Cambridge Wide Open Week 2026

Cambridge Wide Open Week 2026 has unveiled further details of its highly anticipated June 11–19 event as the life sciences festival expands across the UK’s innovation “Golden Triangle” for the very first time.

Keynote speakers for the event include influential names from across innovation, government, investment and media, including former Minister for Science, George Freeman; FT columnist, Gillian Tett OBE; former Business and Industry Minister, Lord Richard Harrington; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Deborah Prentice; Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Paul Bristow; Peter Freeman of Cambridge Homes; Dr Olga Kozlova of Oxford University Innovation; and scientist entrepreneur, Dr Jason Mellad.

Alongside the keynote programme, portfolio companies and ventures (details below) will be showcased throughout the Ventures Tour programme, offering investors and ecosystem leaders opportunities to discover some of the UK’s most promising high-growth life science, biotech, techbio, healthtech and medtech companies.

The newly expanded format to include Oxford and London reflects the growing national and international significance of the Cambridge ecosystem and its increasing interconnectedness with the UK’s other two world-leading innovation clusters.

The multi-city programme brings together leading venture funds, accelerators, innovation hubs, policymakers and ecosystem leaders through a series of curated investors breakfasts, venture showcases, networking events, and evening drinks receptions.

Designed for angel investors, venture capital firms, corporate investors, family offices and financial institutions from both within and beyond Cambridge, the Ventures Tours programme - central to the grassroots festival - will provide unparalleled access to investment-ready ventures developing breakthrough technologies and transformative solutions across healthcare, therapeutics, AI and drug discovery.

The Ventures Tour programme is now confirmed as follows:

DAY ONE — OXFORD VENTURES TOUR (Thursday 11 June 2026)

Oxford Science Enterprises portfolio and associated ventures will headline the opening programme in Oxford alongside investor showcases from Oxford Venture Angels, Longwall Ventures, Oxford University Innovation and Oxford Technology Management, hosted across Oxford’s leading innovation venues including Saïd Business School and Inventa.

Oxford Science Enterprises’ participating portfolio companies include Ion Therapeutics, Spybiotech, Alethio Therapeutics, ORFonyx, and T-Cypher.

Oxford Venture Angels & Longwall Ventures’ participating portfolio companies include Singular Machines and more.

Oxford University Innovation’s participating portfolio companies include AlveoGene, Glox Therapeutics, Theolytics, Yellowstone Biosciences and Newrotex.

Oxford Technology Management’s participating portfolio companies include BioArchitech, OVO, MitoRx, Chambertech and Curileum.

DAY TWO — LONDON VENTURES TOUR (Friday 12 June 2026)

London’s programme will showcase leading investment platforms and venture accelerators operating across healthtech, biotech and deeptech.

Featured organisations include KQ Labs, Mercia Ventures, Foresight Group, LifeArc Ventures and Pioneer Accelerator, with events hosted at The Francis Crick Institute, the London Stock Exchange and Victoria House in Bloomsbury.

KQ Labs’ participating portfolio companies include Juniver, Cortirio, PentaBind, Siloton and CamMed Therapeutics.

Mercia Ventures’ participating portfolio companies include Wobble Genomics, Neupulse, Lab Thread, Kinomica, Scalpel AI and IsomAb.

Foresight Group’s participating portfolio companies include Inoviv, Zomp, Nebuflow, Bitfount, and FundamentalVR.

LifeArc Ventures’ participating portfolio companies include Ikarovec, T-Cypher Bio, Pheno Therapeutics and AviadoBio.

DAY THREE — CAMBRIDGE VENTURES TOUR: DAY ONE (Monday 15 June 2026)

Cambridge’s two-day investor programme begins with showcases from some of the region’s most influential venture and innovation organisations at venues including The Glasshouse by Innovate Cambridge, Deloitte Cambridge, Cambridge Judge Business School, Hauxton House and Newnham College.

Featured funds and ecosystem partners taking part include Amadeus Capital Partners, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Accelerate Cambridge, o2h Ventures, Meltwind Advisory, Cancer Research Horizons and Bio-Spark by Cambridge Gravity.

Amadeus Capital Partners’ participating portfolio companies include Charco Neurotech, Stick Therapeutics and Xampla.

Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst’s participating portfolio companies include Aerska, Afortiori Bio, BioRes, CamMed Therapeutics, Isoform Oncology, Neobe Therapeutics, Oppilotech, Sentinal4D, SymphoRNA and Unravel Health.

Accelerate Cambridge’s participating portfolio companies include IOMI, EmberEye, Eleon Tech, Cellcraft Ltd, RNera Bio, Jade Snow Medical Ltd.

o2h Ventures & Meltwind Advisory & Cancer Research Horizons’ participating portfolio companies include 52North, Stratosvir, Spirea, Pencil Bio, Verinnogen, Enedra and Exonate.

DAY FOUR — CAMBRIDGE VENTURES TOUR: DAY TWO (Tuesday 16 June 2026)

The second Cambridge investor day focuses on inward investment, university commercialisation and scaling ventures.

Participating organisations include Cambridge Innovation Capital, Start Codon, Cambridge Angels, Innovate UK Business Growth, Cambridge Enterprise, Parkwalk and Accelerate@Babraham — with events again taking place across The Glasshouse, Deloitte Cambridge and Hilton Cambridge City Centre.

The participating portfolio companies for Cambridge Innovation Capital & Start Codon are Octiocor, Awen, HotHouse Therapeutics, Cosyne Therapeutics, Spirea, Erebagen and Phorest Diagnostics.

Cambridge Angels’ participating portfolio companies include Monument Tx, Cambridge Nucleomics and Spotta.

Innovate UK Business Growth’s participating portfolio companies include Proteotype Diagnostics, Mechanome Bio, Migration Biotherapeutics, PolyChord Ltd and TCEB Ltd.

CWOW’s signature Open Day then takes place on Wednesday 17 June 2026, providing broader community engagement opportunities across the Cambridge ecosystem - and promising tours, masterclasses, workshops, demos, networking events, panel discussions and public-facing innovation activities including the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst Tour & Panel, the CFFN Breakfast Roundtable and a garden party at Hauxton House.

Participating venues include Granta Park, Maxwell Centre, Cambridge Enterprise, Co-Labs by Journey, CISL, The Press Foxton, Wellcome Genome Campus, o2h co-work labs, Babraham Research Campus, Unity Campus, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Cambridge Science Park, St John’s Innovation Centre, Allia Future Business Centre, Cambridge Research Park, The Epicentre, Merlin Place by Kadans Science Partner, and Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

A dedicated TechBio, Biotech & Pharma Day on Thursday 18 June 2026 will spotlight the convergence of AI, biotech and pharmaceutical innovation. Major sessions include BIA TechBio X and the AstraZeneca Exchange at AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, alongside the Creative Disruption Forum and the Conexen Life Sciences Community Event.

Additional fringe events and community programmes will run throughout the week and include the popular Biotech Bikers, 3C Cambridge event and Form the Future Speed Networking.

Shaun Grady, Chair of AstraZeneca UK, said: “CWOW is now an established cornerstone for Cambridge’s life sciences community, and AstraZeneca is thrilled to be part of it again. Bringing together ideas and people from across the region and beyond keeps Cambridge globally recognised as a dynamic life sciences hub.

“My experience being involved in the Beijing - Cambridge Collaboration, the Manchester - Cambridge City partnership and now the Cambridge & Peterborough business advisory board reinforces how essential it is to connect ecosystems - locally, regionally and internationally. CWOW is a great example of this, ensuring business voices are heard and collaborative networks continue to grow.”

Prashant Shah, Co-founder and Co-CEO of the o2h group and founder of Cambridge Wide Open Week, added: “We are excited to once again be hosting a week of life sciences at the home of life sciences – and to see CWOW expand the Venture Tours across Oxford, London and Cambridge. We want people to experience the buzzing life sciences ecosystems of the UK - from investors to government, and from those working in life sciences to the wider community. CWOW is a community and grassroots-driven endeavour that tells the past, present and future stories of these thriving and increasingly connected ecosystems of the UK.”

Register for Cambridge Wide Open Week 2026 View the Full CWOW 2026 Schedule