Venture Advisors
Advice from peoplewho have done it
The Centre has worked alongside Cambridge companies since 1987. Studio members get that team on hand, not on a waiting list.
How it works
You are matched with a lead advisor in your first week. They get to know the company, then pull in what you need as you need it.
- IP clinicsWhat to protect, when, and what it will cost.
- Grant-funding strategyWhich schemes fit, and how to write for them.
- CommercialisationPricing, first customers, routes to market.
- Investor readinessPitch panels and introductions when the numbers are ready.
- Founder capabilityWorkshops on the skills the job needs next.
The team
Who you will beworking with
Founders, investors, engineers and finance directors who have built and sold companies themselves. Every Studio member is matched with one of them in the first week, and can call on the rest.
Kirsten Masson
Director of Innovation Programmes
Thirty years in innovation and business support. Leads the Innovation & Growth team and the national Innovate UK investment-readiness programme, and is a qualified coach.
Chris Ellis
Scaleup Director
Forty years helping technology companies commercialise, raise investment and grow, as an executive and as an advisor.
Reuben Isbitsky
Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist
Helped grow Brita to its sale to Clorox, then founded Timestrip, built a new category of low-cost sensors and sold the company in 2018. Mentors start-up and scale-up teams and leads the team's work on AI.
Zak Ireson
Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist
Exited founder with a background in strategy, finance and the space sector. Helps founders tighten their commercial plans and raise investment.
Dan Dearing
Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist
Specialises in taking companies international, MedTech and grant funding. Helps founders enter new markets, find partners and commercialise their technology.
Richard Carey-Evans
Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist
Has run companies in manufacturing, publishing, sustainable construction and sports marketing, and advised exporters at the Department for International Trade. Coaches founders and judges investment pitches.
Stephen Goddard
Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist
Twenty years in business development across accountancy, banking and law, including PwC, KPMG and Lloyds. Works with founders on growth strategy, funding and routes to market.
Theo Kaciubskyj
Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist
Thirty-seven years in business coaching and leadership training, including a partnership at Kwik Fit and global marketing for 13 brands at Exide. Focuses on manufacturing, clean energy and materials.
Mike Herd
Ecosystem Innovation & Growth Specialist
Ran Sussex Innovation Centre for more than 20 years, taking companies from start-up to flotation, and has helped raise over £60m in equity and grants. Holds the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion.
Tom Graver
Innovation & Growth Specialist
Seven years supporting start-ups and scaling companies, with a background in pharmaceutical formulation. Works on product roadmaps, investment readiness and market entry in life sciences and health.
Emilia Caporale
Innovation & Growth Specialist
Twenty-five years at Accenture, including as a finance director. Helps deep-tech founders put the financial, governance and operating foundations in place for investment and growth.
Lorraine Morley
Innovation & Growth Specialist
Founder, former banker and open-innovation PhD. Led the UK arm and international expansion of an AgeTech accelerator, working with start-ups on business models and market entry.
Phillip Jarman
Innovation & Growth Specialist
Nineteen years helping technology companies commercialise data-driven products, adopt AI and build operating models that scale. Board-level experience in analytics and enterprise software.
Jools Abrahams
Innovation & Growth Specialist
Engineer turned business leader with 25 years in medical devices and instrumentation. As General Manager of Cambridge Life Sciences she led a full turnaround of the business.
Julian Peck
Innovation & Growth Specialist
Chartered Engineer and deep-tech investor with a background in patents, licensing and university spin-outs. CEO of the low-carbon cement company Claze.
Your first six months
What actuallyhappens
An example. Yours gets shaped around what your company needs and when.
- Week 1
Onboard
Workspace set up, and you are matched with a lead advisor.
- Month 1
Integrate
Tailored onboarding, founder roundtables, introductions across the Centre.
- Months 2–3
Validate
Capability support, IP and grant-funding guidance for your stage.
- Months 3–6
Connect
Ecosystem introductions and investor connections built around your plan.
- Graduation
Scale up
Move into your own office at the Centre with 50% of your Studio fees credited towards the lease.
Not aprogramme
There is no cohort timetable and nothing to graduate from except the Studio itself. The support is there when you need it and out of your way when you don't.
Talk to an advisor →Questions
Asked most
Who are the Venture Advisors?
St John's Innovation Centre's in-house team, who have worked with Cambridge companies since 1987. Every Studio member has direct access to them and is matched with a lead advisor in the first week.
Does advisor support cost extra?
No. It is part of every membership, from the 5 Day Pass up.
Book a tour
Stop isolating.Start scaling.
Book a private tour, meet the team, and work out which membership fits. Or skip the form: message Reuben on WhatsApp and he'll reply himself.
WhatsApp Reuben- Phone
- +44 (0)1223 420252
- info@stjohns.co.uk
- Address
- St John's Innovation Park, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0WS