There was a huge buzz at the event, which attracted more than 650 investors, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics. Venturefest East created a twitter-storm, with more than 1 million impressions for the event’s hashtag #VFEast16 leading to the event trending at #2 on Twitter.
With standing room only in the 250-seater main stage area at Newmarket Racecourse, a range of inspirational speakers took part, including global investor Dr Hermann Hauser of Amadeus Capital Partners (pictured), Dr Ruth McKernan, CEO of Innovate UK and Dr Tim Whitley, BT’s Managing Director of Research and Innovation.
A range of track sessions focused on areas including Scaling up (featuring Cambridge Network's CEO Claire Ruskin), Cleantech, The Internet of Things, Gamification and Agri-tech and 11 finalists from the East of England’s leading-edge tech businesses competed in a ‘Fast and Furious Pitch-off’ in front a panel of prestigious judges to win a first prize of £1,000 guineas (£1, 100) and a trophy.
Alviol was first past the post developing Occoris, an elegant and simple inhaler technology, that delivers drugs more efficiently to the lungs.
Venturefest East was created in partnership with St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge; Pathfinder East’s client, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP, to create collaboration among investors, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics to help drive forward growth in the region.
Venturefest East was supported by Innovate UK, the country’s innovation agency, and the Knowledge Transfer Network, alongside lead sponsors the University of East Anglia (UEA), BT and ENGIE, the French energy company.
The event in numbers
- 1 million impressions for the event’s hashtag #VFEast16 on twitter
- 800 – visitors attended
- 75 – businesses exhibited
- 58 – speakers, panellists and chairs took part
- 11 – finalists for the ‘Fast and Furious Pitch-off’
- #2 – trending on Twitter
Visit www.venturefesteast.co.uk
Photograph credit: www.woodhall.photography.co.uk
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