Strategic Initiative Launches in the UK Aimed at Accelerating Life-Sciences Start-Ups

Start Codon strategic initiative, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, has been launched, aimed at providing a life-science accelerator that offers funding and support to translate innovative research into start-up companies.

Initially, Start Codon will identify and recruit high potential life-sciences and healthcare companies from across the UK and further afield. The acceleration program will then comprise seed-funding and use of the resources of the Cambridge cluster to prepare the recruited companies for a successful series A fundraise. 

The Start Codon team will be led by Dr Jason Mellad, who was the previous CEO of Cambridge Epigenetix, along with Dr Ian Tomlinson, who has been appointed chairman of the Start Codon’s board. Plans to invest and support up to 50 start-up companies over the period of the next five years have been announced in an April 23, 2019 press release.

“Our ambition is to provide life-science and healthcare companies with a unique combination of funding, facilities, mentoring, and support to fast track their development and success,” said Mellad in the press release. “We are selecting the most exciting pre-series A companies from around the world, and bringing them to Cambridge, helping to solidify the region’s position as a leading global cluster.”

Applications from early-stage start-up companies in the life-sciences and healthcare space are now being accepted by Start Codon through its website.

Source: Start Codon