The NHS Doesn't Buy Tech, it Buys Trust: Lessons for HealthTech Start Ups
HealthTech sounds like the perfect career path for the ambitious entrepreneur. A chance to improve lives and build a successful business. But most founders quickly learn: selling into the NHS is nothing like traditional startups. In this fireside chat, HealthTech founder, CEO Coach, and Chairman Kevin McDonnell shares the hard truths about NHS entrepreneurship with E-Lab Research Associate Coco Newton.
AI for Science: From Scientist to Founder
AI is rewriting scientific discovery. But the path from research to real-world impact isn't always clear. Join us to hear directly from founders and builders at the intersection of AI and science, driving this next wave of progress. They’ll share practical insights, hard won lessons and tangible next steps for how to build an AI for Science startup.
In Conversation with Dame Julia Hoggett DBE
Join us for an afternoon fireside chat with Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange plc.
Build with Google Cloud Platform: Tech Stack Workshop
Learn about GCP: Google’s computing platform that lets you build on the same global, secure, and reliable infrastructure that powers Google's own products like Search, Gmail, and YouTube. Whether you're experimenting, prototyping or building, GCP can help with: compute and storage options (Cloud Run, Google Kubernetes Engine, Compute Engine), data analytics (BigQuery, AlloyDB, Cloud Storage) AI/ML capabilities (Gemini models via Vertex AI), Web & mobile (Firebase), and much more.
What do Fruit, Journalism and Business Have in Common?
Join the E-Lab as we host renowned fresh produce journalist Chris White, Managing Director of Fruitnet Media International, to reflect on managing a global media business for over 30 years—without any formal business education. Chris shares how instinct, storytelling, and experience have shaped his journey, and what he might have done differently with a structured business foundation.
Pitch@King's
Pitch@King’s offers you the opportunity to practice your pitching skills with support from across the E-Lab.
Ask a Lawyer: Legal Office Hours
Monthly sessions connecting Cambridge student founders with Orrick lawyers for practical 1:1 legal guidance on IP, incorporation, founder agreements, and investment matters. Orrick advises 5,000+ venture-backed companies including 100+ unicorns (recent clients: Anthropic's $13B Series F, Mistral AI's €1.7B Series C). Their lawyers volunteer time to help students navigate legal questions that impede or slow down early-stage ventures.
Entrepreneurial Thinking Across Contexts with Jenny-Ward George
Entrepreneurial thinking can be applied across a variety of contexts, from academia to the private sector, from the public sector and beyond. In each case, how it is applied throws up sector specific similarities and differences. Join the E-Lab as we speak to the Chief of Staff to the Master of the Royal Household, Jenny Ward-George, about her work in all of these different spaces and about how the lessons from these experience can help us to think about the advantages to such a such mindset.
Gillian Tett in conversation with Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory Brent Hoberman
Join King’s College Provost Gillian Tett for a conversation with Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory Brent Hoberman.
The Digital Energy Grid Summit: Building the Future of Energy
In partnership with Beckn and the Innovation Hub at the University of Cambridge, the E-Lab will host a day summit to shape the Digital Energy Grid — which revolutionises energy markets through real-time coordination, universal access, and scalable sustainability — a transformation as profound as the mobile and internet revolutions.
Ask a Lawyer: Legal Office Hours
Monthly sessions connecting Cambridge student founders with Orrick lawyers for practical 1:1 legal guidance on IP, incorporation, founder agreements, and investment matters. Orrick advises 5,000+ venture-backed companies including 100+ unicorns (recent clients: Anthropic's $13B Series F, Mistral AI's €1.7B Series C). Their lawyers volunteer time to help students navigate legal questions that impede or slow down early-stage ventures.
Strategy in the Era of AI with Bobby Yerramilli-Rao
Join us for a conversation with Bobby Yerramilli-Rao, Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Vice President for Corporate Strategy at Microsoft, as we explore “Strategy in the Era of AI.”
2025 Entrepreneurship Essay Competition Prize Ceremony
We look forward to welcoming the winner and runners-up of the 2025 Entrepreneurship Essay Competition Prize.
The purpose of the competition is to encourage UK Sixth Form students to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations and understand better how to launch an enterprise. We are particularly keen to foster this entrepreneurial spirit among students who might not traditionally consider entering the world of business and further hope this competition encourages more young people, who might not think about it, to apply to Oxbridge and Higher Education.
Build with Browser Use: Tech Stack Workshop
Learn about Browser Use: an open-source infrastructure that converts website interfaces into structured text, and thus enable AI agents to interact and navigate websites more effectively than vision-based approaches. While vision-based approaches that try to "see" websites like humans, Browser Use converts web interfaces into structured text that language models can faster, more precisely and reliably.
A Positive Social Media: Pinterest CEO Bill Ready on Rooting Wellbeing into Online Environments
Join King’s College Provost Gillian Tett for a conversation with Pinterest CEO Bill Ready as they explore the role of positive social media platforms, Pinterest's use of AI, particularly in visual search, and the need for safe online environments, particularly for young people.
Build with Momen: Tech Stack Workshop
Learn about Momen: a no-code web application development tool and a PaaS that allows users to create custom web applications without coding. The platform features a visual canvas and a data model, offering tools for designing, developing, and deploying applications. It is designed to be accessible to individuals with limited technical experience.
Chocolate Courage: How to Put your Ideas into Practice with Hotel Chocolate CEO and Co-Founder Peter Harris
Join us on the 23rd of October as we host Peter Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Hotel Chocolat, to discuss everything from The Chocolate Tasting Club’s unique method of growth funding, ‘The Chocolate Bond’, and Project Chocolat’s unique tree-to-bar visitor experience on the oldest cocoa farm in St Lucia, to how a casual comment can transform a company’s direction and how to have the perseverance to put ideas into practice.
In Conversation with will.i.am: Creative Innovation, Tech Entrepreneurship and AI
As a part of our Next Turing Test Conference, join us as we host creative innovator, tech founder, futurist and philanthropist, will.i.am in conversation with King’s College Provost Gillian Tett.
Nobel Laureate Geoff Hinton on Prospects of Artificial General Intelligence
Join us for a fireside chat with our very own King’s alumnus and Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton on Prospects of Artificial General Intelligence, followed by Q&A. This event is part of the King's E-Lab Annual Nobel Prize Lecture series as well as the Next Turing Test Conference.
The Next Turing Tests Keynote Address with James Manyika
As a part of our Next Turing Test Conference, join us for an afternoon keynote address by James Manyika, senior vice president for research, technology & society at Google.
House of Lords: Global Impact of Cambridge Startups
Cambridge has been responsible for many world-changing discoveries, but entrepreneurship is not the first thought of most people thinking about the University. Driving economic growth requires inspiring, challenging and coaching the next generation to think boldly about how their ideas can become market realities, transform industries, create better outcomes for society and build value for all . On 15th October at the House of Lords, King’s Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) and the Global Education Lab will showcase and celebrate how the diverse University of Cambridge entrepreneurial ecosystem is turning ambitions into ventures that contribute meaningfully to the local, regional and global economy.
The Next Turing Tests Conference
On the 75th anniversary of Turing’s Test, the E-Lab at King’s College Cambridge, where Turing was both student and Fellow, is joining with the Leverhulme Centre or the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge to host a two-day exploration to identify the next tests for AI and to explore pressing questions with a diverse range of experts and stakeholders.
Build with Cursor: Tech Stack Workshop
Learn about Cursor: an AI-powered code editor that integrates LLMs directly into your development workflow. Built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, it preserves the familiar interface and extension ecosystem while adding conversational AI capabilities from various LLM providers (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Deepseek, Grok …). Rather than switching between your editor and a separate AI chat interface, you can write, edit, and debug code through natural language interactions within the same environment where you're working.
Beyond the Track: Innovation and Leadership with Selin Tur, CTO and Managing Director at Williams Grand Prix Technologies
Step inside the fast-paced world where precision engineering meets visionary leadership. Selin Tur, Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director at Williams Grand Prix Technologies, has built her career at the cutting edge of performance, applying the relentless innovation of motorsport to solve complex challenges far beyond the track.
Meet E-Lab at Freshers Fair
As the new term starts, join us at the Cambridge Student Union Freshers Fair to hear more about everything planned for the upcoming academic year!
E-Lab Annual Dinner 2025
The E-Lab Annual Dinner acknowledges the contributions and celebrates the support of various stakeholders in the entrepreneurship community at King’s—members, associates, advisory board, research associates, entrepreneurs-in-residence, alumni, partners and sponsors—without whom the E-lab wouldn’t exist.
Wealth with Vision: An Evening with EFG International
Join us for an evening panel with EFG International, who bring entrepreneurial thinking to Swiss private banking as we ask how the next generation of founders and innovators should think about wealth.
September Residential Week for 2025 the E-Lab Cohort
Kick off your entrepreneurial journey with a week-long programme.
SPARK 1.0 Demo Day
SPARK is the newest pathway for University of Cambridge students, researchers and recent alumni to materialise their ideas into action. On the 18th of September, we are excited to bring the programme to a close with a showcase of the teams’ ventures in a full Demo Day with pitches from our cohort of 24 ventures. These teams are at the cutting edge of life sciences, artificial intelligence, healthcare, climate technologies, nuclear fusion, semiconductors, electric vehicles and more.
Crick x Cambridge Innovation Challenge 2025
A full-day gathering at King’s College Cambridge for scientists, researchers, and builders to reconnect, share progress, and set new directions. Whether you’re developing an existing project or starting fresh, the day offers space to pitch ideas, explore founder traits, and choose between ideation and milestone-driven tracks. The programme includes talks, workshops, and closing pitches, followed by networking drinks.
SPARK 1.0 Residential
Got an idea? SPARK is the newest pathway for students, researchers, and recent alumni to materialise their ideas into action in just four weeks. SPARK is an intensive residential incubator programme to supercharge ideas and create ventures with the potential to change the world. Created by King’s E-Lab in partnership with Founders at the University of Cambridge, SPARK is funded by both a generous philanthropic donation from a successful King’s College entrepreneur together with funding from the University of Cambridge.
Roundtable Discussion with Her Majesty Queen Diambi
We are honoured to host Her Majesty Queen Diambi Kabatusuila, traditional monarch of the Bakwa Luntu people in the Kingdom of Luba (Democratic Republic of Congo), for a roundtable discussion on leadership, sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Scaling Startups: How Can Countries Compete with the US?
Learn how business leaders, the global medical and biotechnology community, rock stars, actors, and Cambridge students are uniting to pioneer innovative investment models to rapidly accelerate treatments and cures for rare disease. Join leaders in the industry for a conversation on how venture philanthropy, impact investing, and a medical and technological revolution is delivering unprecedented progress for treatment approvals for rare disease and pushing these communities to the precipice of cures.
The Worst Disease You've Never Heard Of: A Cure and a Business Model for the Future
Learn how business leaders, the global medical and biotechnology community, rock stars, actors, and Cambridge students are uniting to pioneer innovative investment models to rapidly accelerate treatments and cures for rare disease. Join leaders in the industry for a conversation on how venture philanthropy, impact investing, and a medical and technological revolution is delivering unprecedented progress for treatment approvals for rare disease and pushing these communities to the precipice of cures.
U.S. Economy and Monetary Policy: Gillian Tett in conversation with Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic
Join Gillian Tett for a conversation with Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic about the U.S. economy and monetary policy. They’ll dive into topics of the day and chat about the state of the economics profession, as well as answer audience questions.
Measuring the Macro-Criticality of Nature
There is growing recognition of the importance of natural capital and ecosystem services in driving economic growth and the need to include them in macroeconomic analysis. The aim of this roundtable is to discuss the current state of natural capital accounting and the latest developments in earth-economy modelling.
LLMxLaw Lightning Talks Conference
Join us for a fast-paced, no-fluff series of lightning talks on how large language models (LLMs) are reshaping the legal world. Hosted alongside the LLMxLaw Hackathon, this event brings together sharp minds from across law, legal tech, academia, and the public sector to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and drive the conversation forward.
LLMxLaw Tech Showcase
Get hands-on with the tools available on this year’s LLMxLaw Hackathon. A series of practical, fast-paced sessions—no filler, just what you need to know to build. Workshops run back to back, so you can pick the ones that match your project or curiosity.
LLM x Law Hackathon
Building on our successful inaugural LLM × Law hackathon last year, we're excited to introduce an even bigger, better, and more diverse edition. This year, over an entire weekend at Judge Business School. Fore more information, visit Hack the Law website.
AI Meet and Greet with Merantix
Join the E-Lab and Merantix Capital for an informal post-exams meet and greet lunch in The Eagle. This is a chance for anyone building or interested in AI to be introduced to one of the prominent pure-AI venture capital companies focused on the UK.
Hack with Agents by Google Cloud
This hands-on workshop, led by Google Cloud experts, is your opportunity to understand and build intelligent agents on LLMxLaw Hackathon using Google Cloud. We'll explore the essential components that power agent applications, then jump into practical code examples using Google's Agent Development Kit (ADK). You'll learn how to build and deploy your agent ideas seamlessly on Google Cloud.
Oxbridge-Imperial AI Day
Join us for the Oxbridge-Imperial AI Day, an unforgettable afternoon of networking and collaboration in the historic heart of Cambridge. We bring together entrepreneurs, founders, and innovators from Cambridge, Imperial, and Oxford for meaningful connections and collaboration opportunities.
“Big science and new business” – Uncovering the commercial opportunities within major programmes in fundamental science
Tim Bestwick is the Chief Development Officer and Deputy CEO at the UK Atomic Energy Authority. He is also the Chair of the Harwell Campus (the major science and innovation campus in Oxfordshire) and Chair of the Space Partnership (industry, government and academia growing the UK Space sector). After corporate research in optoelectronics and two start-up technology companies Tim now works for UKAEA, leading the commercialization of fusion technology.. He is passionate about the opportunities for new spin out businesses from big science programmes, and also creating mixed ‘public-private’ campuses where innovation thrives. Tim was awarded an OBE in 2023 for services to the commercialisation of science, technology and innovation.
Uduak Jesuthasan in Conversation with Ambassador Maulidah Hassan on Lessons in Power: What Advising a President Taught Me About Leadership
Join us for this session where we take you behind the diplomatic curtain and discuss with with Ambassador Maulidah Hassan what advising a President can teach one about leadership.