Turning ideas into innovations

The Venture Builder Incubator (VBI), run by the University of Edinburgh in partnership with us, is an entrepreneurial programme that helps researchers across the UK build the skills required to commercialise data-driven innovations.

Through a hybrid programme of online workshops and in-person events, participants learn from world-class entrepreneurs and industry-leading specialists. 

Read more from some of the participants we're sponsoring in Cohort 5.0 to learn about their ideas and what they gained from the programme. 

Applications for the VBI Cohort 6.0 are now open. Apply here for equity-free participation and access to a share of £100,000 in funding.

Cancer patients may benefit from prehabilitation before an operation: getting as strong as possible through diet and exercise to give them the best fighting chance. 

But many patients don't feel empowered to make lifestyle changes, either because of habit inertia or because they haven't received encouragement or permission from their doctor, and they are worried about tinkering with their treatment plan. 

I want to help patients make healthier lifestyle choices and improve their mental and physical health by accessing community exercise groups in their area through, for example, a web app. 

When I decided to apply to the VBI, my idea was literally just an idea. I had not validated it much or talked to many customers in a systematic way, apart from anecdotal snowball sampling. I am still finding it hard to find a viable business model, but I've still taken so much from the programme.

The most valuable thing I've gained is the huge passive knowledge from the fireside chats with successful founders regarding what works and what doesn't. Things like: to be personally involved in all hires (conventional wisdom would say to delegate as much as possible and not to obsess over control), or to continually collect feedback on your idea (as opposed to just believing in your idea and not letting anyone drag you down).

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the earliest stage of breast cancer, and while it is considered benign, there is a risk that it may progress to life-threatening invasive breast cancer if left untreated. For this reason, DCIS patients are offered surgery and other treatments to prevent disease progression.

However, studies estimate that only one in three DCIS patients would in fact go on to develop invasive breast cancer if left untreated. This means that a high proportion of patients may be overtreated and exposed to unnecessary side effects that significantly impair quality of life. 

To address this unmet clinical need of identifying DCIS patients at risk of developing invasive breast cancer, we are developing an immune-associated biomarker panel designed to accurately predict DCIS cases that are likely to progress. Once validated, this biomarker panel could be integrated into pathological assessment to stratify DCIS patients into high- and low-risk groups. This would enable more tailored treatment options ensuring high-risk patients continue to receive standard therapies, while low-risk patients could be considered for more conservative approaches such as active surveillance.

At the time of applying to the VBI, our lab had recently identified a novel immune gene signature associated with DCIS progression, which we hypothesised could serve as a predictive biomarker. 

I applied to the VBI while in the early stage of biomarker development so I could obtain a deeper understanding of the translation and commercialisation pathway for medical innovations. Having this foresight is crucial to addressing potential pitfalls, and thus increasing the likelihood of successful development and clinical impact.

As an academic researcher, navigating the pathway from discovery to clinical application often comes with limited exposure to the commercialisation process. Participating in the VBI offered a unique opportunity to bridge that gap by strengthening my entrepreneurial knowledge and skillset.

Through the programme, I gained an understanding of market dynamics and the legal foundations of a start-up, including intellectual property protection. The networking opportunities were particularly valuable to establish connections with potential industrial partners, alongside developing essential skills in pitching ideas effectively to funders and investors, helping our research stand out from the crowd in a highly competitive landscape.

LotusDx is developing an at-home platform that supports users from testing through to treatment, combining clear guidance with integrated care. 

The technology began as part of a PhD project aimed at diagnosing prostate cancer from the convenience of patients’ homes. Our initial goal was to enable early detection and help cancer patients manage their treatment journeys remotely.  

Through the VBI, we saw that sexual health was a space where our approach could have a more immediate impact and where our expertise and technology could be especially effective. We therefore shifted our first focus to be on STI testing. We then plan to build on this foundation and apply the technology to cancer diagnostics in the future. 

The system combines a smart swab with a secure service that delivers results and connects users to follow-up support when needed. It addresses the lack of accessible, private sexual health options for people who face stigma, time pressure, or limited clinic access. 

By guiding users through every stage of the process, from testing to diagnosis to treatment, LotusDx aims to reduce undiagnosed infections and make sexual healthcare more proactive and inclusive.

When we applied to the VBI, we had already developed the core technology behind our test but had not yet identified the right application for it. We knew the platform had strong potential in diagnostics, but we were still exploring which clinical need it could best address. The VBI gave us the tools and structure to move from a technology-first mindset to a problem-first approach. Through interviews, validation and feedback, we were able to test different use cases and market needs. This process led us to shift our initial focus to STI testing where the technology would fit an urgent need and be an impactful direction for our work. Once we have proven the technology within this setting, we will progress development within the oncology setting.

The most valuable thing we’ve done during the VBI is shift from thinking about what our technology can do to focusing on the real-world problem we are solving. We’ve learned how to move beyond a research mindset and start building an actual business. That means understanding our users, validating the market, and shaping a product that fits into people’s lives, not just one that works in the lab. VBI helped us see that it is not just about having good science but about delivering value in a way that people can actually access and use.

Healthcare data often varies in structure and terminology across organisations, creating significant interoperability challenges. This hinders timely access, linkage, and quality of data on local, national, and global scales. 

Standardising healthcare data to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM) offers a potential solution. Over the past decade, 544 data sources from 54 countries, covering 974 million unique patient records (12% of the global population), have been mapped to this open-source model. 

Through creating data automation tools, the process of mapping patient data standard models will enable timely access to reliable data for better research, discovery, diagnosis, and treatment, especially in oncology and non-communicable diseases.

When I joined the VBI , I had already refined a subset of publicly available oncology data for pancreatic cancer and started building the data automation tool for medical imaging.

Building solutions in healthcare can often feel like a lengthy and challenging process. Having a strong support system with the right expertise and proven approaches is a vital source for an early-stage founder. Being part of the VBI programme gave me dedicated time and the opportunity to work on developing a prototype for the data automation tool. The continuous support from the programme managers, as well as the ecosystem provided by the University of Edinburgh and Cancer Research Horizons throughout the six-month programme, has taught me what it takes to turn an idea into a success.

We're working on a wellbeing and self-management app designed specifically for men with prostate cancer. The core problem we aim to address is the lack of personalised, accessible support for emotional wellbeing, symptom tracking, and lifestyle advice throughout the prostate cancer journey – particularly outside of clinical appointments.

Many patients experience uncertainty, isolation, or delayed help-seeking around fatigue, mood, sexual health, and urinary symptoms. Our solution will offer a trusted, evidence-informed digital companion that supports patients in managing their wellbeing and enables earlier identification of issues that might require clinical input. 

When I applied to the VBI, the idea was at an early concept stage. As a consultant oncologist, I had identified the unmet need through my clinical practice and early conversations with patients, peers and allied healthcare professionals, but the idea was still broad – focused on general wellbeing for all cancer patients. I hadn’t yet refined the user group, validated the core features, or tested assumptions around adoption and value.

The most valuable part of the VBI has been the process of narrowing and validating the idea through user interviews and structured experimentation. In addition, the support network around me, and the discussions with mentors and other participants added enormous value to this journey, not only in terms of practical advice on many matters, but also for moral support.