2025 ÐÔÊӽ紫ýEntrepreneurship Competition

What is the ÐÔÊӽ紫ýEntrepreneurship Competition?

This competition is an opportunity to design, pitch, and execute your start-up idea in a supportive environment. Whether you are a postgraduate researcher thinking about commercializing and technology transfer, a first-year undergraduate interested in trying your hand at conceiving a business plan, or an alumnus currently involved in a more developed start-up venture, we want to hear from you and help you take your project to the next level.

Finalists will have the chance to win prize money of more than £10,000 across our themes of Sustainability & Conservation, Global Health, and Artificial Intelligence, as well as the opportunity to present their pitches to the WES network of expert speakers and judges. There will also be a grand prize for the overall winner.

Congratulations to the teams selected for this year's final:

Aetosense

Aetosense is developing next generation air quality sensors to empower clean air. The team is led by Dr Molly Haugen (CEO) setting the overall vision and strategy of the company, her contributions and position as CEO is guided by UK and international entrepreneurial achievements. Mr Shaamrit Balendra is CTO guiding the product and business development, exploring what markets their technology can best service at scale. Dr Lee Weller CMO is responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies to drive growth. Dr Adam Boies CSO will bring in new IP to Aetosense, further securing Aetosense's market position and addressable market.

Rapidx bio

Rapidx Bio is addressing the challenge of a delayed diagnosis of microbial diseases with its groundbreaking technology that reduces pathogen detection time from over 3 days in laboratories to under 10 minutes. The portable device eliminates the need for technicians and laboratory infrastructure by directly analysing pathogens from sample containers. Using plasmonic PCR technology, the system delivers gold-standard accuracy and enables real-time diagnostics at home, in pharmacies, or healthcare settings. This innovation has the potential to shift healthcare from a system where 98% of treatments are prescribed without pathogen or antimicrobial resistance data to one where accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment are provided during the first consultation.

Peter

After witnessing his father struggle with Parkinson's, Jonathan Fisher was inspired to develop Peter, a wearable device designed to help people with Parkinson's regain their ability to walk. Jonathan Fisher is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and a former member of ÐÔÊӽ紫ý, where he completed an MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management in 2024. Campbell Wolford is a ÐÔÊӽ紫ý alumnus (MPhil in Genomic Medicine, 2024) and a current PhD candidate in Multi-omics in Population Cohorts. He is currently assisting with Peter by contributing to real-time freezing of gait detection and prediction software. He hopes this innovation will improve mobility and independence for Parkinson's patients.

CellaNexa

CellaNexa aim to revolutionise targeted drug delivery with AI-powered protein nanoparticle design platform. Their diverse team of dedicated scientists brings together expertise in biotechnology, protein engineering, in vivo trials, and artificial intelligence, driving innovative solutions that push the boundaries of drug delivery.

Mater-AI

Mater-AI is reducing waste heat by leveraging physics-informed and AI-accelerated thermoelectric materials discovery. They are a team of three (Chelsea Williams, Nickel Blankevoort, and Gatleen Bhambra).

Dielectrix

Dielectrix is at the forefront of developing next-generation electronics by integrating industrially compatible dielectric materials with atomically thin semiconductors. Their cutting-edge fabrication technique enables ultra-clean interfaces, ensuring stable and reproducible device performance. As the semiconductor industry continues to be driven by the miniaturisation of devices, the technology from Dielectrix offers a path to overcoming the physical limits of silicon, sustaining Moore's law, and meeting the growing computational demands of artificial intelligence—without compromising power efficiency or sustainability. The core team comprises CEO Maheera Abdul Ghani, CTO Dr Han Yan and scientific advisors Dr Yan Wang and Prof Manish Chhowalla.

Clever Guide

Kristina is a distinguished expert in premium education based in Geneva, Switzerland, with over 13 years of professional experience and a strong academic foundation. Over the years, she has guided more than 500 students to placements at the world's most prestigious educational institutions. As an EdTech expert, Kristina leads Clever Guide, an AI-driven platform that offers personalised educational recommendations, ensuring equitable access to resources and empowering students from all backgrounds to thrive. Through her work as Editor-in-Chief of Clever Magazine, she curates insightful content on premium education, featuring interviews with global leaders such as Professor Willem Kuyken (University of Oxford), Professor Thomas Curran (LSE), and Carl Gombrich (LIS), among others.

Kalamna Global

Kalamna is an education service provider elevating Arabic language teaching to the level of other global languages. The company leverages its in-depth understanding gained through its team's 10+ years of teaching, as well as 10+ years of academic research to provide solutions that address the root challenges found in Arabic language teaching and learning. Kalamna's methodology or 'core innovation' is found in the complementary products and services it provides:

• The product is quality learning resources that are aligned with the curriculum in terms of learning objectives, age-appropriateness and cultural relevance
• The service is a teacher training programme that enhances Arabic teaching practices by equipping teachers with the soft and hard skills they need to deliver an engaging and effective language learning experience

A&B Solutions

A&B Solutions was co-founded by Rayan and Bandar to advance critical engagement with AI in education. Bandar, an MSc student from Imperial College London and consultant at Bain & Company, merges strategic and AI expertise, while Rayan, an MPhil Energy student at ÐÔÊӽ紫ý, Cambridge, focuses on AI-driven solutions. Their collaborative track record includes multiple AI-powered projects and international competitions. They emphasise the need for educational tools and strategies that promote critical engagement with AI technology.

 

More information

Find out more about the details of the competition below.

Timeline

Start-up presentations may be submitted from the competition's opening on 7 December 2024, through to 9 February 2025. The eligibility requirements and materials requested for this submission may be found in the Enter Competition section. 

The ÐÔÊӽ紫ýExecutive Committee will thereafter review submissions' conformity with eligibility requirements and submit the full pitching materials for review by the WES network of experienced Judges and Mentors. 

Finalists will have the opportunity to participate in a live event held on Saturday 22 March 2025 and present their full pitches to the Judges Panel, as well as to our audience - including mentors, investors, College alumni, and other members of ÐÔÊӽ紫ýEntrepreneurship network.

Eligibility Requirements

All start-up teams must include at least one current University of Cambridge student, or an alumnus/alumna with a maximum of five members.

Eligibility criteria for ÐÔÊӽ紫ýEntrepreneurship Competition 2025 are broad, and we encourage all start-up teams or aspiring founders with ties to ÐÔÊӽ紫ýor Cambridge University to submit a proposal.

We are especially seeking investable projects; the most successful proposals will have clear value propositions, development objectives, and intended uses of funds. Teams which have previously raised financing may still apply, but those beyond the Series A stage will be ineligible.

Our expert judges will assess entries based on five criteria, with equal weight given to all five:

• How ready for investment is this business?
• How likely is this business to secure a long-term competitive advantage?
• How strong is the team which runs this business?
• How much benefit to humanity might derive from this business?
• How clear and convincing is the financial plan?

Be sure to submit your Stage I overview by the 9 February 2025 deadline.

Expectations

It is preferable that teams/members of teams who go on to be successful in the Final will be available in the course of the year to engage with ÐÔÊӽ紫ý and its community. In return, teams will have the opportunity to engage with College’s extensive global and entrepreneurially minded network. 

Teams will be expected to stay until the end of their slot on Saturday 22 March 2025 to receive feedback from the judges. They will also be expected to attend the prize giving, which is estimated to start at 16.30, if they wish to be eligible for a prize. 

Enter Competition

Your competition entry will ask you to include the following:

• Company Mission/Vision
• Problem statement
• Summary of the idea/product
• Market size of opportunity
• Competitors
• Team & ability to execute
• Traction/progress to date
• Financial Plan 
  
  Note: every idea is different, and not all categories will be relevant to every business. We encourage a wide range of companies to apply, so please adapt this as you see fit.