The future of technology isn’t just emerging - it’s here. Tech Deep Dives at Cambridge Tech Week bring together the brightest minds to explore game-changing innovations across Med Tech / Health Tech, Climate Tech / Agri-tech, Quantum / Semiconductors.
This is the day for bold ideas, cutting-edge research, and real-world applications. Expect expert-led workshops designed to help you scale your business, expand globally, and leverage AI for competitive advantage. Engage with industry leaders through fireside chats, keynotes, and panels, gaining insights that could redefine your approach to tech.
The Big Tech Debate – Where Opinions Clash and Ideas Spark
End the day by diving into The Big Tech Debate, a dynamic, interactive session that challenges conventional thinking. Playing to Cambridge’s legacy of innovation and debate, this session will feature thought-provoking discussion on AI and the creative industries.
A Grand Finale – The Gala Reception
End the day with the celebratory Gala Reception, where pioneers, investors, and innovators come together to network, reflect, and toast to the future of tech.
Join us as we push beyond the horizon - where breakthroughs happen, and industries transform.
Discover the full Thursday programme
Discover the Health/Med Tech programme
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09:00 |
Registration and Refreshments |
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09:45 |
Opening Welcome from MC |
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09:45 |
Sponsor Welcome |
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09:50 |
Setting the Scene: Putting AI enabled interventions in perspective 
Dr Uday PhadkeDr Uday Phadke is a distinguished figure in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. He is the co-founder and CEO of Triple Chasm, a company focused on translating science and technology-enabled innovation into commercial impact. Over the past three decades, Dr. Phadke has been instrumental in bridging the gap between academic research and commercial application. His work spans commercial firms, academic research, and the design of national and international innovation initiatives, making him a pivotal figure in the innovation ecosystem. He holds an MA in Engineering from Trinity College, Cambridge, and a PhD from the University of Sussex. He has founded several technology businesses, including Cartezia, which has helped build over 100 companies in the last 20 years. He was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Judge Business School, Cambridge University and is the lead author of “Camels, Tigers & Unicorns: Rethinking Science and Technology-enabled Innovation” He is a Director of The Research & Development Society working on Industrial Strategy and the economics of growth. He is also a non-Executive Director of the Stevenage Bio-Catalyst. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in 2018.
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10:00 |
Health/Med Tech Sensor-centric AI (including imaging) 
Valentina VitielloI’m a research programmes and operations leader with over 15 years’ experience at top academic institutions, specialising in clinical translation, governance, and healthcare engineering. As Head of Clinical Translation and Governance at the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (King’s College London), I work at the intersection of research, regulation, and real-world impact, driving the adoption of cutting-edge medical technologies into clinical practice. With a PhD in Medical Robotics from Imperial College London, I bring deep expertise in surgical robotics, medical device regulation, and clinical study governance. I’ve led multi-million-pound research programmes funded by UKRI, NIHR, EPSRC, and the Wellcome Trust, and built strategic partnerships across the NHS, academia, and industry. Passionate about innovation, inclusion, and mentorship, I actively champion equity in research, co-chair DDI initiatives, and support the next generation through educational outreach and governance roles. My mission is to translate world-class research into technologies that transform healthcare and improve lives. 
Iain SimpsonIain currently is chair of the R&D Society and Director in the Global Pharma Segment Team at Phillips-Medisize, a global medical device contact manufacturing organisation In his role at the R&D Society he is working as part of a team focussing on transformation of the UK research and development sector to support regional and national economic growth. This work is being done in collaboration with several key partners. At Phillips Medisize he is part of a global team developing and manufacturing industry leading solutions and platforms for drug delivery, digital medicine and connected health. He has more than 35-years’ experience in multi-disciplinary technology and product development; the last 25 years have in healthcare and increasingly focused on the use of devices and digital technologies to support better therapeutic delivery, create product differentiation, improve patient engagement and better measure clinical outcomes in the real world. He has a degree and PhD in Physics, both from University College London and an MBA in Technology Management from the Open University. He has published and presented at conferences on drug delivery, digital biomarkers, healthcare technology and technology licensing. He is an associate lecturer in drug delivery at the University of Cambridge. 
Kauser HussainKauser is the Global Head of Partnerships and Market Expansion at Flow Neuroscience, a pioneering health tech company transforming the treatment of depression through innovative brain stimulation technology. With over 15 years of experience across biotechnology, digital health, and healthcare innovation, Kauser brings a strategic and global perspective to building impactful partnerships and scaling breakthrough technologies. Prior to Flow, she spent 10 years in the stem cell field, holding senior leadership roles that drove growth across the NHS, private sector, and international markets. Kauser is deeply passionate about health innovation and is a committed advocate for increasing access to effective care. As a vocal champion for women’s health, she is dedicated to addressing disparities, driving awareness, and advancing more inclusive, patient-centred healthcare solutions. 
Annelise SoulierAnnelise Soulier, co-founder CSO, is a microbiologist and molecular biologist with 15 years' experience in both academic and industry settings. Formerly at Prokarium, with over 7 years’ experience in the engineering and development of bacterial therapeutic products for different disease indications, she’s co-inventor of an oral vaccine against enteric fever tested in clinical trial. In 2021, she co-founded Neobe Therapeutics with Dr Pedro Correa de Sampaio and she designed a synthetic biology platform to engineer first in class live microbial therapeutics to produce extracellular matrix remodelling enzymes only within the solid tumour microenvironment to enable immunotherapies efficacy in non-responders patients. |
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11:00 |
Keynote: Transforming patient outcomes with AI 
Sajan KhoslaSajan Khosla is the Head of Clinical Data Science and Real World Evidence (RWE) within Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca. In this role he is responsible for the development of a unique and innovative Data Science and RWE unit that focuses the spectrum of RWE capabilities upon the pressing challenges of R&D; supporting investment in Real World Data, Machine Learning & AI, technologies and platforms that accelerate the analysis of these data and the build out of RWE capability and enabling the innovative use of these data. Ultimately to support decision making within the pipeline and advance innovative medicines with evidence for regulators. Sajan has over 18 years of experience in life-sciences starting his career in Molecular Biology focusing his attention on discovering new molecular targets for cancer. Sajan then left discovery science into the National Health Service at the University Hospitals Birmingham where he led a team of Clinical Informatics specialists and developed an advanced analytics platform, Healthcare Evaluation Data (HED), that is currently used to synthesize hospital level metrics on clinical quality/patient safety and hospital performance and benchmarks hospitals within the system. Sajan holds a Genetics degree from Birmingham University, an MSc in Bioinformatics from Leicester University, and holds a visiting lectureship role at Kings College London educating the next generation of RWE Specialists for the industry. |
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11:15 |
Refreshment Break |
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11:45 |
Health/Med Tech Data-centric AI 
Dr Dimitrios KalogeropoulosDr. Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos is a pioneer in digital health and agentic AI, and a committed advocate for the ethical, inclusive, and responsible use of AI in healthcare. He is CEO of the Global Health & Digital Innovation Foundation and serves as Health Executive in Residence at UCL’s Global Business School for Health, where he also sits on the MBA/EMBA Health External Advisory Board. With over three decades of experience in global health and innovation, Dr. Kalogeropoulos has advised leading organisations including the World Health Organization, the European Commission, and the World Bank. He has played a key role in shaping international policy frameworks that strengthen healthcare accessibility and system resilience, and that drive sustainable, patient-centred innovation. He is the incoming Chair of the IEEE European Public Policy Committee and leads several global initiatives at the intersection of health, technology, and equity. 
Mark AveryMark’s role spans both Health Innovation East and Cambridge University Health Partners (CUHP). His role includes leadership of a portfolio of projects to develop capacity and capability in the region to integrate data to gain insights that inform health and care delivery and clinical research. He is Director of the East of England Sub-National Secure Data Environment (SN-SDE) programme and sits on the East of England NHS Digital Portfolio Programme Board. Starting out as an information analyst, Mark has over 20 years’ experience working in the NHS across a range of operational, information, contracting and performance management roles. He is experienced in leading complex projects and programmes within and across hospitals, commissioning, third sector, and research organisations.
Yogesh PrasadYogesh Prasad is the founder of Biosecure ID, a mission-driven, for-profit startup focused on advancing ethical DNA technologies and AI-powered solutions for decentralised testing in the applied genomics verticals, such as forensic DNA, biosecurity, and healthcare. He is also the founder of Science for Social Good CIC, supporting community-led science to drive innovation and standardisation of data analysis and method validation in applied genomics segments. Yogesh brings over 27 years of experience in applied genomics, having held senior leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Cepheid (a Danaher company). Now a serial founder, he blends deep technical expertise with commercial strategy to build impactful solutions at the intersection of science and society.
Karina MalhotraKarina Malhotra is a former NHS Director and Senior Leader, with extensive experience and subject matter expertise in all aspects of healthcare management and technology. She has provided expert advisory support to executive teams at some of the UK’s largest NHS organisations utilising her extensive knowledge and passion for improving patient care. Karina is a data-driven problem solver, with a recognised talent for understanding the people, operations, data and system elements equally and ensuring they are appropriately managed to deliver sustainable change. Karina founded Acumentice with the philosophy of adding sustainable value to the NHS and improving data quality and the use of technology to improve patient care at every level. Further speakers to be announced |
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12:50 |
Closing Remarks and Summary of Key issues raised |
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| 13:00 |
Lunch |
*draft agenda, subject to change
Discover the Quantum & Semiconductors programme
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13:30 |
Registration and Refreshments |
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14:00 |
Fireside Chat 
Ilyas KhanIlyas Khan is the Founder, Vice Chairman, and Chief Product Officer of Quantinuum, the world’s largest quantum computing company. Ilyas served as the founding Chairman of The Stephen Hawking Foundation. He is recognized globally as a leading figure in the quantum computing industry. As the founding Chairman of the Topos Institute, a nonprofit based in Berkeley focused on advancing technology for the public good, he is a leader in public dialogues on Ai. Quantinuum is the second company Ilyas has founded. He previously founded techpacific (a ‘unicorn’ start-up). At the University of Cambridge, Ilyas serves as a Leader in Residence and Fellow at the Judge Business School, where he helped establish the prestigious Accelerate Cambridge program supporting early-stage deep-tech ventures. He is also a fellow of St Edmund’s College. 
Eric Van der KleijEric is Co-Founder and General Partner at EdenBase, a venture investment platform and ecosystem. He is a disruptive tech investor, entrepreneur and one of London’s leading tech ecosystem builders, now leading the charge in quantum by launching QBase, London’s Quantum-AI Centre of Excellence. Eric previously created and led some of the UK and Switzerland’s most prestigious technology ecosystems and hubs. This includes the world’s leading Fintech hub - Level39, the Fintech vertical of the Kickstart Accelerator for Digital Switzerland, as well as the UK’s groundbreaking Tech City/TechNation initiative, where he was appointed by the former UK Prime Minister to develop the UK tech economy. He was also instrumental in establishing the UK’s leading trade body for fintech - Innovate Finance. Prior to this he pioneered the UK Governments highly successful Global Entrepreneur Inward Investment Programme, which has attracted over 1,500 startups and $2.5Bn of investment to the UK. Together these initiatives have supported the growth of one third of the UK’s tech unicorns as well as accelerating the UK and international technology ecosystems and economies. As a Fintech entrepreneur - he previously co-founded and sold Adeptra, a fraud prevention Fintech company which was acquired by FICO in 2012. Eric is passionate about entrepreneurship and for many years served in a voluntary capacity as Honorary Chairman for the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme Advisory Group, and was a founding volunteer Advisory Board member of Tech London Advocates. |
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14:15 |
Reinventing Silicon 
Lawrence Lundy-Bryan
Lawrence is a deep tech investor. He is a Partner at Lunar Ventures, an early-stage deep tech venture fund where he focuses on semiconductors and energy. He writes a popular tech and investing newsletter State of the Future with 3000+ subscribers. He has advised the UK Government, EU Commission, and World Economic Forum on a broad set of emerging technologies. 
Ed BithellEd Bithell is Head of Strategy and Sovereign Partnerships at Fractile, a chip startup designing AI compute systems optimised for radically faster and cheaper frontier model inference. Prior to this, he worked as a UK civil servant and diplomat, and as an analyst covering trade, industrial policy and emerging technologies. 
Laura SartoriLaura's 20-year career has progressed from a technical expert to a strategic product leader in the semiconductor IP industry. As a Senior Product Manager at Codasip, she drives the product vision and automotive strategy for RISC-V CPU. Her journey began at Fermilab, the premier U.S. particle physics and accelerator laboratory, where she was a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow. In this role, she led the design of custom chips for high-speed particle detection, a project that built her skills in technical leadership and project management. She then joined Imagination Technologies, first as a Senior GPU Design Engineer and later on a global application engineering team. There, she guided the successful RTL-to-silicon integration of GPU IP into systems for consumer and automotive companies. Laura’s move to product management leverages her technical knowledge and focus on customer needs to lead product roadmaps and customer engagement. Her Ph.D. and M.S. in Physics gave her the strong problem-solving and analytical skills she uses to navigate the complexities of the industry. 
Tanyaradzwa MangomaTanya is the CEO and founder of HyperCIM, a chip startup spun out of Deep Science Ventures in 2024 to address the data pipeline bottleneck beyond training and inference. She holds a PhD in AI Hardware from the University of Cambridge, specialising in neuromorphic computing, emerging memory materials, and digital manufacturing. She also holds Master’s degrees in Materials Science and Ultra-precision Engineering. |
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14:40 |
Quantum Computing 
Jonathan Legh-SmithJonathan Legh-Smith is Executive Director for UKQuantum, the association for the UK’s quantum industry. Jonathan represents the interests of UKQuantum members nationally and internationally. Jonathan is also a member of the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme Strategic Advisory Board, the National Quantum Computing Centre Strategic Advisory Committee, UK coordinator for the NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community Industry Network, NPL’s Quantum Strategy Board and co-chair of the UK’s Responsible Quantum Industry Forum. Jonathan was awarded an MBE for services to science & technology in 2024. 
Hugo Saleh​​​​​​Hugo joined Quantum Motion in January 2025 to co-lead the company’s expansion and drive commercial business. Hugo’s career has spanned across semiconductor, hardware, software, and cloud, most recently serving as the Head of HPC and Director of Product at Google. Prior to that, Hugo led the commercial operations and international expansion at Ayar Labs and had an extensive career at Intel Corporation, spanning nearly two decades in various leadership roles in the data center and silicon design organisations. 
Marco GhibaudiMarco is an expert in delivering deep-tech prototypes and products. He holds a joint CERN/SSSUP PhD in Innovative Technologies and he specialises on highly constrained systems. Marco innovation track-record comprises the first smart-city testbed in Europe, a key component in large-scale optical networks, the CERN largest electronics upgrade and the first commercial wireless VR Headset. From small scale software solutions to multi-million units per year hardware chips, Marco has always focused on quality, reliability and time to market. Marco brings Industry best-practices into Research and ingenuity into Development.
Ed WoodEd is a seasoned leader with a track-record of helping create & bring to market category-creating Products; he combines engineering sensibilities with a strong and creative product sense with business acumen. His pragmatic Market Led approach has been instrumental in successfully positioning products in both mature, highly competitive and ‘green field’ markets. Beyond Product, he has skills and experience leading Marketing, Business Development and Commercial activities. He is a passionate advocate of clear communication of the business benefits of a solution, delivered by the underlying technology He has worked to bring high-impact high-utility solutions to multiple market sectors world-wide including Banking, Finance, Manufacturing, Government and Hyperscalers. He has experience of high growth environments, from start-ups to international technology giants. Ed is fascinated by company culture and the ability of good culture to multiply productivity; he is actively involved in the nurturing and maintaining of the ambitious and productive ethos at Nu Quantum. He loves to share his business experience and is involved in multiple programs to mentor and guide technology startups.
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15:15 |
Refreshment Break |
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15:45 |
Photonics: Light-Speed Innovation as photonics 
Dr Andy SellarsAndy is Director of Strategy for CORNERSTONE, the world-leading photonics foundry at the University of Southampton. He serves on the UK Government’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel and chairs the UK Semiconductor Expert Working Group. He has given expert advice to the UK Parliament on five occasions, including the National Security and Investment Act, the Telecom Security Act and the select committee on semiconductors. He has also advised the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network, and is an Advisor to Silicon Catalyst UK. Andy was the Founder of the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, securing a £54m investment from UK Government. He built a high-performance organisation of over 100 professionals; he represented the Catapult during roundtable discussions with the Prime Minister and high-level delegations to Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and the US White House. Andy holds an Executive MBA from Glasgow University, a research doctorate from Strathclyde University and is a Fellow of the IET.
Mark RushworthMark Rushworth is the CEO and co-founder of photonics startup, Finchetto. Mark holds certificates in integrated photonics chip design and is a member of the UK Government’s Optical Communications and Photonics Expert Working Group. 
Dr Gwenhivir Wyatt-MoonDr Gwenhivir Wyatt-Moon is the CEO and co-founder of Prospectral. Prior to this she worked as a Researcher in Semiconductor Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge and was a fellow at Trinty Hall, Cambridge.
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16:25 |
Closing Keynote 
Dr Andrew FitzgibbonAndrew Fitzgibbon has been closely involved in the delivery of three groundbreaking computer vision and machine learning systems over two decades. In 2000, he was computer vision lead on the Emmy-award-winning 3D camera tracker “Boujou”; in 2009 he introduced large-scale synthetic training data to Kinect for Xbox 360, and in 2019 was science lead on the team that shipped fully articulated hand tracking on HoloLens 2. His passion is bringing the power of mathematics to the crucible of real-world engineering. He has numerous research awards, including ten “best paper” prizes at leading conferences, and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and of the Royal Society. |
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16:35 |
Closing Remarks |
*draft agenda, subject to change
Discover the Climate & Agri-tech programme
| Decarbonising the Future: Energy and Industrial Transformation | ||||
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09:00 |
Registration and Refreshments |
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09:45 |
Opening Welcome from MC Sylvie Russell, Chief Operating Officer, Cambridge Cleantech 
Sylvie RussellSylvie is the Chief Operating Officer at Cambridge Cleantech and has over 20 years of experience in senior roles in international companies, from SMEs and charities to large multi-national brands. She manages the Cleantech Venture Day, a flagship pitching event and a meeting place for innovators, investors, large enterprises and economic development partners to see next generation climate tech solutions and investment opportunities. Sylvie managed the delivery of the Act4Green programme in 2021 and the UK-India Tech Startup programme 2022, both intensive business accelerator programmes for British and Indian cleantech start-ups supported by the UK Government’s FCDO office. With a French Baccalauréat and a 4-year international business and management degree, her career has taken her to Monaco, the UK, Spain and Uruguay, providing her with experiences that have helped shape her understanding of different cultures and working environments. With every role and challenge, her aim has always been to ensure that everything goes smoothly for everyone involved. |
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09:45 |
Sponsor Welcome |
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09:50 |
Keynote Setting the Scene: From Impossible to Possible 
Chris GoodallChris Goodall is a business person working on the energy transition. He has written several books on the routes to decarbonisation, including last year’s Possible. Two of these books were among the Financial Times Books of the Year. Chris is also an investor in climate tech companies, including Net Zero Insights, a presenter at this conference. |
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10:10 |
Energy and Industrial Decarbonisation Key Data 
Sofia EstevesSofia combines a background in science and engineering with nearly 15 years of experience in innovation and technology transfer, at academia and industry. In her role as the Head of Market Insights at Net Zero Insights, she is focused on enhancing the impact created by Climate Tech innovation stakeholders. |
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10:20 |
Keynote: The Road to Net Zero: Energy Systems in Transition 
Emma FletcherEmma is the Low Carbon Housing Director at Octopus Energy. Her career has centred on leading high impact, high innovation projects in real estate, with a particular focus on housing, energy performance and green energy production. Her practical experience includes starting her career in rural surveying and estate management moving into award-winning housing and regeneration developments. Emma is a passionate advocate for change, community resilience and sustainability solutions for all. She established and led the UK’s first fossil fuel-free district heating scheme in her village, Swaffham Prior. Her work regularly features in trade, national and international press & media.
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10:30 |
Heavy Industry, Light Footprint: Electrification of Industrial Processes, Barriers and Enablers to Transformation 
David FergusonDavid is Head of Innovation at EDF UK. His mission is to lead innovations that accelerate the world’s journey towards net zero. His career has covered climate strategy, digital R&D and innovation in the UK, France and China. He is also co-founder of several climate tech startups, a Non-Executive Director of Exeter Science Park and a member of the Tech Southwest Advisory Board.
Emma FletcherEmma is the Low Carbon Housing Director at Octopus Energy. Her career has centred on leading high impact, high innovation projects in real estate, with a particular focus on housing, energy performance and green energy production. Her practical experience includes starting her career in rural surveying and estate management moving into award-winning housing and regeneration developments. Emma is a passionate advocate for change, community resilience and sustainability solutions for all. She established and led the UK’s first fossil fuel-free district heating scheme in her village, Swaffham Prior. Her work regularly features in trade, national and international press & media.
Niall MottramNiall is VP of Energy & CDR at Cambridge Consultants. A chartered chemical engineer, Niall has led breakthrough innovation projects in multiple industry sectors for over 20 years, involving novel optical sensing, wireless communication, and heat management technologies. He is particularly interested in the potential for novel technologies to reduce the costs associated with balancing energy supply and demand and help accelerate the energy transition in the process. |
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11:05 |
Innovation Showcase: Tech Solutions Powering Decarbonisation 
Omid SaghafifarOmid Saghafifar is the Co-founder and CEO of Remedium Energy, a UK-based climate tech startup developing novel carbon capture and thermal energy storage technologies. He holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, where his research focused on thermochemical energy storage. Omid has over a decade of experience in carbon capture, hydrogen systems, and deep-tech commercialisation. 
Georgia WareGeorgia is the CEO of HotGreen, an industrial heat pump start-up that is outcompeting steam boilers with a green heat solution. She became passionate about industrial heat, and it's enormous climate impact while in her previously role as the Head of Growth and Partnerships at Hexxcell, a hybrid-AI software company focussed on optimising the maintenance processes for industrial heat transfer equipment. She previously led a Healthtech startup as CEO in the early stages of its development in 2020 before it closed in 2021. She started her career in management consultancy, spending 5+ years at Oliver Wyman leaving as a Senior Manager. Georgia has a Masters in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
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11:15 |
Refreshment Break |
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| Harnessing AI for Climate Solutions: Driving Innovation in Climate Tech | ||||
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11:45 |
Opening Remarks: Nicky Dee, Founder & CEO, Carbon13 |
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11:50 |
Examples of AI for Climate Solutions 
Gatleen BhambraGatleen Bhambra is the Co-Founder and COO of Mater-AI, a deep-tech company developing AI-driven thermoelectric materials to convert waste heat into clean energy and advanced cooling. She leads operations, strategy, and commercial development, drawing on her background in consulting and AI product design. Mater-AI has secured venture funding, partnered with leading research institutes, and was recognised at Conception X’s Deep Tech Demo Day. 
Barrie DiffinWith over 20 years of experience leading operations and projects across the web, construction, logistics, security, FinTech, and renewable energy sectors, Barrie has built a career on delivering complex initiatives in demanding environments. His work has taken him from managing large-scale infrastructure projects to driving operational excellence in fast-moving technology businesses. Barrie has a track record of building teams, introducing effective systems and processes, and guiding organisations through periods of change and growth. He enjoys tackling complex challenges, developing practical solutions, and ensuring that people at all levels have the tools and support to succeed. Alongside his operational focus, he has always been passionate about developing talent, helping individuals grow in confidence and capability while keeping organisational goals firmly in sight.
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12:10 |
Debate: Climate - Good or Bad for AI? 
Sara JonesSara was Carbon13's first hire, responsible for building out the talent magnet for Carbon13 and establishing the Venture Builder as a world class programme for climatetech. She now focuses on Carbon13's accelerator the Venture Launchpad, alongside platform activities for the portfolio, investor relations, growth, and hosting the Carbon13 podcast. She specialises in the 0-1 stage of startups, and has worked in the London startup ecosystem since 2012.
Adam Mandel​​​​​​Adam Mandel is an entrepreneur and product leader with 15 years of experience in applied AI, energy, and mobility, having held senior roles at Rivian, General Motors' Cruise, and EVgo. Most recently, he co-founded EnergizedAI, a predictive maintenance software company for EV chargers that was successfully acquired by Seven Generation Capital Corp. Adam holds seven patents in self-driving and EV technology. He currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Carbon13, as well as advising multiple startups. In his free time, Adam can usually be found outdoors, cycling or hiking with his family. Originally from Los Angeles, he now lives in London.
Further debaters to be announced |
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| 13:00 |
Lunch | Guildhall |
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| 14:00 |
Keynote: Eating Tomorrow. How to Think Critically about AI and the Future of our Food System 
Elliott GrantElliott Grant works at the intersection of technology and agriculture, and has led the development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies throughout the global food system. In 2017 Dr. Grant joined Google[X] to lead the development of foundational AI for agriculture, and in 2023 became CEO of Mineral - one of Alphabet’s “Other Bets”. He serves on the boards of Sun World International and the International Fresh Produce Association, and is a Scientific Advisor to Driscoll’s. Prior to joining Google, he was the CEO of ShopWell Labs, a pioneer of personalized nutrition; the founding CEO of HarvestMark, a world leader in food traceability; and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He has been awarded over fifty US Patents and invented (then open-sourced) the VoiceCode - a traceability standard on every case of fresh produce in N. America. Elliott earned a PhD in Engineering from Cambridge University. In addition to advising startups, he is currently a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing and at Trinity Hall, where he researches the future of agriculture in the coming era of AI. He lives in Cambridge with his wife, and writes about the future of agriculture here. |
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| 14:25 |
2 Case Studies 
Prof Gerard Parr MBEGerard is a Full Professor in Telecommunications Engineering and has been Head of School of Computing Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA) from 2016-2023 which involved a range of senior management roles and responsibilities covering Teaching, Research, Innovation and Outreach. He holds a PhD in Self-Stabilising Protocols from Ulster University, aspects of which were completed with Prof Jon Crowcroft at University College London (UCL) and one of the Founding Architects of the Internet (Professor Jon Postel) as a Visiting Research Scientist at the DARPA/University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute in Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles. His PhD External Examiner was Prof Peter Kirstein from UCL. Within his academic career, areas of research include Self-stabilising Networks, Wireless Sensor Clouds, UAVs for Disaster Response Communications, ICT for the Rural Economy, Converged Network Management & Control Protocols for Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks, delay-sensitive QoSLAs, energy-aware autonomic networking and IoT-edge computing. Gerard has attracted several £millions of external research and commercial funding and has advised government agencies around the world on the allocation of funding to large-scale projects valued in total at approximately £4 billion. His industrial collaborations have included companies such as BT, Intel, ARM, Vodafone, IBM, Aviva, Ericsson, Siemens, InfoSys, Wipro, Tejas Networks, TCS and SAP. From 1997-2007, Professor Parr was a Founding Executive Technical Director of Causeway Data Communications Ltd which eventually sold its main GIS product “Spatialist” to Schneider Geospatial. Gerard is an invited member of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College. His academic research collaborations include institutions MIT, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, USC-ISI Los Angeles, University of Florida, University College London, Southampton, Surrey, QMUL, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Oxford, St Andrews, Exeter, Lincoln, Lancaster and Cambridge, Beijing University of Posts & Telecommunications (BUPT), Tsinghua University, Peking University and Indian Institutes of Technology in Mumbai, Madras, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mandi and IISc Bangalore. He was previously appointed as a Visiting Professor to the Science Foundation Ireland/CTVR at Trinity College Dublin and to the Emirates-BT Innovation Centre (EBTIC) at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi- UAE. He was International Scientific Advisor to the UK EPSRC National Centre for Doctoral Training in Communications Engineering at the University of Bristol. He was appointed as Senior Guest Editor for prestigious IEEE Journal on Selected Areas of Communications (JSAC) for a Special Issue on Communications Challenges and Dynamics in UAVs. He has extensive experience of working with developing economies, in particular, India, where he was the UK Academic co-ordinator for the major EPSRC-DST India-UK Advanced Technology Centre in Next Generation Networks Systems and Services which was the largest collaboration of its kind between UK and India in the ICT sector attracting total investment of over £20 million and also helped establish a Virtual Graduate Research School for 67 PhD students under the UK-India Education & Research Initiative (UKIERI Programme. Under UKIERI he also led another project in Kalimpong to explore use of wireless sensors to predict landslides in West Bengal. Gerard was awarded an MBE in Queens New Year Honours for 2018 for contributions to Telecommunications Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. He was previously the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK and Irish Governments on the provision of a Tran-Atlantic Undersea Telecoms Interconnector to North America. During January 2020 Prof Parr was elected to the Strategic Advisory Committee for the UK Government UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) ICT Programme to assist with strategic developments, funding panels and identification of funding priorities. Most recently Gerard has been successful in attracting Co-I funding for a 5-year EPSRC Next Stage Digital Economy Hub called DIGIT (Digital-Innovation-Growth-Impact-Transformation) valued over £12 million which will explore methodologies and business impact of Digital Transformation in Large Organisations. During 2021 Gerard was also successful as PI to attract £1.4 million funding for the “UK-India Future Networks Initiative” with IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi, UCL, Surrey, Southampton and BT. Most recently in December 2022 he was successful as a Co-PI on a bid to UKRI-ESRC concerning Digital Technology in Teacher Agency. The £5.3 million fund will support a total of nine projects. He is also an invited Member of the UKRI-EPSRC Digital Security & Resilience Advisory Group and is currently engaging with Innovate-UK and the Department of Telecoms Govt of India. 
Anthony HallAnthony Hall is a cofounder of TraitSeq and Head of Plant Genomics at the Earlham Institute. He has led the science behind TraitSeq’s biomarker-discovery platform, applying multi-omics and machine learning to crop-protection R&D (agrochemicals and biologicals) and gene-editing workflow, from mode-of-action identification to screening and quality-control. His Earlham research focuses on wheat genetics and genomics as a complex crop system. His recent work involves the use of large language/foundation models for sequencing data, delivering new capabilities to extract biological meaning from large-scale DNA/RNA datasets. |
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| 14:55 |
Advances in Agri-tech 
Belinda Clarke OBEBelinda is the Director of Agri-TechE, the UK’s longest-established and largest network connecting farmers and growers with researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs and investors. We bring together those who see innovation as way to enhance the economic growth, agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability of the agri-food value chain. Agri-TechE was named national Networking Group of the Year at the UK SME Business Awards 2019 and won Corporate Livewire’s Agricultural Initiative of the Year 2024. Belinda was also a Non-Executive Director of Agrimetrics, formerly one of the UK’s Agri-Tech Centres, and was a member of the Council of UKRI-BBSRC and a Trustee of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (2015-2021). In 2021 she was awarded the Sir Timothy Colman Prize for “outstanding leadership in the agri-tech sector” and she was among the “Women of the Year 2022” cohort. She has a first degree from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in plant biochemistry from the John Innes Centre. She is a Nuffield Scholar, a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Councils, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, a Chartered Biologist, and a qualified business coach. In 2024 she was awarded an OBE for services to agri-technologies and farming in the Kings Birthday Honours List.
Elliott GrantElliott Grant works at the intersection of technology and agriculture, and has led the development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies throughout the global food system. In 2017 Dr. Grant joined Google[X] to lead the development of foundational AI for agriculture, and in 2023 became CEO of Mineral - one of Alphabet’s “Other Bets”. He serves on the boards of Sun World International and the International Fresh Produce Association, and is a Scientific Advisor to Driscoll’s. Prior to joining Google, he was the CEO of ShopWell Labs, a pioneer of personalized nutrition; the founding CEO of HarvestMark, a world leader in food traceability; and a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He has been awarded over fifty US Patents and invented (then open-sourced) the VoiceCode - a traceability standard on every case of fresh produce in N. America. Elliott earned a PhD in Engineering from Cambridge University. In addition to advising startups, he is currently a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing and at Trinity Hall, where he researches the future of agriculture in the coming era of AI. He lives in Cambridge with his wife, and writes about the future of agriculture here.
Prof Gerard Parr MBEGerard is a Full Professor in Telecommunications Engineering and has been Head of School of Computing Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA) from 2016-2023 which involved a range of senior management roles and responsibilities covering Teaching, Research, Innovation and Outreach. He holds a PhD in Self-Stabilising Protocols from Ulster University, aspects of which were completed with Prof Jon Crowcroft at University College London (UCL) and one of the Founding Architects of the Internet (Professor Jon Postel) as a Visiting Research Scientist at the DARPA/University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute in Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles. His PhD External Examiner was Prof Peter Kirstein from UCL. Within his academic career, areas of research include Self-stabilising Networks, Wireless Sensor Clouds, UAVs for Disaster Response Communications, ICT for the Rural Economy, Converged Network Management & Control Protocols for Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks, delay-sensitive QoSLAs, energy-aware autonomic networking and IoT-edge computing. Gerard has attracted several £millions of external research and commercial funding and has advised government agencies around the world on the allocation of funding to large-scale projects valued in total at approximately £4 billion. His industrial collaborations have included companies such as BT, Intel, ARM, Vodafone, IBM, Aviva, Ericsson, Siemens, InfoSys, Wipro, Tejas Networks, TCS and SAP. From 1997-2007, Professor Parr was a Founding Executive Technical Director of Causeway Data Communications Ltd which eventually sold its main GIS product “Spatialist” to Schneider Geospatial. Gerard is an invited member of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College. His academic research collaborations include institutions MIT, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, USC-ISI Los Angeles, University of Florida, University College London, Southampton, Surrey, QMUL, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Oxford, St Andrews, Exeter, Lincoln, Lancaster and Cambridge, Beijing University of Posts & Telecommunications (BUPT), Tsinghua University, Peking University and Indian Institutes of Technology in Mumbai, Madras, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mandi and IISc Bangalore. He was previously appointed as a Visiting Professor to the Science Foundation Ireland/CTVR at Trinity College Dublin and to the Emirates-BT Innovation Centre (EBTIC) at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi- UAE. He was International Scientific Advisor to the UK EPSRC National Centre for Doctoral Training in Communications Engineering at the University of Bristol. He was appointed as Senior Guest Editor for prestigious IEEE Journal on Selected Areas of Communications (JSAC) for a Special Issue on Communications Challenges and Dynamics in UAVs. He has extensive experience of working with developing economies, in particular, India, where he was the UK Academic co-ordinator for the major EPSRC-DST India-UK Advanced Technology Centre in Next Generation Networks Systems and Services which was the largest collaboration of its kind between UK and India in the ICT sector attracting total investment of over £20 million and also helped establish a Virtual Graduate Research School for 67 PhD students under the UK-India Education & Research Initiative (UKIERI Programme. Under UKIERI he also led another project in Kalimpong to explore use of wireless sensors to predict landslides in West Bengal. Gerard was awarded an MBE in Queens New Year Honours for 2018 for contributions to Telecommunications Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. He was previously the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK and Irish Governments on the provision of a Tran-Atlantic Undersea Telecoms Interconnector to North America. During January 2020 Prof Parr was elected to the Strategic Advisory Committee for the UK Government UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) ICT Programme to assist with strategic developments, funding panels and identification of funding priorities. Most recently Gerard has been successful in attracting Co-I funding for a 5-year EPSRC Next Stage Digital Economy Hub called DIGIT (Digital-Innovation-Growth-Impact-Transformation) valued over £12 million which will explore methodologies and business impact of Digital Transformation in Large Organisations. During 2021 Gerard was also successful as PI to attract £1.4 million funding for the “UK-India Future Networks Initiative” with IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi, UCL, Surrey, Southampton and BT. Most recently in December 2022 he was successful as a Co-PI on a bid to UKRI-ESRC concerning Digital Technology in Teacher Agency. The £5.3 million fund will support a total of nine projects. He is also an invited Member of the UKRI-EPSRC Digital Security & Resilience Advisory Group and is currently engaging with Innovate-UK and the Department of Telecoms Govt of India.
Anthony HallAnthony Hall is a cofounder of TraitSeq and Head of Plant Genomics at the Earlham Institute. He has led the science behind TraitSeq’s biomarker-discovery platform, applying multi-omics and machine learning to crop-protection R&D (agrochemicals and biologicals) and gene-editing workflow, from mode-of-action identification to screening and quality-control. His Earlham research focuses on wheat genetics and genomics as a complex crop system. His recent work involves the use of large language/foundation models for sequencing data, delivering new capabilities to extract biological meaning from large-scale DNA/RNA datasets. |
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| 15:15 | Refreshment Break | |||
| Nature-Based Solutions: Bridging Technology and Ecosystem Restoration | ||||
| 15:45 | Welcome and Framing | |||
| 15:50 | Keynote: Policy and Implementation, Innovation in NbS, Investment Potential | |||
| 16:05 |
Start-up Pitches x2 
Dr Giovanni BandiGiovanni is an accomplished executive with more than 18 years of combined academic and professional experience driving operations across regulators, financial risk advisory, assets management and international business platforms. He developed expertise in FinTech and SupTech applications with a focus on AI and Machine Readable projects. He offers a strong list of successes elevating data analytics, digital compliance schemes and risk assessments to impact financial regulations in alignment with legalities. |
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| 16:15 |
Panel: Policy and Implementation, Innovation in NbS, Land & Building Management, Investment Potential 
Pete NisbetPete is a Managing Partner and leads edenseven, the sustainability sister-company of Cambridge Management Consulting. He started his career over 26 years ago working for Southern Gas in their operations team. Since then, he has built up a deep understanding of the energy and carbon sector through senior roles in operations, commodity trading, and portfolio management. Prior to leading edenseven, Pete was Managing Director for Mitie Energy where he built an award-winning and market-leading business which provided integrated energy and carbon services. Pete believes the coming years are pivotal in tackling the climate change crisis, which will be achieved through effective use of data collection and analysis, the deployment of new technology, and collaborative thinking. edenseven recently launched cero.earth, a carbon accounting and management platform that creates insights & actions across your business and supply chain (Scope 3) — the key to accelerating any decarbonisation strategy. Pete Nisbet started his distinguished career as an Energy Trader at Scottish and Southern Energy in September 1997, where he served for nearly a decade. As a senior team member, he was responsible for managing a portfolio that was exposed to multiple commodity markets, exhibiting composure under pressure and adaptability. In May 2006, Pete joined Utilyx, a leading energy adviser, where he significantly elevated his career. Hired as a Senior Risk Manager, he oversaw the client portfolio daily. The role demanded an in-depth comprehension of both physical and financial instruments and how they could be adapted to the UK and European energy markets. Three years later, in June 2009, his expertise and leadership led to promotion to the Head of Risk Management Services. This put Pete in charge of a team specialising in risk management and portfolio optimisation and contributed to solidifying Utilyx's market position. By May 2013, Pete was appointed Director of Risk Management Services. He led teams working in contract procurement, risk management/portfolio optimisation, reporting, and market research across UK and European energy markets. Two years ensuing his journey as a Director, Pete was promoted to Operations Director in June 2015, a role he filled for a year. He presided over operational teams, including areas like contract procurement, risk management/trading, research, and pricing/volume reporting. Under his management, the energy portfolio flourished, reaching a tremendous £1.6bn. In June 2016, Pete Nisbet took the helm of Mitie Energy as Managing Director, demonstrating his adept leadership skills over the course of four years and four months. Pete became the driving force behind Mitie's award-winning UK-based Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability solutions business, fostering significant growth in both revenue and profit. He steered the development of fully integrated end-to-end outsourced models that catered to all sectors. A trailblazer in the industry, he pioneered Mitie's zero-carbon strategy 'Plan Zero'. Pete also served as the Statutory Director of Mitie Energy and SMF3 Executive Director for Mitie Energy's FCA regulated Risk Management Business. In 2020, these manifold successes led directly to Pete being approached to become a Managing Partner and Director of the newly founded sustainability and data consultancy edenseven, part of the Cambridge Management Consulting group of companies.
Kyle GrayKyle Gray is the Senior Sustainability Manager for Net Zero at The Crown Estate, where he leads the development of decarbonisation strategies across its diverse portfolio, including urban real estate, rural and coastal assets, and the seabed across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and supports The Crown Estate’s role in advancing the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy. In addition to driving net zero initiatives, Kyle is actively exploring the role that nature-based solutions play in carbon dioxide removal, as well as in climate resilience and adaptation. With a background in engineering and sustainability consulting, Kyle brings deep expertise in net zero strategy, carbon performance, climate resilience and adaptation, and renewable energy. He holds degrees in engineering and sustainable development and is passionate about delivering impactful, system-wide change across complex organisations. 
Peter BachmannPeter is Managing Director of Gresham House’s Sustainable Infrastructure division and Co-Fund Manager for the firm’s British Sustainable Infrastructure Fund (BSIF) strategy. BSIF invests in real asset-based solutions for the key environmental and social challenges we face. He is also a member of the Gresham House Asset Management Board. Prior to Gresham House, Peter led the investment and exit of the Sustainable Infrastructure-focused Environmental Capital Fund (ECF) for SEP, one of Europe’s most successful VC firms. With over 24 years of public and private equity investment, development and fund management experience, including two top-decile infrastructure fund exits, he has invested into and exited over 200 infrastructure and technology companies across all sectors with an equity value of over £2bn and capital value of c.£6bn. Peter has had board member roles on over 90 investee companies and is a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Peter is also an active investor in early-stage sustainability companies and has planted his own Miyawaki Forest at home. |
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| 17:00 | Closing Keynote | |||
| 17:15 | Event close | |||
*draft agenda, subject to change
The Big Tech Debate
Playing to Cambridge’s legacy of innovation and debate, The Big Tech Debate, returns for the third year offering a dynamic, interactive session that challenges conventional thinking. Following last year’s lively debate on the role of government in UK Tech, 2025 promises to be even more electrifying, this session will feature thought-provoking discussions on the most pressing issues in technology. Find out more about the debate and the panellists here.
Tech Futures
Following its successful debut at Cambridge Tech Week 2024, the Tech Futures initiative is set to expand significantly in 2025. Aimed at students from sixth forms, skills bootcamps, colleges, and universities, the programme will offer opportunities facilitated by Form the Future to attend conference sessions, engage in hands-on tech activities, explore Innovation Alley, connect with exhibitors, network with industry delegates, and participate in a three-day hackathon, HackEd, delivered by TechEducators.
Networking Events
We understand that networking is one of the most important reasons for people to attend events like Cambridge Tech week.
The event, and indeed the main conference programme culminates with a Gala Networking Reception to celebrate with connections – old and new. During the event there will also be announcements including the winners of the Tech Futures HackEd competition.
Held at The Graduate Hotel, drinks commence at 6pm, with dinner at 7pm.
Anyone interested in attending should book their tickets whilst spaces are still available.
Thursday is proudly supported by
Diamond Sponsors
