IP Group plc

Saddened to hear of the passing of Professor Graham Richards this week. As one of the founding fathers of IP Group, having signed the original deal between the Oxford Chemistry Department and IP2IPO, Graham was a former IP Group NED and Chair. He was also a friend, provider of wise counsel, charm and wit and a long-term supporter of IP Group and of spin-outs more broadly. We’re hugely grateful for his time, wisdom and energy over many years. He will be much missed and our condolences go to his family at this time.

💡The latest edition of our newsletter is now available to read. Featuring news from the Group and portfolio companies including Featurespace, Abliva AB and Intelligent Ultrasound. Read here: https://bit.ly/40V0Z99 To sign up to receive our newsletter go here: https://bit.ly/444qDHW #VisionaryVentures

Today marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science – a global celebration of women’s achievements in science and a call to inspire the next generation of female innovators 👩🔬   IP Group plc and our EIS business Parkwalk Advisors are turning celebration into action by sponsoring four internships through Form the Future CIC's Cambridge Unlocked initiative, creating opportunities for women and girls to thrive.   Cambridge Unlocked is a Form the Future initiative dedicated to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for young adults (aged 16-20) who may lack the social capital or confidence to access internships in the Cambridge cluster of start-ups and professional services. The programme offers 1-week internships in knowledge-intensive companies, providing valuable hands-on experience for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.   By connecting talented young people with leading businesses, Cambridge Unlocked helps bridge the gap between education and employment, equipping students with the skills, networks, and confidence to pursue future careers.   #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInScience #CambridgeUnlocked #Innovation #STEM #WomenInTech #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience

Exciting news from portfolio company, First Light Fusion! We’re thrilled to welcome Mark Thomas as their new CEO. Read more below 👇

🏆We are thrilled to have been shortlisted for the plc awards 2024’s Breakthrough of the Year Award for our work on portfolio company Featurespace. The company was sold to Visa last year, marking our biggest ever exit.   Congratulations to all of the other finalists and we look forward to the Awards later this month.

💡 IP Group performed strongly on exits in 2024, particularly from our deeptech portfolio, with the sale of Featurespace to Visa completing just before Christmas. Before that, however, deeptech portfolio company Garrison | Now a part of Everfox was sold to the global cybersecurity leader Everfox, representing an excellent outcome for both Garrison and IP Group.   In our latest case study we reflect on Garrison’s remarkable journey, from idea to impact.   Read here: https://bit.ly/4hkZqZ3

Today on #WorldCancerDay we’d like to highlight our portfolio companies working to research, treat and fight cancer.   We are proud to support a range of innovative clinical-stage companies spanning various modalities, which are all developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to stop cancer: 🧬Artios : Pioneering breakthroughs and innovations in DNA Damage Response (DDR) based treatments to address a broad spectrum of difficult-to-treat cancers. 🧬Iksuda Therapeutics : Advancing a differentiated pipeline of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for hard-to-treat cancers. 🧬Microbiotica : Translating clinic-led microbiome science into transformative life-changing medicines. 🧬STORM Therapeutics Limited : Discovering and developing novel small molecule therapies targeting RNA modifying enzymes (RME).   This year these companies will continue to enrol patients into clinical trials and we look forward to seeing the impact that these treatments will have on lives to create a healthier future.

"Investment and innovation go hand in hand... Britain should be the best place in the world to be an entrepreneur." - Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves The Chancellor's bold commitment, backed by the recent 10-year extension of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes, comes at a transformative moment for UK university innovation.   As the UK’s largest investor into university spinouts, IP Group plc and our specialist EIS fund manager, Parkwalk Advisors, are seeing real momentum in the university spinout sector: - £2.6bn in fresh investment secured last year - Over 2,000 innovative spinouts created since 2011 - Universities embracing commercial partnerships with equity stakes dropping from 25% to 18% - Success stories such as IP Group portfolio companies Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Oxa cited as leading the way With Government reforms streamlining commercialisation processes and strengthening the Oxford-Cambridge innovation corridor, the foundations are being laid for the perfect environment for university innovations to thrive. I wish Lord Patrick Vallance every success in his new role as the champion for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. The message is clear - the UK is positioning itself as the global epicenter of research commercialisation. The future of innovation starts in our universities. And at IP Group and Parkwalk, we have the team, portfolio and experience to deliver this area of growth capital in Oxford, Cambridge, London and across the UK.🎓💡 #UniversitySpinouts #Innovation #UKTech #Entrepreneurship 

"Investment and innovation go hand in hand... Britain should be the best place in the world to be an entrepreneur." - Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves The Chancellor's bold commitment, backed by the recent 10-year extension of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes, comes at a transformative moment for UK university innovation.   As the UK’s largest investor into university spinouts, IP Group plc and our specialist EIS fund manager, Parkwalk Advisors, are seeing real momentum in the university spinout sector: - £2.6bn in fresh investment secured last year - Over 2,000 innovative spinouts created since 2011 - Universities embracing commercial partnerships with equity stakes dropping from 25% to 18% - Success stories such as IP Group portfolio companies Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Oxa cited as leading the way With Government reforms streamlining commercialisation processes and strengthening the Oxford-Cambridge innovation corridor, the foundations are being laid for the perfect environment for university innovations to thrive. I wish Lord Patrick Vallance every success in his new role as the champion for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. The message is clear - the UK is positioning itself as the global epicenter of research commercialisation. The future of innovation starts in our universities. And at IP Group and Parkwalk, we have the team, portfolio and experience to deliver this area of growth capital in Oxford, Cambridge, London and across the UK.🎓💡 #UniversitySpinouts #Innovation #UKTech #Entrepreneurship 

Today marks #InternationalDayofEducation, a day to remind ourselves that education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.   At IP Group, we understand the significance of ensuring that the next generation are given opportunities to gain real-world experience and last year we were incredibly privileged to have the presence of several talented interns among us through the 10,000 Black Interns programme as well as the Big City Bright Future work experience programme organised by IntoUniversity.