SPARK 2.0 Launch: Panel and Event
Are you building an entrepreneurial venture? Are you a current student, post-doc, or Alumni of University of Cambridge? If so we have an incredible opportunity for you to incubate, fund, and grow your venture with Kings E-Lab this summer.
Join us on Thursday 12th Feb where we will celebrate the opening of applications for our second cohort. This event will share more about our residential incubator programme and host a fireside with alumni of SPARK 1.0.
If you are curious about how SPARK could help your venture, we welcome you to join our informative discussion. If you can't make it but are keen to learn more about the programme, make sure you sign up to our waiting list and you'll be the first to receive information when applications go live.
Callan MacDonald is the co-founder and commercial lead of Polytecks, an early-stage Cambridge-based medical technology start-up developing smart textiles for mapping the body’s electrical signals, leading to faster and earlier diagnostics. He holds degrees in physics, biology, and an ‘MBA for Biotech’.
Bernard Cho is the founder of Med Arcade and a health data scientist with a great passion for precision medicine. With a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences from Cambridge (full scholarship), he led the world’s largest study on familial stroke and published four high-impact papers in two years. He was also the plenary speaker at the World Stroke Congress with an audience of over 4,000 experts worldwide.
In the industry, Bernard was a tech transfer scientist who set up multiple genetic labs worldwide. He was previously selected for Entrepreneur First and Cambridge JBS EnterpriseTECH programme (full scholarship). He is now dedicating his expertise to Med Arcade, with support from EWOR (acceptance rate 0.1%), UCLPartners, and several GP clinics to address healthcare’s biggest data challenges.
Dr. Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano is a co-founder and CEO of Polytecks, a Cambridge-based medical technology company developing smart platforms with high-density flexible electrode arrays for non-invasive physiological monitoring and earlier diagnosis. He is also a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge’s Bioelectronics Lab, where his work focuses on bioelectronic materials, soft interfaces, and translational medical device development.
Dr. Ruiz-Mateos Serrano holds degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Electronic Engineering, and has experience spanning materials science, electronics, and clinical translation. His work sits at the intersection of academic research and commercial innovation, with a particular focus on bridging the gap between simple wearable sensors and complex clinical diagnostic tools.
Natalya Doris is the founder and CEO of MENRVA, an AI startup that helps exhibitors capture and convert in-person engagement at live events. MENRVA turns casual interactions into sales conversations - starting with the art market, where outdated processes and poor follow-up leave interested collectors feeling shut out.
She is a 2025 Women of the Future UK Finalist in AI for her work on MENRVA and was part of the SPARK 1.0 and SYNC 1.0 cohorts at King's E-Lab and Founders at the University of Cambridge. Previously, Natalya worked at BlackRock, Bloomberg, and Morgan Stanley, and was a founding data scientist at a venture-backed AI startup. She completed her MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School in September.
WHEN: Thursday, 12th February 2026
5.30 PM – 6.30 PM: Panel Discussion in Keynes Lecture Theatre
6.30 PM – 7.15 PM: Drinks and networking in the King’s Bar
WHERE: Keynes Lecture Theatre, King’s College, Cambridge
TICKETS: Register here.