Share this page
https://cambridgetechweek.co.uk/news/when-cambridge-puts-its-mind-to-deep-tech-anything-is-possible/
When Cambridge puts its mind to deep tech, anything is possible – Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge Tech Week pre-event blog by Tim Fowler, Chief Commercial Officer of Cambridge Consultants, part of Capgemini Invent.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Anything is possible when Cambridge puts its mind to it. That’ll be my mantra when we gather for the second annual Cambridge Tech Week – and set our sights on fuelling growth across this very special technology ecosystem.
I think it’s sometimes easy to take for granted the exceptional nature of Cambridge’s contribution to the world. Whether it’s the first single-chip Bluetooth device, the first low-cost human genome sequencing machinery, the Alexa in your kitchen, or any number of innovations that emerged from here, we should constantly remind ourselves of our rare ability to break vital new ground; to redefine the art of the possible.
Defendable commercial advantage
Of course, what characterises this spirit is a restless desire to confront what comes next. Hence my eager anticipation for CTW 24. I believe that a new wave of achievements will be driven by bold, new-to-the-world deep tech innovation; by the development of technologies, services of products that have never been seen before – and which will bring defendable commercial advantage for those who get to market first.
It is this strategic mindset that shapes our client work at CC, and it chimes absolutely with the ethos of Europe’s largest and most influential tech cluster. Deep tech innovation is about challenging the status quo and challenging the norms, especially when they are holding back industries.
Depth and breadth of expertise
But to apply technology to such problems demands a depth and breadth of expertise – radical science and engineering – that you can only find in places like Cambridge and CC. I’m not sure there are many places in the world where, for example, biologists and semiconductor engineers collaborate closely together with a common purpose.
We also work and collaborate within an ecosystem that can take ingenious ideas from inception to reality, from academia and research to commercial value. You obviously need more than just a technical idea to build a business. You need to understand where the value is, how to get access to markets, how to find a way around intractable problems that others have faced in the past. This is where companies like CC, and entities like Cambridge Angels and the VC community can play back crucial expertise.
Make it extraordinary, make it hard to copy
The role of a deep tech strategy is not just to create value, but to capture it too. The important factor here is that the innovation should be hard to copy. I always say that if you’ve worked diligently enough and smart enough to create something extraordinary, then make it hard to copy. There’s nothing better than a patent or a trade secret to protect your business. And if it’s truly valuable, you’re able to exploit and extract that value over a long-term.
Having played a leading role in founding and establishing the Cambridge technology cluster – creating more than 20 spinouts, including three of the city’s billion-dollar companies – CC is looking forward to leading activities across Tech Week, as a Gold Founder Sponsor. In our mind, Cambridge innovation and CC are closely intertwined. What we do as a business reflects the way of thinking that exists in Cambridge, largely because of the intellectual curiosity that was originally stimulated by the university.
Showcasing who and what we are
On the flip side, the Cambridge tech ecosystem can trace many of its characteristics back to Cambridge Consultants as one of key players in the Cambridge Phenomenon of the 1980s. We are both a reflection of that phenomenon and it is a reflection of us. So, this event is the perfect way of showcasing who and what we are – and what we can achieve together globally.
During the week we’ll be welcoming business leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to our HQ on the Science Park buildings for lab tours showcasing advances in areas such as quantum technology, biotechnology, and AI & data analytics.
Our Head of Sustainability Catherine Joce will host a discussion on how to accelerate growth for climate tech start-ups. And I’m looking forward to speaking about the opportunities to seize the power of deep tech for the good of business and society. So, if you’re planning to attend, I look forward to seeing you – and continuing the conversation – at Cambridge Tech Week.
