Dev Amratia

At Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), we help transform Oxford’s world-leading science into companies with the ambition and potential to solve the world’s biggest challenges. But true global impact and scale requires access to the world's most important markets. We see it as part of OSE's role to help open up those markets for our companies early on. How? We’re building strategic international partnerships that open doors and accelerate new market entry for Oxford’s breakthrough innovations. Our ambition is to create a global network of "launchpads" to help connect Oxford’s high-growth companies with the local innovation networks, customers, partners and capital that they need to expand commercially beyond the UK.   This year, we took two important steps in that journey: in the United States and Japan. 🌏 ➡️ Earlier this year, we joined forces with leading US healthcare provider Cedars-Sinai to bring leading-edge UK health tech innovation to the all-important US market. Together, we aim to co-build and co-invest in new ventures emerging from Oxford with the potential to transform patient care, accelerating their entry and growth in the US. Our first joint investment was in Neu Health – a University of Oxford spinout developing a smartphone-based neurology care platform for Parkinson’s and dementia patients. With Cedars-Sinai’s clinical expertise and US commercial insights, Neu Health is now piloting its technology in Los Angeles, accelerating its journey to impact patients on both sides of the Atlantic.   ➡️ This month, as part of our international acceleration strategy, we’re delighted to also be partnering with Scrum Ventures and Tokyu Land Corporation to join the Sakura Deeptech Shibuya Accelerator in Tokyo. This collaboration gives our deep tech start-ups direct access to Japan’s thriving innovation and investor networks, plus workspace, mentorship, and connections to leading Japanese partners. For our portfolio, it’s a fast-track route into one of the most advanced technology markets in the world. Our ambition with these partnerships is to create a two-way street of opportunity: alongside opening pathways for our companies to commercialise globally, we also want to draw international partners and investors from those markets back into Oxford’s rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem – sparking new international collaborations and driving growth. Learn more about our Japan partnership here: https://lnkd.in/eK_9vu3U   #OxfordInnovation #GlobalLaunchpads #DeepTech #HealthTech #GlobalPartnerships #ScalingScience #BillionDollarScience

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Our data shows a clear pattern: Founders outside of financial hubs give away more of their company, right from the start. A founder in Wales raising £500k might be diluted 22%+ But a founder in London raising the same amount would be closer to 13% And that single round can set your company on a certain trajectory: Less equity for the founder, less upside for early employees, and even less room for future investors. The downstream effects are massive and long-lasting. It isn’t to do with the quality of talent or ideas. It comes down to the limited number of fundraising options available in those areas. Being further from financial hubs means there are fewer angels, VCs, and corporates at your disposal. And it’s why regional founders often face tougher fundraising journeys, even when they’re building equally strong businesses. In 2025, geography shouldn’t be a factor when it comes to dilution (especially in a country as small as the UK) but the numbers tell a different story. My advice for founders outside of financial hubs is this: Don’t spray-and-pray. Do your research, identify and target the most relevant investors in your space (regardless of their location, especially if you can demonstrate traction in the geographies where their fund is based), and avoid over-reliance on a handful of local players. Otherwise, you risk giving away too much, too soon. At shipshape.vc, we’re committed to levelling that playing field - helping founders anywhere, not just in London or New York, raise smarter and protect more of the companies they’re working so hard to build. #Fundraising #Startups #VentureCapital #Entrepreneurship #RegionalFounders #Equity #ShipshapeVC

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Some entrepreneurs just get it done. In Aberdeen’s energy scene, Steven Gray Stuart McLeod and the team at Ventex Studio Robert Aitken, Eddie Moore, Chloe Watson, Luis Toral are ones to watch. In the past six months they have: ✅ Establish a climate tech venture studio turning existing energy businesses into net zero leaders. ✅ Made their first investments into high performance robotics and rahd.AI – repurposing oil and gas expertise for renewables and decommissioning. ✅ Built a venture model anchoring low carbon innovation and local jobs using homegrown talent. They move fast. They get stuff done. Their brand is already known and respected, and their presence on Union Street fits right into Aberdeen’s regeneration vision championed by leaders like Geoff Aberdein, Fergus Mutch Ryan Crighton Allister Thomas at True North Advisors, Bob Keiller Our Union Street and Russell Borthwick Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce. This is a team to keep a close eye on. Big things ahead. #Energy #NetZero #Innovation #Aberdeen #Entrepreneurship #ClimateTech #CleanEnergy #VentureCapital #Decommissioning #Renewables #EnergyTransition #Startups

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The UK has created 163 unicorn companies to date. Each one had a strategy that matched their vision. If you're aiming to build a billion-pound business, your strategy must reflect that level of thinking. Far too often, founders stop at the surface-level decisions. They don’t align the mission, vision, and actions that drive long-term growth. That's why this infographic is really helpful. It breaks down strategy into three simple but powerful layers: ✅ Purpose ↳ Why do we exist? What matters to us? This is where your mission, values, and vision come to life and keep your team aligned. ✅ Strategy ↳ How will we get there? This is the bridge between aspiration and execution, covering plans, focus areas, and enabling tools. ✅ Execution ↳ What will we do next, and how will we track it? This is where actions, targets, and KPIs create real results. I’ve seen too many businesses stall because they ignore this process. But every billion-pound business I've backed or built has done the opposite. They've had a crystal-clear mission, a strong strategy, and consistent execution. And more importantly, they believed it was possible to build something big. That belief needs to show up in every step of the funnel.  If you’re building a business with serious potential, My book How to Make a Billion in 9 Steps will help refine your strategy. You can order the book here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eRYDKXdT What’s one part of your strategy that you’re currently refining? I’d like to hear how you’re approaching growth. ⬇️ ♻️ Repost if you believe Britain needs more billion-pound businesses. And for more on scaling with purpose, Follow me Richard Harpin.

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We’ve raised €1.5Bn across our studio ventures 🎉 I realised: Funding is a function of future clarity. When we work with founders, we ask them to go 5-10 years into the future. Get concrete. Not just a vision, but a plan you can walk through, step by step. - What’s your CPA? And over time? - What channels are driving your growth? - What needs to be true in the market for this to work? - What does the team look like now, in 6 months, 2 years etc? - What will you do if something big changes? (New tech, new rules, new rivals?) The more detail, the easier it is for investors to see what you see. When you pitch with this level of clarity, you don’t sound like someone asking for money. You sound like the CEO of a unicorn, inviting people to join your story before the world catches up. You start to embody that future leader. Investors feel it. They respond to it. Founders, if you’re pitching, ask yourself: Can you describe your business in 2030 in extreme detail?

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🇬🇧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 The UK government is exploring scrapping visa fees for top-tier scientists, academics, and digital experts to boost economic growth and enhance Britain’s competitiveness. This move comes as the US heads in the opposite direction, with Donald Trump proposing a $100,000 H-1B visa fee—a stark contrast in global talent strategy. The initiative, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞, underscores the UK’s ambition to attract the “brightest and best.” If executed, this could make the UK an even more attractive destination for innovators shaping the future of science, technology, and research. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/g-W2qa7F Image Credit: FT #GlobalTalent #Innovation #UKTech #FutureOfWork #EconomicGrowth

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Mergers and Acquisitions. Usually this comes as a relief to Founders, or even a saving grace in harder situations. Having caught up with an amazing Founder over the weekend who shared a minor horror story around an acquisition offer, I'm sharing some of the common pitfalls and how to (hopefully) avoid them. 1. Done Deal Fallacy: The deal ISN'T done until you have money in the bank. Even papers being signed CAN be walked back on. Always operate on the principal that you're an independent company. 2. Business As Usual : With leadership being tied up with due diligence and negotiations, companies usually lose a little steam during M&A talks. This is a DANGER. If the transaction doesn't go through, it leaves you in a weaker position to grow/fundraise etc. Ensure business as usual at minimum, ideally with light growth plans. 3. Information Compartmentalization : For those who read me regularly, I'm usually a BIG proponent of open information. Telling your team most things, open financials etc. When it comes to M&A, information should ONLY be need to know. Have a small close team (CEO, CFO, maybe 1-2 more) supported by excellent outside advisors. 4. Timeline : Common tricks I've seen across M&A. Drag the transaction out till the company has low/no runway, then lowball. Drag the transaction out while revenue and cash positions continue to increase (over a year), then execute. There are a whole bunch more around timing, but things to remember. Define clear timelines for diligence, transaction docs etc. If there's an unreasonable amount of time being taken, call it out. Set the upper boundary on your timeline comfort and walk away if it isn't happening. When the acquirer is VERY keen, I've seen cases where they deposit part of the transaction amount in escrow. If they walk away or the timeline lapses, you keep the money. 5. Rumour Mill : As tempting as it is, rumour mills have killed a LOT of M&A. The info should be under lock and key 6. Information Guardrails : Sharing all your data with a really close competitor? Again, use escrow above, get a TOP tier legal team, hell you can keep certain information like suppliers/vendors/customer data as conditional upon execution of documents and partial payment. Same thing with your codebase for tech-heavy companies. Founders who've been through this, chip in with more! #venturecapital #startups #mergers #acquisitions

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