited to our first-round interviews. These will be divided into two parts where we assess the founders’ skills and behaviours as well as the technology and market. The last step is a final interview where we will assess your business as a whole and discuss any outstanding questions and how the programme can be personalised to your business.

We run a swift application cycle. Initial interviews will take place in January-February 2026.

Final round interviews conclude by mid-February, with decisions communicated in mid-late February 2026.

All companies receive our core programme, but the key difference lies in tailored one-to-one mentorship from industry experts and exited founders who have been there and done that.

• AI companies get specialised support on user acquisition, deployment strategies, scaling infrastructure and related topics.
• DeepTech companies receive dedicated guidance on IP strategy, regulatory navigation and technical commercialisation.
• AI-enabled DeepTech companies get the best of both worlds.

We offer a targeted pathway to guide you on topics specific to Life Science companies, especially in the drug discovery and development space, with support from our partner, AstraZeneca. In particular, we will support you on the following areas:

• Mentoring – receive one-on-one support from mentors who have extensive experience in the Life Science industry, where relevant.
• Regulatory Strategies – work out a pathway based on the regulatory requirements for your business and the associated costs.
• Business Development – develop a strategy to identify the right co-development and/or sales partners for your business along with a plan to approach them and frame your value proposition to them.
• Health economics – identify the current gold standard of care, current pathways of deployment, cost effectiveness of your technology and frame why the healthcare ecosystem should pay for your intervention.
• Investment readiness – gain clarity on likely acquirers of your asset, how much other such assets have sold for, what milestones they hit before being acquired and how long it took and funding requirements and data validation needed to get to those milestones.
• Networks – connect with the right industry experts who can eventually serve as mentors, directors or chairs in your company.

In addition, we will provide bespoke support to meet your individual needs.

• We offer 50+ hours from an Entrepreneur-in-Residence who are hand-picked according to your specific needs.
• We will provide mentors to you during the programme for general feedback, specific knowledge on your markets and on other core company topics. This will include one-on-one sessions with experienced entrepreneurs, group workshops and access to our global network of industry experts as required.
• We will also bring in operators-in-residence to provide one-on-one support for up to 30 hours per company for investment and marketing.
• Finally, you will get support from Cambridge Enterprise through the Technology Development and Licensing and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures teams as you prepare for investment.

We hold specialised sessions on marketing and doing business to a US audience should you be interested in the US market. We connect you with our base of industry experts in the US where relevant for personalised one-on-one mentorship around product and market strategy. We have had one or two instances where we have had US-based Entrepreneurs-in-Residence paired with cohort companies. Throughout the programme we will connect you with our base of relevant US investors (both institutional and angels) and host a virtual US Investor Day.

After completing our programme, we will support you through your next phase, whether it be a fundraise, tailored introductions or beyond. You can also stay in ideaSpace with us for three months, at a discounted rate or longer at the full membership rate.

And of course, you are part of the Founders at the University of Cambridge community going forward.

Working with other services in Cambridge Enterprise is complementary to the programme. We encourage you to carry on that process as normal as you complete an application and beyond. If you are not selected for the programme and there are limited spaces, this will have no impact on your work with Cambridge Enterprise.

That’s fine. We will make a £30,000 investment on acceptance of the programme, with the aim of getting you investment-ready by the end of the programme.

We do not have a cap on non-dilutive investments. However, if you have raised more than £1M in dilutive funding, we would like to have a chat about whether this programme is the right fit for you.

We do not charge any participation fees. And there are no hidden fees.

The University funds the programme separately, so everything we offer – mentorship, resources, office space and investor access – is provided at no additional cost.

We do not charge programme fees or sweat equity. Our only equity stake will be reflected when the SAFE investment converts into equity when you raise investment. If you do, our equity terms match the University’s standard pre-seed investment structure. This approach ensures your funding goes further while aligning us with your long-term success.

It is part of the University’s proactive support for startups and reflects the partnership we will build with you from day one.

We invest £30,000 upfront into all companies accepted into the cohort. During and at the end of the programme, we can match-invest up to £70,000 under the same founder-friendly terms as the first investment should a company raise external funding (except crowdfunding or investment from family and friends). There will also be an opportunity to pitch for up to £500,000 to the Cambridge Enterprise Investment Committee. Companies who get accepted into the START programme become part of our portfolio and retain the opportunity to get follow-on funding from the CE Investment Committee for life.

The START programme investment is based on a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE). In simple terms, we give you capital in exchange for the right to take equity in your company when you raise your next investment round. When you raise, the SAFE converts into equity.

We invest in you via a SAFE (see above). We have designed the SAFE to be both market best practice and founder friendly. Below is the summary of what terms are included and not included:

• 20% Discount: When you raise a subsequent investment round the SAFE converts into equity. It does so at a 20% discount on the price of the round, as a recognition that we backed you early. This is standard practice in a SAFE.
• No Valuation Cap: The 20% discount is the only advantage we get on the price. This is an uncapped SAFE, which means there is no maximum price our shares convert at. The price is just determined by your raise, with the discount.
• No Longstop: There is no set date when our SAFE converts into equity. It will convert when you raise a qualified priced equity round of funding or we may decide to convert at an earlier nonqualifying fundraise.
• Board Observer Rights: We have the right to put an observer on your board. This is in place so we can continue supporting you on the big decisions in your company in a formal way, without getting formal voting rights. We may waive this if we choose.
• Follow-on SAFE: We may decide to support your company further by investing with a follow-on SAFE. Providing your company with the follow-on funding is a right that we will have as an early-stage investor, but not one that we are obliged to make.
• Further investment: We want to continue to invest in promising companies that grow through the programme. We retain the right to contribute additional capital in your first financing round and during subsequent investments, as is standard with investor pre-emption rights.
• Information rights: We will require you to notify and provide us with relevant information in advance of an equity financing raise or other events that impact the way the SAFE converts into equity in your company.

We will not fund two competitive companies in the same accelerator cohort. However, as the University of Cambridge has been making investments for over 20 years, it is possible that there will be some competitiveness within the overall portfolio.

Not at all. The University is still making investments in companies as it always has. If you don’t get selected for the programme as there are limited spaces, there is absolutely opportunity for investment from the University in future. Cambridge Enterprise’s door is always open.

Unfortunately, we can’t help with visas at this time. However, you may want to apply to the UK’s Global Talent visa which enables exceptionally talented individuals potentially like yourself to come to the UK to work for five years. More on other visa routes can be found here. 

If you have a question that is not answered above, please reach us at connect@founders.cam.ac.uk