These 6 Cambridge alumni just raised $67M

Last week I was looking into who were the emergent VC class in Cambridge, which led me down a rabbit-hole this week looking at which Cambridge-affiliated founders had raised in 2025 so far.

Cambridge alumni founders are charging out the gate.

Here are 6 startups founded by Cambridge alumni who have collectively raised over $67M in 2025 so far.

1. RoboK – $1.14M Grant from UKRI: Cambridge-based RoboK secured £1M ($1.14M) in UKRI funding to bring AI-powered logistics safety to ports and warehouses. Their PALLETS project—partnering with Freeport East, Port of Dover, and the University of Essex—aims to improve hazard detection and supply chain efficiency. Co-founder Hao Zheng, a University of Cambridge alum and former Arm and Deloitte consultant, launched RoboK in 2019 to integrate AI-powered computer vision into industrial workplaces. This latest grant pushes the company further into the AI adoption wave in logistics and supply chain safety.

2. Owlstone Medical – $27M Series E: Cambridge-based Owlstone Medical landed a £22M ($27M) Series E, led by Ventura Capital, with backing from Aviva Ventures, Horizons Ventures, and the Gates Foundation. The company’s Breath Biopsy® platform uses breath analysis for early disease detection, focusing on lung cancer, liver disease, and digestive disorders. Founded by Billy Boyle and David Ruiz Alonso, both University of Cambridge alumni, the company has pioneered breath-based diagnostics. Their goal? To revolutionize non-invasive disease detection and get their tech into mainstream healthcare.

3. Origen – $13M Series A: Cleantech startup Origen secured $13M Series A, led by Barclays Climate Ventures, to scale its limestone-based direct air capture (DAC) technology. With test sites in North Dakota and the Gulf Coast, Origen aims to make carbon removal cheaper and scalable by leveraging natural limestone chemistry. Serial founder Tim Kruger, a University of Cambridge alumnus, has deep roots in climate tech. Before Origen, he co-founded Carbon Gap and DryGo and led carbon removal research at Oxford. Now, he’s pushing DAC tech as a serious contender in the carbon capture race.

4. Zelt – $6M Series A: London-based Zelt raised $6M in a Series A led by Nauta Capital to expand its all-in-one HR, Finance, and IT platform. The startup already serves 150+ customers, helping mid-market companies slash workforce software costs by up to 50%. Cofounded by Polina Vorms (Exeter alum, ex-Talkwalker) and Chris Priebe (ex-Global Founders Capital, Cambridge alum), Zelt is riding the trend of HR-tech consolidation, bringing payroll, compliance, and IT into a single dashboard.

5. Olas – $13.8M Series A: Crypto meets AI in Olas, which secured a $13.8M Series A led by 1kx. The London-based startup is developing crypto-native AI agents, launching Pearl, an "agent app store," and a $1M accelerator to drive AI adoption in DeFi, prediction markets, and social influence. Co-founded by David Galindo and David Minarsch (both from Valory), Minarsch previously led multi-agent systems at Fetch.ai. With a Cambridge pedigree, the duo is betting big on the intersection of autonomous AI and blockchain ecosystems.

6. Modern Synthesis – $5.5M Seed: London-based Modern Synthesis raised $5.5M Seed, led by Extantia Capital, to commercialize nanocellulose-based textiles—a sustainable alternative to leather and plastic fabrics. As fashion brands face sustainability pressures and material shortages, the startup’s biofabricated textiles aim to offer a greener solution. Co-founded by Ben Reeve (Imperial and Cambridge alum) and Jen Keane (University of the Arts, London), the duo combines material science and fashion-tech expertise. Keane, formerly a materials designer at Adidas, and Reeve, the founding scientist at Puraffinity, are pushing next-gen materials into the mainstream.

The UK’s venture scene in 2025 is leaning hard into deeptech, AI, and sustainability, with funding flowing to AI-powered logistics, breath-based disease detection, carbon capture, and biofabricated textiles. Hard tech, automation, and climate solutions are winning big.

Who else should be on the list for Feb? And who did I miss?