Oxford Venture Scouts partners with founders looking to access world-leading scientific teams and bring that science to market.
We believe companies with exceptional scientific expertise in-house are best placed to adapt to evolving markets in health tech, deep tech and life science. We help founders with a specific idea for a science backed company and industry founders looking for an exciting opportunity.
Backed by Oxford University, Oxford Science Enterprises and Parkwalk Advisors, we will find you the right scientific team, venture build with you and look to invest up to £0.25m to ready a company for spin out.
The Oxford Source > Spinout Process
Oxford is the leading UK university for spinout creation, with over 300 companies having raised £7.4 billion.
Our combined team will work flexibly around you to first source opportunities in your area of expertise and second to build conviction that the time is right to spin-out an Oxford company.
Source
For each sourced opportunity we will work with you and the scientific team to answer the following questions:
Market: Who is this problem relevant to? What is, or what will likely be, the scale of the opportunity ?
Route to Market: Who needs or will need this problem taken off their plate? Are there clear milestones to deriving first paid customers?
Competition: Who are the other solvers and why is this approach better?
Tech: Is it novel? What are the steps to transforming it to a commercial proposition?
IP: What is the unique scientific defensibility and is it sustainable?
Spinout
Once we are confident in the above, we will work with you to:
- validate a business model, based on that industry’s buying cycle and expected barriers, leveraging the extensive Oxford network for technical and commercial support.
- build the team ready to spin the company out
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a full-time or flexible commitment?
Flexible.
The Venture Scouts programme is designed to help you and your potential scientific co-founders to build commercial and scientific conviction that now is the right time to spin out an Oxford company.
We will work flexibly to your schedule and help you maximise your chances of a successful spinout raise as you validate and de-risk the business model, with a particular focus on getting to a target customer base.
On your side, we expect you to commit a few hours a week as we work towards getting you investment committee ready.
Do I need to live in the UK?
Yes, from experience you do need to live close enough for in-person meetings with the scientific teams.
Do I need to live in Oxford?
No, you don’t. The programme kicks off with two in person onboarding days, after that in-person meetings can be arranged around your schedule.
Do I have to be an Oxford alumni?
While a previous connection to Oxford can help you understand where the opportunities are, it is not necessary.
Do I have to take the Venture Scouts investment?
You do not! The Venture Scouts programme is designed to support a final acceleration before spin-out. If the business is ready to spin out earlier, we will work with you to get in front of the right investment committee.
Our Values
Mutual respect. Developing research into product is a sensitive journey and we can all learn from each other, whether a conversation leads to a direct next step or not.
Intellectual honesty. We are big believers in the benefits of eyes-wide-open self-assessment at every stage of the process. In tandem with mutual respect we know this leads to positive outcomes in the short and long term.
You don’t have to be a sales person to operate with a sales mindset. Oxford scientists are some of the best in their field in the world, 90% of what they could do will be fascinating, we need to get to the 10% that industry would be crazy not to want.
