Nucleate, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate and empower future biotechnology leaders, announced its launch in the United Kingdom today.
Nucleate aims to provide a support framework, mentorship and know-how to enterprising researchers and business students passionate about biotechnology commercialisation. Building on success in the United States, where it has supported biotech founders over the last four years, Nucleate is launching in the United Kingdom to provide an unparalleled level of support to aspiring UK biotech leaders.
“The UK and Europe have birthed some of the most impactful medicine makers in history, but seem to have lost their way this past century. I’m bullish on the impact of initiatives like Nucleate UK to help spark that entrepreneurial thinking and ambition once again,” said Jack O’Meara, founder and CEO of Ochre Bio, an Oxford-based startup focused on developing RNA therapies for chronic liver diseases.
“In Oxford, we have hundreds of extremely smart and innovative students, who are desperate to improve the lives of people all over the world and the planet on which we all live. Nucleate is harnessing all this energy, providing all members with entrepreneurship support, and access to critical networks of investors and mentors. I feel inspired by their collective determination and ambition,” said Professor Chas Bountra, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Oxford.
Nucleate UK is now accepting early-bird applications for its inaugural, equity-free, six-month Activator program. Participants will be connected with potential co-founders, attend workshops and receive mentorship from leading academics, venture capitalists, and industry-based scientists and equipped with an unparalleled network, fellowships, legal support, and other benefits. The Activator program does not take equity or fees for participation. To learn more, visit https://nucleate.xyz/.
Over the past four years, Nucleate has validated its flagship accelerator in ten cities across the United States, including Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Houston. So far, the program has incubated 107 companies that have raised over $170 million in funding to develop new technologies in domains including protein sequencing (Glyphic Biotechnologies), drug discovery (Manifold Bio) and microbial fertilizer (Ivu Biologics).
“Nucleate is harnessing all this energy, providing all members with entrepreneurship support and access to critical networks of investors and mentors. I feel inspired by their collective determination and ambition.”
Chas Bountra, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Oxford
“I believe that Nucleate UK has the potential to transform the biotech entrepreneurship landscape in the United Kingdom,” said Miroslav Gasparek, Co-Managing Director of Nucleate UK and PhD candidate at the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. “We’re excited to be bringing the highly successful US programme to the UK and to unlock the value of UK life science research,” added James Bayne, also co-Managing Director of Nucleate UK and PhD candidate at the University of Oxford.
Leadership
Led by graduate and undergraduate students of STEM and business programs from the leading institutions in the United Kingdom, the organization is launching in London, Oxford, and Cambridge. However, within the next twelve months, Nucleate UK aims to expand to additional locations in the United Kingdom.
Nucleate UK Leadership Team
James Bayne — Co-Managing Director, Nucleate UK; PhD candidate at the University of Oxford
Miroslav Gasparek — Co-Managing Director, Nucleate UK; PhD candidate at the University of Oxford
Alon Galor — Co-Managing Director, Oxford; PhD candidate at the University of Oxford
Alissa Hummer — Co-Managing Director, Oxford; PhD candidate at the University of Oxford
Stephanie Avraamides — Director of Operations, MPhil candidate at the University of Cambridge
Abhimanyu Gowda — Director of Strategy, BA candidate at the University of Cambridge
Isabel Zhang — Co-Managing Director, London; PhD candidate at Francis Crick Institute
Olivia Gallup — Director of Partnerships, PhD candidate at the University of Oxford
Georg Wachter — Director of Finance, PhD candidate at Imperial College London
Kush Desai — Director of Sponsorship, PhD candidate at Imperial College London
About Nucleate
Nucleate is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. After validating its Activator pilot program in the United States, Nucleate has evolved into an international organization with chapters spanning multiple countries, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and France. Nucleate identifies future biotech entrepreneurs and arms them with proven training, an exceptional network, legal counsel, subsidized perks, and funded fellowships, without the need to give up equity in their companies. Nucleate removes barriers and helps founders concentrate on building transformational technologies.
For more information, visit https://nucleate.xyz/.
