Fundraising Fox

Start Codon

Venture studio

Cambridge · Pre-Seed–Seed · 24 people tracked

Fox Verdict
Sign up to see your fit

Investment thesis

Start Codon operates as a venture builder focused on early-stage, disruptive innovations in life sciences and healthcare, primarily backing companies with an affiliation to Cambridge, which it regards as Europe's leading hub for innovation. The firm supports exceptional founding teams from across the UK, providing capital and hands-on company-building assistance. Its portfolio spans biotech, medtech, therapeutics, diagnostics and femtech, reflecting a science-first approach to commercializing research and translating discoveries into clinically and commercially viable ventures.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed–Seed
HQ
Cambridge, GB
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2022
Tracked investments
16

Team · 24 people

from the firm's website & curated

Founder mafia

5 people who came through Start Codon went on to found or lead other companies.

What they invest in

from 7 of 16 portfolio companies

Biotech ×5Healthtech ×3Medical Devices ×3Deep Tech ×2Digital Health ×2Hardware ×2AI & Machine Learning ×1FemTech ×1

HQs:United Kingdom×2

Investments · 16 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path
Adora

Provides access to health experts and a digital companion to guide women through their menopause journey.

ArkVax

Developing safe, proven vaccine families for animals to revolutionise animal vaccinology.

Awen Oncologyawenoncology.com

Awen Oncology is a drug discovery company developing first-in-class oncology therapeutics that target cancer-specific proteins found only in tumor cells, aiming for treatments with improved efficacy and fewer side effects.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtech

Drishti Discoveries

Combining RNAi therapeutics and gene therapy using patented artificial microRNA technology for sustained gene knockdown.

Emmemm.coin

Emm develops a medical-grade silicone menstrual cup embedded with ultra-thin sensors that tracks cycle metrics such as flow, duration, and frequency to give users personalised insights into their menstrual health.

Digital HealthFemTechHardware

Jenny Button(Founder)

Co-investorsBlue Lion GlobalLunar VenturesSie VenturesWormhole CapitalAlumni Ventures

ErebaGen

Biotechnology company harnessing natural biocatalysts for greener, cost-effective, large-scale manufacturing.

HotHouse Therapeutics

Biotech using a plant expression platform and AI/ML to deliver natural and new-to-nature chemistry to cure disease.

Indegra Therapeutics

Integrin inhibitor drug discovery platform targeting CKD, cancer, NASH, fibrosis, osteoporosis and eye diseases.

Phorest

Optical sensors providing real-time, in-line detection of microbial contamination in production systems.

RevoNA

High-throughput RNA biological platform feeding a machine learning predictive engine.

Spireaspirea.co.ukin

Spirea develops a multivalent ADC linker technology called ELIVATE that expands the range of usable payloads for antibody-drug conjugates, aiming to enable next-generation ADCs for oncology, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases.

BiotechDeep TechHealthtech

Myriam Ouberai(Founder)Bo Rode Hansen(Executive Director)

Co-investorsCambridge Angels group

StemBond Technologiesstembond.techin

StemBond makes SENCE, a range of cell culture well plates (6 to 96 wells), coverslips and inserts pre-coated with a proprietary animal-free hydrogel tuned to tissue-relevant stiffnesses.

BiotechDeep TechNew Materials

Tagomicstagomics.com

Tagomics is focused on organ health, though the available page content does not provide enough detail about its products, technology, or business model.

BiotechMedical Devices

Co-investorsIllumina VenturesCalculusCalculus Capital Ltd.IQ CapitalMEIF Proof-of-Concept & Early Stage FundMercia Ventures+1 more

TRIMTECH Therapeutics

Platform company targeting selective clearance of intracellular protein aggregates in neurodegenerative disease.

Co-investorsCambridge Innovation CapitalM VenturesPfizer Venture Investments

VentriPace Medicalventripace.com

VentriPace Medical develops cardiac rhythm management technology using sensing and remote monitoring to support short-term management of transient conduction disturbances following procedures such as TAVI and cardiac surgery.

Digital HealthHardwareMedical DevicesAbingdon, GB

Will Simpson(Managing Director & Founder)

BoardBob Stern(Chairman)

Verinnogenverinnogen.comin𝕏

Verinnogen develops data collection technology for pre-clinical cancer research, aiming to improve the accuracy, repeatability, and reliability of research data.

BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices

Dr Isaac Johnson(Co-founder & CEO)Dr Mike Irvine(Co-founder & CTO)

Co-investorsCambridge Angels group

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Start Codon made?
Start Codon has 15 tracked investments.
What stage does Start Codon invest at?
Start Codon invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What sectors does Start Codon focus on?
Start Codon focuses on AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Deep Tech, Digital Health, FemTech, Healthtech, Longevity, Medical Devices.
Where is Start Codon located?
Start Codon is headquartered in Cambridge, GB.
Who does Start Codon co-invest with?
Start Codon most often shares deals with Cambridge Angels group, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Lunar Ventures, among 8 tracked co-investors.

Images

Start Codon photo

Similar investors

Future Positive Capital

Future Positive Capital is a European deep-tech fund that ties its entire thesis to the Future Cones foresight framework, explicitly focusing on preferable futures and positioning itself as a futures-thinking, systems-change VC rather than a generic climate or impact fund. The firm hard-wires impact into its economics by contractually indexing more than 100% of partners' carried interest to portfolio companies achieving both financial and measurable impact outcomes, while specializing in capital-intensive, highly technical step-change solutions for planetary-scale problems like robotics for wind farm operations, large-scale carbon removal, and ecosystem restoration.

Overwater Ventures Llc

Overwater Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that partners with pre-seed and seed stage founders working on large-scale problems, offering hands-on support across launch strategy, go-to-market, fundraising, and marketing.

$400K – $2M
Everywhere Ventures

Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm, backed by a community of founders and operators as LPs, that writes early checks (including pre-seed) into startups across many sectors and geographies.

$250K
Ontario Centre of Innovation

Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) is a government-supported organization that funds and supports innovation, academic-industry collaboration, and commercialization of technologies among Ontario companies.

$500K
Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies focused on technology, mobile, and clean energy sectors, including biotechnology applications. The firm provides capital and strategic support to entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies across multiple markets.

$5K – $50M

Featured in lists