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Where to find cash for UK university spinouts post Brexit?
A few notable success stories mask that university-made startups are not getting the funding they need. However, a new funding model called FAST could be the difference.
Spinouts — the name given to startups born in and part-funded by the universities where the initial research takes place — look like they’re flying high, on paper at least:
- In 2021, UK spinouts received £2.5 billion in equity investment, up 69% from the previous year and a dramatic 5X rise from 2012
- 102 spinouts received funding in 2021
- Recent spinouts such as Oxford Nanopore and Graphcore have raised funds north of £150 million
However, these successes mask a number of underlying issues that lead to universities failing to make the most of some world-beating academic research. Theoretical breakthroughs are great, but nobody wins if you can’t turn them into something commercially viable. Solving these problems, which create a poor environment for spinout funding, requires thinking as innovative as any speculative technology.
FAST — a new funding model created by Consilience — could be the answer. It doesn’t just solve the problems that spinouts face as they try to get the funding to turn their ideas into reality; it provides benefits over and above…
