Christine has served as Interim Head of Seed Funds since February 2021. She brings a broad range of experience to the role, drawing particularly on previous positions within Cambridge Enterprise. These include having been Deputy Head of Seed Funds and Technology Transfer Manager for Drug Discovery. Prior to joining Cambridge Enterprise, Christine was a Senior Director at Biotica Technology Ltd. Christine holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Oxford.
The work of the Seed Funds team is central to Cambridge Enterprise’s ambition to create societal and economic impact from research at the University of Cambridge. Seed Funds identifies and invests in new companies formed to realise opportunities arising from the £600 million of research funding invested across the University annually.
Over the last decade Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds has established a portfolio of over 125 companies that have, in turn, raised in excess of £2.7 billion. Cambridge Enterprise Seed Funds has an excellent track record, with 12% internal rate of return over both five- and ten-year terms. Having started with £8 million, the combined portfolio is now valued at £107 million.
Christine starts her new role having successfully raised £30 million of new investment from the University of Cambridge. She has an ambitious vision for the journey ahead, with an expansive remit to extend and enhance the investment outcomes on behalf of the University.
Christine takes over as Head of Seed Funds from Dr Anne Dobrée, who oversaw the dramatic and successful growth of the portfolio since 2011. Anne moves into a newly-formed role at Cambridge Enterprise as Director of Programming, with responsibility for developing new innovation deal flows from within the University.
About Cambridge Enterprise
Part of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Enterprise supports academics, researchers, staff and students in achieving knowledge transfer and research impact through commercialisation, consultancy and social enterprise.
This news story was first published on Cambridge Enterprise's website on 06 April 2022.
Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, has announced the appointment of Dr Christine Martin as Head of Seed Funds.
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