CUTalks by CUTEC

This week on CUTalks, we are speaking to Niklas Hebborn who is a partner at Freigeist Capital, a German deep tech VC firm based in Bonn. He holds a degree in business administration and has a background in consulting and private equity. We spoke about how he got into VC, how Freigeist Capital choose which companies to invest in and support them, and the outlook for the European tech ecosystem. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/ Here is the link to the survey - https://forms.gle/8sBVj2WNNUjCmJZ58 This podcast was produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.

This week on CUTalks we are speaking to Mark Shmulevich, the Senior VP at TAIGER - an AI software company in Singapore. He is also the founding director of the Zimin Institutes in Israel which helps commercialise promising research with the potential to generate solutions to pressing problems in the world. Additionally, he has been the Deputy Minister of IT in Russia. We spoke about his experiences in the government and the private sector, his work to help the commercialisation of high-impact research and briefly about how AI and deep tech applications may develop in the future. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/

This week on CUTalks, we are speaking to Sir Menelas Pangalos, the VP of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca. He holds a PhD in neuroscience from UCL and has previously worked at Wyeth and Pfizer. We spoke about the importance of collaboration with academia, how AstraZeneca’s drug development success rate has increased in recent years and how they make sure medicines are accessible to all. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/

This week on CUTalks, we are speaking to Jeremy O’Hanlon, a Cambridge alumnus, who has worked as a corporate attorney in the life sciences and tech industries. He’s also held roles in business and corporate development in the life sciences as he currently does at Gilead Sciences in California. We spoke about M&A deals he’s worked on at Gilead, the skillset required in M&A and his insights from working with VCs. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/

This week on CUTalks, we are speaking to Richard Lucas, a business and social entrepreneur as well as an early-stage investor. He has also been heavily involved in teaching entrepreneurship and fostering entrepreneurial communities via CAMentrepreneurs and other initiatives such as TedXKazimierz. We spoke about how Richard approaches investing, entrepreneurship education and mentorship. He also shared his perspective on how the environment one finds themselves in can fuel entrepreneurship. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/ This podcast was produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.

This week on CUTalks, we are speaking to Christopher Kong who is the co-founder and Head of Business development at Better Nature, a tempeh-focussed food-tech company. Chris holds a masters degree in biochemistry from the University of Oxford. We spoke about the story behind Better Nature and challenges he and his co-founder had to face to build the company. Chris also shared how Better Nature has prioritised sustainability in business decisions and his thoughts on the long-term outlook for the alternative meat industry. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/

This week on CUTalks, we are speaking to Dr. Kai-fu Lee who is the Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, a leading Chinese technology venture capital firm. He was also the founder of Microsoft Research Asia and the president of Google China as well as authoring the bestseller ‘AI Superpowers’. Kai-fu shared his journey into AI and gave an overview of the entrepreneurial landscape in China. He then went on to give insights into how governments can support AI, how humans can adapt as AI adopts certain tasks and how AI can revolutionise education. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/ This podcast was produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.

This week on CUTalks, we are talking to Nigel Lambe. Nigel is the CEO of the Sussex Innovation Centre. He has also been an investor and/or co-founder in several food and drink start-ups including Small Batch Coffee Company and Brighton Gin most recently. Prior to this he worked in areas such as sales and supply chain management at various companies. Nigel told us about how he transitioned from working in the corporate world to working within start-ups and the challenges he overcame. He also shared the ways in which his current company, Sussex Innovation, helps support start-ups and university spin-offs alike. Lastly, he gave tips for current and aspiring founders based on his experiences over the years. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/ This podcast was produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.

This week on CUTalks, we are talking to Kate Hamer and Louis Saha, co-founders of AxisStars - a business which connects sports and entertainment stars with select partners via a mobile app. Louis is a former professional footballer and played for Fulham, Everton and Manchester United amongst others, whilst Kate has vast experience in the marketing world and has her own marketing and digital consulting company. We discussed how Louis and Kate met and how they were each able to utilise their previous experiences when it came to building the platform. They also shared lessons they’ve learnt along the way and the impact of mentors on their careers. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/ This podcast was produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.

This week on CUTalks we are talking to Jonny Everett, co-founder of The Chat Shop and current Programme Manger and Entrepreneur in Residence at Entrepreneur First. Jonny told us about the advisory work he does with startups via Entrepreneurship First and shared his candid experiences with mental health as a founder. He also gave advice on how founders can achieve greater balance in their lives and on how to cope with mental health struggles they may encounter. To find out more about CUTEC, visit https://www.cutec.io/ This podcast was produced by Carl Homer, Cambridge TV.