Northern Gritstone, the investment company focused on science and technology-enabled businesses in the North of England, and Deeptech Labs, the leading expert in turning breakthrough scientific advances into category defining companies, announce a unique partnership.
We are delighted to announce our partnership with Northern Gritstone, the VC fund focused on university spin-outs and IP-rich businesses in the North of England.
We are supporting Northern Gritstone in its efforts to help spin-outs from the University of Leeds, The University of Manchester and The University of Sheffield build compelling deeptech businesses.
The partnership – NG Studios powered by Deeptech Labs – will accelerate the creation of deeptech spinouts. Working closely with the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield, each university will identify early-stage spinouts to participate in a ten-week programme delivered by the new partnership. The programme will provide bespoke venture-building activities covering strategy, operations, and capital-raising. It will also bring founders into the Deeptech Labs’ global ecosystem of technology entrepreneurs and investors to complement the universities’ own support and communities.
Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone said “Northern Gritstone’s three founding universities are highly regarded for nurturing technical talent and commercializing intellectual property through spinouts to create tomorrow’s world-class businesses. Innovation thrives when it is part of a collaborative and supportive ecosystem of talent and capital. NG Studios powered by Deeptech Labs will help accelerate the process by broadening access to the innovation ecosystem and helping academics test and develop their business strategies. We are delighted to partner with Deeptech Labs given their deeptech expertise”
Miles Kirby, CEO of Deeptech Labs said “We are delighted to partner with Northern Gritstone to support the commercialisation of the world-class research from the universities of Leeds, Manchester, and Sheffield. It represents a strategic expansion for Deeptech Labs to deliver on our goal of enabling breakthrough science to be commercialised at scale and to catalyse the deeptech ecosystem across the UK and Europe.”
Andy Duley, Director of Commercialisation at the University of Leeds said “The University of Leeds has a long history of supporting academic innovation to create commercial ventures. Shaping founders’ early-stage trajectories by offering access to sector-specific venture building programmes is an exciting stage in our partnership with Northern Gritstone. The NG Studios and Deeptech Labs partnership will help accelerate the investment-readiness of founders and their future companies”
Professor Luke Georghiou, Deputy President & Deputy VC at the University of Manchester said, “The University of Manchester actively supports research, innovation and commercialisation and is globally renowned for creating IP-rich businesses that produce cutting-edge technology and services. Supporting founders as they develop their potential is part of our DNA. Collaborating with Northern Gritstone on their partnership with Deeptech Labs is an exciting new stage in accelerating the opportunities that stem from the university.”
Andy Hogben, Head of Commercialisation at the University of Sheffield “The University of Sheffield’s Commercialisation Journey offers wrap-around support to Innovators and Founders as they explore, develop, and launch cutting-edge technology-driven enterprises with a global vision. This new collaboration between the University, DTL, and NG marks a significant milestone in enrichment of the Northern Triangle environment as the ecosystem grows to further support Founders to scale their businesses”
