Entrepreneurial Impact Ranking 2020 (Octopus Ventures)

Summary

• The 2018/2019 academic year was a record year for spinout exits from UK universities, with sales of spinout company shares totalling more than £61 million, an increase of 37% from 2017/2018.p.2
• Data shows that for every £1 invested in university research, the government receives around £3.60 back in economic benefit.p.5
• In the last 12 months, spinouts from the University of Oxford received around £750 million of investment, supported by the £600 million Oxford Sciences Innovation fund.p.10
• Biogen acquired University of Oxford ophthalmology spinout Nightstar Therapeutics for $800 million in June 2019.p.10
• In 2019, Europe recorded 451 AI-related deals attracting $4.9 billion in deep tech investment.p.20

Key insights

1. Sales of shares in UK university spinout companies reached over £61 million in 2018/2019, up 37% from 2017/2018.p.2
2. Every £1 invested in UK university research delivers approximately £3.60 in return to the UK economy.p.5
3. University of Oxford spinouts raised around £750 million in investment over a 12-month period.p.10
4. Multiple UCL spinout companies listed on the NASDAQ in 2018, raising $150 million, $200 million, and $75 million.p.11
5. The report recommends conducting a minimum of 100 detailed conversations with potential customers to validate product/market fit.p.19
6. European AI-related deep tech deals reached 451 in 2019, drawing $4.9 billion in capital.p.20