The BioEscalator, the University of Oxford's biomedical incubator, has launched a new video campaign in which investors, founders and university partners describe the incubator's role in developing biotech and medtech businesses. Companies supported by the BioEscalator have raised £1.65bn to date.
The series features contributors from tenant and alumni companies, Oxford Science Enterprises, Oxford University Innovation and Zinc VC. They discuss how the incubator's combination of community, business support and research infrastructure has helped companies develop healthcare innovations for patients.
Claire Brown, Life Sciences Partner at Oxford Science Enterprises, said: "The BioEscalator is a perfect home for many of our portfolio companies."
Kevin Maskell, Co-founder of BioArchitech, said: "The BioEscalator helped us to close investment rounds."
Based on the University's Old Road clinical campus in Headington, the BioEscalator supports high-growth bioscience start-ups with the potential to improve human healthcare. The campus houses a range of research institutes and around 8,500 students and staff.
Tenant companies have access to shared lab infrastructure, so they can focus on research and development. They also get training, seminars and links to industry and investor networks. The incubator works alongside other organisations in Oxford's innovation ecosystem, including Oxford Science Enterprises and OBN, and collaborates with the NHS and University academics.
As well as the £1.65bn raised, companies supported by the BioEscalator have created 433 jobs. Seventeen companies have graduated from the incubator, three have been acquired and one has gone on to an IPO.
Matthew Wood, Chair of the BioEscalator Management Board, said: "It's a model not just for Oxford, but for the entire UK as to how we can accelerate the world-class science we've got and turn that science into world-class companies."
The campaign opens with the film Introducing the BioEscalator. Further films will be released over the coming months. The films can be viewed on the BioEscalator website.