Imperial College London and the Royal Academy of Engineering have announced a new Science and Technology Venture Capital (VC) Fellowship designed to enhance investor capability in identifying and deploying capital into high-potential, scalable, life science and deep tech ventures.
Delivered through Imperial Projects, the 12-month fellowship targets mid-level VC investors and related investment professionals, as well as recently exited entrepreneurs transitioning into VC, who are interested in enhancing their ability to manage VC funds specialised in supporting science and engineering-based portfolio companies.
The programme’s goal is to provide knowledge and leadership development, paired with experiential learning, mentoring, and networking opportunities to support the development of a strong talent pipeline in science and technology VC investment in the UK.
The bespoke programme, jointly developed by Imperial and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and delivered through Imperial Projects, will run for one year from September 2024. Key features include:
For more information, please contact Vivienne Benson.
Ramana Nanda, Director of Imperial’s Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship, said:
“Imperial is proud to be delivering this unique programme in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering. A key goal of the Fellowship is to help develop the specialised talent needed to deploy greater risk capital into science and engineering-based ventures. In doing so, we hope the Fellowship will support the UK’s ambition to be at the frontier of building impactful life science and deep tech ventures that deliver jobs, economic growth and tackle the most pressing global challenges.”
Ana Avaliani, Director of Enterprise, Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“This Fellowship represents a transformative opportunity for venture capitalists to deepen their engagement with the UK's thriving deep tech and life sciences sectors. By equipping VCs with the knowledge and connections they need, we are paving the way for a new era of growth and innovation, The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub is proud to partner on this programme. By combining our expertise and global network with Imperial’s world-leading teaching, we are creating a powerful platform for the next generation of tech entrepreneurs and investors.”
We are Imperial – a world-leading university for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business (STEMB), where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
As a global top ten university in London, we use science to try to understand more of the universe and improve the lives of more people in it. Across our nine campuses and throughout our Imperial Global network, our 22,000 students, 8,000 staff, and partners work together on scientific discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. Their work navigates some of the world’s toughest challenges in global health, climate change, AI, business leadership and more.
Founded in 1907, Imperial’s future builds on a distinguished past, having pioneered penicillin, holography and fibre optics. Today, Imperial combines exceptional teaching, world-class facilities and a habit of interdisciplinary practice to unlock scientific imagination.
The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub supports talented entrepreneurs and decision makers to transform breakthrough engineering innovations into disruptive spinouts, startups and scaleups. Ranked 9th ‘Leading Startup Hub in Europe’ by The Financial Times, we look for bold, IP-rich innovations from all areas of engineering and technology that can solve the world’s most complex environmental, economic, and societal challenges.