Why Deep Tech? And why now?
To ensure the prosperity of our society and our planet, we must make significant advancements in health and sustainability. Deep Tech startups are our most powerful economic engines to drive these innovations.
By Harry Destecroix MBE, Founder at Science Creates
To ensure the prosperity of our society and our planet, we must make significant advancements in health and sustainability. Deep Tech startups are our most powerful economic engines to drive these innovations; they have the power to transform pioneering scientific and engineering breakthroughs into groundbreaking products that will impact billions, worldwide.
Founded back in 2015 by Deep Tech entrepreneurs seeking essential resources for growth, I’m proud to say Science Creates’ evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. But our mission hasn’t changed. We are committed to building a nationwide Deep Tech ecosystem that will translate more of the UK’s world-leading research from the lab into real-world impact.
Over the last decade, we have built two Deep Tech incubators, launched national accelerator programmes, created an award winning VC fund and established our charitable arm. We have supported hundreds of Deep Tech startups, engaged thousands of schoolchildren and invested millions into founders. As we approach our tenth anniversary and look forward to opening our third incubator, the evolution doesn’t end there.
Continuing on our mission to empower world-class Deep Tech startups, we’ve leveraged our combined experiences to redefine our activities into four key pillars: Incubators (infrastructure), VC (venture capital), Platform (community, programmes and partnerships) and Outreach (STEM outreach and public engagement). Historically, there’s been no shortage of investment in traditional tech companies, but Deep Tech doesn’t fit the conventional mould. By scaling our four pillars, we will establish a national, founder-led ecosystem that generates, nurtures and supports thousands of Deep Tech spinouts, which is where we believe the real opportunity lies. We will foster a culture of entrepreneurship within UK academia, unlocking the full potential of science and innovation. Leveraging advanced technology, these startups will accelerate the Fourth Industrial Revolution, transforming the UK economy, accelerating global sustainability and enhancing the health of millions globally.
‘But why Deep Tech, and why now?’ you might ask. For those not deeply immersed in the history of technological innovation, it’s easy to overlook how dramatically the world can change within a lifetime. Two centuries ago, the average human lifespan was about three decades. Today, many in the western world aspire to live for a century. Technology not only extends our time on this planet but also amplifies our potential achievements within a given lifetime.
And the pace of change is only accelerating. Three decades ago, Nvidia had just been founded. Two decades ago, there were no iPhones, and sequencing the first genome cost $3 billion. In the last decade, we’ve seen the rise of AI transformers and gene-editing technologies like CRISPR, bringing groundbreaking advancements. Today, sequencing a genome costs near $100, surpassing Moore’s Law.
At Science Creates, we are dedicated to bridging this gap
Since the 2000s, the cost of launching tech startups has drastically decreased due to cloud computing and open source platforms like GitHub. Standardised hardware, a trend now emerging in Deep Tech startups, is further bringing down the cost of developing and achieving proof of concept. Advanced technologies are becoming more accessible, fundamentally transforming scientific innovation and enabling startups to develop new product categories that were previously unimaginable.
These startups, driven by technical founders from leading research institutions, will be the ones unlocking unprecedented markets in healthcare and sustainability; it’s undeniable that these advancements are what’s needed for the prosperity of our society and our planet. But while the UK’s Deep Tech potential is immense, it largely remains just that — potential. Despite being powered by top-tier STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) graduates and world-renowned research institutions producing high-quality publications, it’s a resource that has been historically underutilised. The UK’s research commercialisation rate, relative to the size of its economy, lags behind the US. At Science Creates, we are dedicated to bridging this gap. With the four pillars of our ecosystem, along with all the brilliant, contrarian and impact-driven minds amongst us, we look to support and foster the progress of scientists and engineers — the rock stars of our time.
In doing so, they will accelerate global sustainability and improve the health of millions. In this edition of Gravitate, you will find in-depth articles on the future of health, energy and food — three sectors in need of radical transformation that some of our member companies are at the forefront of. You will also read opinion pieces from thought leaders within our organisation, each offering unique insights into the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
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