On-campus VC firm Campus Capital partners with Lancaster University
by Startacus Admin
Lancaster University has signed a partnership with venture capital firm, Campus Capital, to bring investment to the region and further strengthen Lancashire’s startup ecosystem.
Campus Capital is an external-facing, UK based on-campus VC (Venture Capital) firm and builds early stage, growth focused investment funds for some of the country’s leading universities.
Campus Capital will aim to invest between £50k-200k in early-stage, high-growth potential companies, both on and off campus. All companies within the Lancashire region will be eligible to pitch, not just those run by students, graduates and staff.
These funds are uniquely part-run by active students with the guidance and supervision of the Campus Capital board. Its unique structure enables it to be part of the fabric of each university and to nurture entrepreneurial talent before making any investment. University partnerships include The University of Sheffield, University of Manchester and now Lancaster University.
Michael Howe, founding partner of Campus Capital says the firm has always had an external focus, receiving the majority of pitches from companies that have no link to 
their partner universities.
He said: “There are a lot of investable companies already out there in the region so this isn’t about helping to create new startups. Our focus is on making sure these existing startups who are already doing great things get the investment they need to scale. Our connection with world-renowned universities such as Lancaster makes us particularly well-placed to support companies within the science and technology sectors.”
The on-campus element of Campus Capital is an experiential learning programme that involves teams of Student Venture Capitalists part-running some of the early aspects of the fund pipeline. Once trained, these Student VCs make many of the early investment decisions and gain valuable experience in assessing and analysing a company’s investment-readiness. They receive ongoing mentoring from Campus Capital’s partners and its wider support network of seasoned investors.
Jon Powell, Head of Enterprise and Innovation Services said:
“We are delighted to join forces with Campus Capital and build on our fantastic links with regional businesses by bringing much needed investment into the Lancashire economy. Lancaster University has a pivotal role to play in supporting innovation. We want to develop employable graduates and the graduate employers of tomorrow as well as supporting businesses through consultancy, joint research and co-location. Now we can support direct investment into those businesses with growth potential.”
This new partnership should shine even more of a spotlight on the entrepreneurial activity taking place in Lancashire, and increase opportunities for those companies to collaborate with the university, and stay and grow in the region.
Campus Capital will open to Lancashire-based startups in the New Year, although companies who are considering fundraising within the next six months are encouraged to get in touch sooner.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Startup funding is never easy, however here are a few of the options that can help you fund your startup without going broke in the process
Innovative startups are currently being sought by BMW Group Financial Services UK which has just launched the third instalment of its Innovation Lab
Starting a business can be a lot of hard work, so here's a few ways to avoid burnout and find a healthy work life balance.
The child health app on a mission to become the first nationwide digital redbook, just got a step closer to making their mission a reality...
The Cambridge-based startup that has created an empowering tool to drive the next wave of biological innovation
At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
The lowdown on how an Australian startup generated global sales for their innovative product, "weighted blankets"...
At 82% the UK takes 4th place in the list of countries being most ready for automation and robotics, whilst 30% of UK population’s jobs are at risk of automation.
The innovative game, eQuoo that helps users build their emotional fitness and thereby help fight their mental illness
Published on: 18th October 2017
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Ideation NI Thon at NI Science Festival sets out to solve global issues 17th Jan 2020 At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
- NI startup ESTHER takes flight to New York 16th Jan 2020 NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
- 2019 stats show that the gender pay gap continues 14th Jan 2020 Recent research by Starling bank shows that in 2019, women earned up to £12,319 less per year than their male colleagues of the same age and within the same industry
- Digital DNA Awards 2020 nominations now open 13th Jan 2020 The Digital DNA Awards, held in partnership with MCS Group, celebrate the best tech talent, from companies of all sizes, excelling in the world of Digital and Tech and not just in NI...
