The
2026 List
The total amount raised to date by #21toWatch alumni has reached more than £710 million
In 2024, we highlighted that the Top 21 had collectively raised £110 million in a single year. In 2025, that number surged by 42%, with alumni raising over £183 million – bringing the total amount raised to date to more than £710 million (excluding CMR Surgical private equity, and undisclosed deals).
Full #21toWatch List
| Name | Synopisis | People, Company, Thing | Longlist | Shortlist | Top 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| After two of the founder’s friends were stabbed in London, ACT Medical is saving lives by equipping first responders with better tools to stop bleeding from penetrating wounds |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Unleashing the predictive power of somatic mutations with evolutionary cell lineage trees in biomedicine and biotech. Combining genomics and transcriptomics information from same cells to counteract accelerated aging, cancer and other chronic diseases |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Founder of CLEAR-Methane which develops photochemical filtration technologies for ventilation systems, improving indoor air quality while reducing atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, delivering combined public-health and environmental benefits with significant climate impact |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Amulet is working to create a transformative digital health platform dedicated to raising medical care standards globally |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| AnthroTek |
Evolving out of Cambridge’s biotech and innovation ecosystem, AnthroTek Ltd is redefining what’s possible in hyper-realistic physical simulation bridging the worlds of surgical training, robotics, human factors research and cinema SFX |
Company | ✓ | ||
| auryx builds AI models that convert sound into health insights, powering heart rate, respiration and advanced cardiovascular monitoring on existing consumer devices, starting with the earbuds you already own |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| BeanTastic is developing hummus as a platform to deliver genuine health benefits in a familiar and tasty format. Our first two products are aimed at sports nutrition, and women’s health |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Cement is responsible for 8% of our global carbon emissions, and as such a key sector to decarbonise to meet our climate targets. Biozeroc draws inspiration from nature to create carbon-negative cement |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Boone uses DNA and everyday food data to provide personalised, real-time nutrition recommendations, helping people eat better based on their unique biology and lifestyle |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Pioneering disruption in benign skin lesion treatments via an innovative device-and-ecosystem, decentralising assessments and treatments, proving feasibility with 8-years of frontline delivery in Cambridge, patent-pending hardware, software, and practitioner training |
People | ✓ | |||
| Callon is the cofounder of GreenMixes, where we’ve developed a drop-in cement admixture delivering the cheapest, most scalable route to fully decarbonising concrete and turning buildings into long-term carbon sinks |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Cambridge Atomworks is developing a nuclear fission micro-reactor that will provide reliable power to replace diesel for energy intensive local power requirements in off-grid situations such as mining and remote communities |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Building the future of semiconductor hardware through smaller, more energy efficient and rapid transistors |
Company | ✓ | |||
| A University of cambridge spin-out developing and testing a new drug that could reduce brain damage following a stroke |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Dr Chris Macdonald is a multi-award-winning pioneer of VR (e.g., the National Innovation Award for better visualising emissions data, the Digital Health Award for the most-effective treatment for speech anxiety) |
People | ✓ | |||
| Clarity Sensors is developing compound semiconductors that make a radically new way of X-ray imaging possible at scale, revealing features previously invisible across medical and industrial X-ray systems |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Clue Content is a company that creates three months' worth of social media content in just three days using AI and machine learning, Inge has disrupted the traditional content creation model with her innovative approach |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Closely aligned with NHS standards and everyday practices, CompliMind supports consistent reporting, clearer accountability and more confident decision-making. The result is not just better compliance, but a more resilient, sustainable healthcare estate |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Consolidocs are the solution that consolidates contracts and its amendments into a single source of truth, translating legal obligations into plain language operational tasks to prevent revenue leakage and ensure post-signature accountability |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Crit is a powerful tool designed to help young people with dyslexia decode, understand, and thrive. We simplify complex text, so they can focus on learning, not struggling |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Cyclana Bio is a team of interdisciplinary scientists merging computational and tissue-level biology to discover a cure for endometriosis, targetting the dark matter of tissue: the extracellular matrix |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Molecular computing – using the progammability of DNA for solving computational problems of humankind |
Company | ✓ | |||
| EduGrade AI is an educator-controlled AI assessment platform that delivers consistent, rubric-aligned grading and personalised feedback, saving academic time while improving fairness, transparency, and student learning outcomes |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Dedicated to developing the next generation of 3D super-resolution imaging systems for biological research |
People | ✓ | |||
| Electra Bio are committed to turning the promise of Organ-on-Chip technology into a transformative reality. By seamlessly blending biology with cutting-edge electronics, they aim to revolutionize drug discovery and advance research capabilities |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Eleon turns fabric into technology by embedding power, intelligence and connectivity directly into textiles, creating a new generation of smart, functional materials that merge the digital and physical worlds |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Engivent develops modular microfluidic and automation platforms for high-throughput biology, enabling scalable screening, enzyme engineering, and experimental validation to accelerate next-generation biological innovation |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Eric Zie is a Suffolk-based digital sustainability leader, founder of GoCodeGreen and CR&A, driving global standards, research, and education in sustainable software and AI through industry, academia, and the UN |
People | ✓ | |||
| A secure, app-controlled system that allows only authorised vets to access euthanasia drugs. Geofenced access, cloud logging and a tamper-resistant case modernise controlled-drug safety and reduce misuse across veterinary practice |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| FactTrace is building the truth infrastructure for the AI era: a foundation that preserves the integrity of meaning as language moves between people, systems, and machines |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Fuse Diagnostics develops and manufactures innovative diagnostic products for a range of industries delivering lab quality information wherever it is needed through ultra-rapid, low-cost tests. |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Gastrobody Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company creating ultrastable, orally-administered protein therapeutics to treat conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Gemma has developed a novel, highly efficient plant transfection mechanism, integrated into a prototype device, with the aim of enabling large-scale protein production in plant systems |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Goitseone manages a research lab for organ transplantation projects at the University of Cambridge's School of Clinical Medicine. Her business, Evobiome Limited, is at the forefront of gut health innovation |
People | ✓ | |||
| Reducing autozygosity disease risk through fertility genetics |
People | ✓ | |||
| Healthspan Biotics develops and distributes safe, affordable and effective probiotic bacteria that enhance brain resilience to Alzheimer’s disease by activating a novel pathway discovered through artificial intelligence and confirmed via laboratory validation |
Company | ✓ | |||
| HotHouse Therapeutics is rewriting the future of drug discovery with BotanAI and BotanBio - our AI and plant bioengineering platforms that design and make molecules no other laboratories can’t reach |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| A Human-AI co-working space that helps teams turn early product ideas into structured, high-quality plans, quickly and intelligently |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Ignota Labs turns around promising but failing drugs, bringing new life to abandoned projects and new hope to patients. Our platform integrates bioinformatics, cheminformatics, proprietary data, and AI to tackle safety issues in drug development |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Illumion is commercializing Charge Photometry, a groundbreaking imaging technology providing fast, non-destructive insights into battery materials during their operation. Charge Photometry empowers labs and companies to develop better batteries faster |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Amyloidosis is a group of rare but very serious, usually fatal diseases caused by the aggregation of body’s own proteins to form amyloid deposits in vital organs. Immutrin Ltd is a Cambridge-based biotech company that is generating transformative antibody treatments for systemic and local amyloidosis |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Infiniti Recycling Ltd pioneers truly circular lithium-ion battery recycling in the UK, recovering and renewing valuable materials through low-emission, direct recycling technology to reduce waste and support sustainable supply chains |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Inframind are pioneering AI-driven risk intelligence for civil infrastructure, helping asset owners predict, prevent, and manage failures in bridges, tunnels, and other critical structures |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Scientist-entrepreneur tackling healthcare challenges as a Cambridge Neuroworks Fellow advancing on-ear wearables for accessible balance rehabilitation, and co-founder of COSA Ltd delivering surgically validated anatomical models for training and R&D |
People | ✓ | |||
| Founder of Agseer which is developing image datasets and AI computer vision models that can be used by autonomous robots to understand mixed-species agricultural environments |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Klaxon’s unique system enables any business or individual to become a podcast creator or advertiser without needing any technical skills, a script, recording equipment, or even a broadcast voice |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Kodiaq Technologies develops advanced electrolytes in redox flow batteries for long term energy storage. Its technology offers enhanced return on battery investment and freedom from reliance on strategically vulnerable metals |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Kristina Khutsishvili is a researcher in AI Ethics and Public Sector Decision-Making at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge. She is also working on Episteme – a venture focused on enabling trustworthy AI, which reached the finals of the 2025 Postdoc Venture Creation Challenge |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| LinkGevity is a trailblazing biotech at the intersection of AI and longevity. Utilizing a proprietary Blueprint Theory of Aging, they map key pathways driving aging and deterioration. Their flagship therapeutic earned a spot in the prestigious NASA/Microsoft Space-H Program, showcasing its ground-breaking potential for health on Earth and in space |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Loop52 is a circular plastics platform for the automotive industry, creating a scalable system that connects dismantlers, recyclers, and OEMs to meet new EU recycled-content regulations for Automotive Plastic Circularity |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Mila (Mahlaqua) Noor is a Gates Cambridge alumna and postdoctoral Bye-Fellow investigating cytomegalovirus placental transmission to develop antiviral strategies improving maternal-fetal health |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Revolutionising the global dye industry through AI generated and nontoxic molecular designs resulting in less environmental damage and superior colour performance |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Memorify is an emotionally intelligent memory platform using neuroscience-led AI to automatically document, organise, preserve, and resurface life’s most precious moments, bringing joy and connection while safeguarding personal histories for generations to come |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Myonerv is a wearable neurostimulator treating stroke paralysis. Using novel reusable electrodes embedded in a comfortable band, it enables virtual, on-demand rehabilitation; bringing intensive physiotherapy directly to patients worldwide |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Nanoplume is a UK- and US-based advanced biomaterials company scaling ultra-light, bio-based aerogel insulation to cut energy loss, reduce costs, and enable circular, space-efficient buildings and cold-chain systems |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| NanoPrint Innovations specializes in advanced thin-film deposition technology. We provide high-speed, vacuum-free deposition systems for industrial and research use, enhancing solar cell efficiency and enabling scalable, cost-effective solar and electronics production |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Neela Biotech leverages recent advances in synthetic biology and AI to produce scalable, carbon-negative jet fuel at low cost |
Company | ✓ | |||
| The platform allows continuous and demand surge manufacture of universal blood platelets to help hospitals and governments to stop and prevent bleeding at times of donor shortage |
Company | ✓ | |||
| NoBACZ is a Wound Care Company Specialising in Sustainable, Rapid-Setting Liquid Barrier Dressings. Veterinary and human wound care is wasteful, unsustainable and time consuming. Change is needed to improve care, reduce waste and enhance sustainability. NoBACZ has a novel, patent-protected solution to address these issues |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Octiocor's mission is to prevent heart attacks in high-risk patients through our revolutionary coronary imaging technology |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Omer is the co-founder of Ötzi, where we're tackling one of the finance industry's biggest blind spots: the actual cost of climate risk |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Creating a new form of low cost, hyper sensitive sensors using advanced nanomaterials for detecting toxic and dangerous gases and pollutants for multiple areas and industries |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| OutSee is a deep TechBio company exploiting our innovative computational approach to genomics for drug target discovery and precision medicine, extracting value from genomics datasets beyond the state-of-the-art |
Company | ✓ | |||
| PeroCycle is reimagining how steel is made by eliminating 90% of CO2 emissions from traditional processes |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Pipped connects verified interview finalists with other hiring companies. It's sustainable, it's convenient and it's human |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Polytecks is a Cambridge University spin-out pioneering smart textile technology for next-generation healthcare diagnostics; they have developed high-density e-textile electrode arrays that capture bioelectrical signals from the body’s surface with unprecedented resolution and comfort |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| PowerMatrix provides the MOST efficient and compact next-generation high-performance power supplies for emerging markets as AI xPU boards, data centers, drones, e-mobility, aerospace, and industrial applications |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Prodromic develops innovative SaaS for brain health prediction. Its multimodal AI solutions are clinically validated, explainable, and designed for patient trust |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Protalea Bio is developing effective treatments that halt the progression of cancer and neurodegeneration, thereby prolonging healthy life. We do this by targeting pre-disease inflammation before the disease has a chance to develop |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Bacteriophages, commonly called phages, are helpful viruses that can be used as alternatives to antibiotics to kill bacteria in humans, animals and in the environment. Quadlytics’ patent-pending technology identifies combinations of phage that work better together to produce efficient phage-based antimicrobials for numerous applications |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| RhosynBio develops innovative antimicrobial surfaces that prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, reducing contamination, corrosion, and AMR risk, while enhancing hygiene and sustainability across healthcare, food processing, and industrial settings |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Co-founder of Alphachain AI, transforming supply chain visibility, resilience and sustainability. Award-winning entrepreneur, recognised with honours including the Parmee Prize and the Etisalat Business Pitch |
People | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| The platform offers bite-sized articles, evidence-based calculators, and interactive tools to help educators stay up-to-date with the latest research. Covering topics like obesity, mental health, and physical activity, it empowers schools to make informed decisions, saving time and improving outcomes for both staff and students |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Serenatis Bio is a start-up biotech developing three novel drugs to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a common yet poorly treated and devastating mental illness with huge unmet need and commercial opportunity. Each drug has a different mechanism of action - targeting glutamate and dopamine receptors - using precision medicine to identify which OCD patients may respond to which drug |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Shuffle Energy is closing the 'Spark gap'. By being the software component connecting heat pumps, hot water tanks and e-boiler to energy markets we reduce electric heating costs by 30-60% |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| SomNyx wants everyone to sleep smarter and dream deeper. Our AI-powered, textile-based sleep wearable will enable clinical-grade sleep monitoring from hospital to home, transforming early diagnostics for several brain disorders |
Company | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Sqwish helps businesses use AI more efficiently. Its first tool is an API that makes AI inputs smaller—up to 90%—so responses are faster and costs are lower, without losing quality |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Summatic is an award-winning, interactive quantitative learning and assessment platform with a mission to solve educational challenges from school to university |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| The SenS2 Hub from Supersense Technologies is an at-home monitoring service that protects the privacy and independence for people with dementia and makes caring easier for families |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| SynLaia Innovations |
SynLaia Innovations transforms drug discovery by fusing mechanomics with multimodal omics, uncovering novel biomarkers and targets that reprogram cellular mechano-sensitive pathways and accelerate safer, more effective precision therapies for complex, hard-to-treat diseases |
Company | ✓ | ||
| TauC3 Biologics is developing a disease-modifying treatment for tauopathies, including frontotemporal dementia due to tau pathology (FTD-tau) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Tauopathies are devastating and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative diseases typically manifesting as progressive dementia or movement impairment |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Theia Insights is a venture-backed deep tech company. We build future-proof AI solutions in Industry Classification, Risk Factor Models, and Portfolio Analysis - the foundational technologies for the global investment community |
Company | ✓ | |||
| The ThermoTraumaPort (TTP) is a novel, patented emergency patient transfer device that transforms the management of trauma and critically ill patients by providing Active Heating and Padding underneath a patient from point of injury through the continuum of care |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| Trismik is a science-grade experimentation platform for evaluating LLMs. Its adaptive testing enables AI builders to evaluate models in seconds, not days |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Vertebral Fragility Fractures - A Warning Flag for Osteoporosis |
Researching the use of CT scans to opportunistically screen for vertebral fragility fractures, enhancing secondary - primary care workflows to stratify future fracture risk early and deliver preventative management |
Thing | ✓ | ||
| Viacheslav develops agentic AI systems for multidisciplinary research and design using real-world experimental data, designing critical components for decarbonising aviation and power generation like electric ducted fans and pressure-balanced turbomachinery seals |
People | ✓ | |||
| We Are History Hub is an education consultancy specialising in inclusive history, curriculum design and storytelling, helping students and organisations understand colonialism and prejudice and use insight to inspire change |
Thing | ✓ | |||
| WPark is a Cambridge deep-tech lab developing an AI traffic control layer that turns physical assets into structured systems. By unlocking spatial visibility, it enables real-world movement to be understood, coordinated, and optimised |
Company | ✓ | |||
| Developing an advanced electronic skin (e-skin) for robots, enabling real-time, high-resolution 3D force and temperature sensing inspired by human tactile perception |
People | ✓ | |||
| Zyvex® antimicrobial is a breakthrough in food safety. Created entirely from Food Standards Agency (FSA)-approved materials, it is 100% organic, completely food-safe and edible, yet it significantly reduces the presence of all FSA-listed food-borne bacteria including Listeria |
Thing | ✓ | ✓ |


