Creator Fund 2022–3 Team
Creator Fund believes that in laboratories and classrooms across the UK, scientific founders are working on ideas that will propel the next generation of deep technology unicorns.
That is why we have teams across 25 universities ready to meet these founders first. Our student investment partner programme has trained over 90 people in the last 3 years, and these individuals are now founders, investors, and operators.
We spend the summer analysing professors and programmes across the country to identify where the most exciting entrepreneurship is happening. We then build a highly selective team. Our student investment partners are technical experts in the technologies we back, meaning that at Creator Fund we often believe before others understand.
Welcome to the 2022–3 Team:
Student Investment Partners:
Alex Belsley: PhD Quantum Physics, Bristol
Alex is a physicist working in the fields of quantum information and sensing. He is based in the Quantum Engineering and Technology Labs at the University of Bristol. Alex holds a MSc in Photonics and a BSc in Engineering Physics. He has also won multiple chess tournaments and published several award-winning online courses.
Konstantin Hemker: PhD Computer Science, Cambridge
Konstantin is a PhD student in the Computer Science department. His research focusses on explainable Machine Learning in Integrative Cancer Medicine. Prior to moving to Cambridge, he worked as a Senior Data Scientist at BCG, focussing on drug yield optimisation for pharmaceutical companies. He holds a Master’s degree from Imperial College London and an undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics.
Iain Mackie: PhD Computer Science, Glasgow
Iain’s PhD focuses on machine learning within information retrieval. He won the £500k Global Alexa Taskbot challenge to built a chatbot that could most accurately mimic human behaviour. He previously worked as a Quantative Trader at BNY Mellon. He also founded a successful e-commerce start-up that supports one of the UK’s fastest growing brands. He helped led Creator Fund investments in Touchlab, Marqo, Glyphic, and Chemify.
Kristina Kordova: PhD Computational Biology, Cambridge
Kristina is a PhD student at Cambridge whose research focuses on the use of machine learning in bacterial genomics. She is broadly interested in multiomic approaches to discovery and has previously carried out research in human and non-human species.
Henry Taysom, Doctor & Master’s Medical Robotics, Imperial
Henry is a medical doctor, with a background in acute medicine and surgery. Currently undertaking a MRes in Medical Robotics and Image Guided intervention, looking at improved sensor technologies. His main passion is improving quality of care to patients, with a focus on data capture and ownership in the space, alongside leveraging technology to remove inter-clinician disparity of training and skills.
Ekaterina Shatalina: PhD Neuroscience, Imperial
Kat is a neuroscientist who has worked on developing a digital diagnostics solution for improving mental health at the MedTech SuperConnector. She has also worked on digital innovation strategy at COMPASS pathways and as a clinical research scientist at Affect.AI. Her doctoral research is focused on applying novel ways of imaging the brain to understand schizophrenia and autism.
Edward Kosasih: PhD Machine Learning, Cambridge
Edward is a student at the Institute for Manufacturing and Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery. His research focuses on using machine learning to extract insights from networks. As an advisor/past president of CUTEC, committee member of CETC and University Enterprise Network, he has been heavily involved in the Cambridge entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Philip Winter: MBA & Founder, Cambridge
Philip is the Co-Founder of Nebia, a San Francisco based consumer hardware start-up focused on changing how people interact with water, through great experience, thoughtful design, and over 50% water savings. Their award-winning and patented shower system designs have raised over $9m on Kickstarter, with products in over 100,000 homes, and over 500 billion gallons of water saved. Nebia received its first investment from Tim Cook (Apple), and also received funding from Eric Schmidt (Google), Joe Gebbia (Airbnb), and Y-Combinator. Prior to founding Nebia in 2013, Philip lived in Mexico City where he worked for Endeavor, the global non-profit that helps high-impact entrepreneurs scale their ventures.
Rishi Anand: PhD Neuroscience, Oxford
Rishi is a neuroscientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Oxford. His research investigates novel mechanisms of dopamine release that can be utilised as targets for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. He has also worked on go-to-market strategy at DeepSpin and as a research scientist at Cerevance. He is excited by emerging research, particularly in the Life Sciences in Healthcare, and how these can be brought to market to improve the lives of patients.
Pavel Artemov: PhD Cancer Epigenomics, Imperial
Pavel studies mechanisms underpinning drug resistance in lymphoma. In a rare intersection, he combines computational and laboratory approaches in his research. Previously, Pavel conducted commercial due diligence and strategy analysis for private equity funds as a freelancer and as a consultant at Candesic. Pavel holds MSci in Systems Biology and BA in Biochemistry from University of Cambridge.
Fernando Acero: PhD Robotics, Edinburgh and UCL
Fernando has experience as founding engineer at a drone startup, focusing on control, perception, and autonomy. He has worked as research scientist at Amazon for analytics and insights, and at Dyson working on deep reinforcement learning for robotics. He holds a MEng in Aeronautics with Spacecraft Engineering from Imperial College London and is currently pursing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh researching machine learning for robot control.
JJ Ong: Pharmaceuticals, UCL
Jun Jie (JJ) is a PhD candidate at University College London (UCL), researching on the use of 3D printing for fabricating personalised medicines and medical devices. Previously, JJ interned as an investment analyst at Superangel, an early-stage venture capital based in Estonia, where he focused on the biotech sector. Beyond pharmaceutical 3D printing, he is interested in biosensors and wearables, digital health, and AI.
Teams Across the UK:
Our Associate and Analyst team across 25 universities:
Oxbridge:
Jan Ole Ernst: PhD Atomic & Laser Physics, Oxford
Jan is a physics PhD student at the University of Oxford working with single atoms and photons for quantum information processing. Beyond quantum physics he is particularly interested in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies and won the EthGlobal Hackathon in 2022.
Cherie Wong: PhD Engineering & Energy, Oxford
Cherie is a DPhil student in engineering at the University of Oxford. Her research interest lies in hydrogen production via ultrasonic cavitation. She is excited to translate scientific innovations, especially in energy and green technologies, into business opportunities that can create a sustainable world.
Amit Halkhoree: PhD Computational Biology, Oxford
Amit is a Computational Biology & Bioinformatics PhD student at the University of Oxford investigating the gut-liver axis, the microbiome, as well as healthy ageing. He also runs a TikTok account on academics which has 60k+ followers.
Jan Heck: PhD Atomic & Laser Physics, Cambridge
Jan is a PhD researcher in Physics and Chemistry at Cambridge University. He explores new biophysical analysis and sensing platforms at the intersection of photonic and microfluidic technologies. He is in his third year at Creator Fund, and he is an alumnus of the Studienstiftung and the Haniel Foundation, and speaks English, German and Japanese.
Adam Brzosko: PhD Quantum Communications, Cambridge
Adam is a Physics graduate from Imperial College London, and starting a PhD in Quantum Communications at Cambridge. As well as focusing on quantum information research, Adam is passionate about the space industry. He has also recently become an advocate for decentralisation of the web after completing a blockchain academy with Polkadot.
North of England:
Jack Fleet: PhD Biotechnology, Manchester:
Jack is a fourth year PhD student at the University of Manchester researching Biotechnology — the capacity for microalgae to act as biofuel producers. Jack has been with Creator Fund for two years, championing the North of England as a hub for entrepreneurial talent and innovation. He heads up the North team whilst also having roles as an investment analyst and business development lead.
Lorna Finch: Postdoc Brain Infections, Liverpool:
Lorna is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool within the Brain Infections Group. Graduating with a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Nottingham, she has over 10 year’s research activity in clinical and diagnostic evaluation trials and In Vitro Diagnostic development towards biomarkers of infectious diseases, rare human diseases and host-pathogen responses.
Connor Farrell: PhD Microbiology, Nottingham Trent:
Connor is a PhD student at Nottingham Trent University investigating the impact of air quality on both animal and human health. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, his core research interests span Immunology, Genetics and Bioinformatics. Connor also has extensive social enterprise experience, as both President of NTU’s largest social enterprise organisation and his experience as a founder tackling youth violence in Nottingham.
Arielle Torres: PhD Additive Manufacturing, Nottingham
Arielle is the co-founder of an early stage cleantech start up working to harvest energy from waste. Her passions lie in implementing positive change, striving daily to utilise her strengths to make impactful contributions toward a better future. Arielle holds an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from UoN.
Rob Elkington: PhD Medical Engineering, Leeds
Rob is a medical engineering PhD student researcher at the University of Leeds developing soft interfaces for a new generation of cartilage preserving knee replacements. His core research interests span materials science, additive manufacturing, surface engineering and medical devices. He also has extensive lab experience developing innovative enabling technologies including magnetized lubricants, along with an internship developing space-vehicle engine tribology at Mitsubishi in Japan.
Daniel Foster-Smith: PhD AI in Creativity, Newcastle:
Dan is a PhD studying AI and the creative ideation process at Newcastle, the remaining time he works with various start-ups, primarily in the Sustainability and MedTech sectors. Previously he co-founded a creative AI start-up through innovationRCA after studying an MA in Design Interaction from the Royal College of Art.
Gilead Teri: PhD Economics, Manchester
Gilead Teri is a PhD researcher on development finance in the global South at the University of Manchester. He previously worked as a Consultant at the World Bank.
Abdul Azam: Medical Doctor, Hull and York:
Abdul is studying Medicine at the Hull York Medical School. He has a deep understanding of medical innovation as an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur, and former founder, with experience in MedTech, Hardware and Impact Startups.
Scotland and Northern Ireland:
Mark Cunningham: PhD Photonics, Glasgow
Mark is a Physics PhD student in CDT PIADS (Photonic Integration and Advanced Data Storage), based in University of Glasgow. He researches the optical and photonic properties of matter (hyperbolic and magnetic media particularly). Mark was previously a Machine Learning Engineer at a Medical 3D Printing Startup.
Louis Marlow: PhD Synthetic Biology, Edinburgh
Louis is a synthetic biologist with five years of biotech industry experience engineering microbes to produce high value chemicals and proteins. He currently sits on the steering committee for the European Synthetic Biology Society (EUSynBioS) and works as a science and engineering Enterprise Ambassador at Edinburgh Innovations, the commercialisation arm of Edinburgh University.
Leon Gibson, Business, Queen’s University Belfast
Leon is an Undergraduate Business Student currently studying at Queen’s University Belfast. Going into his second year with Creator Fund as the lead in Northern Ireland, he’s plugged into the start-up scene both within his university and the wider ecosystem. Having founded his own start-up, pitched and won funding as well as taken part in a range of innovative programmes he has a passion for early-stage companies.
Adam Flanagan: Politics, Edinburgh
Adam is a University of Edinburgh Economics & Politics student, and the co-founder of Future Labs, a teen-led consultancy and events company which aims to encourage more young people to pursue their passions. He has been recognised for his entrepreneurial achievements at an event at 10 Downing Street.
Hajra Bibi: PhD Life Science, Dundee
Hajra is a 3rd year PhD student within Life Sciences at the University of Dundee. As part of her doctoral research she is studying T cells; a key component of our immune system. Hajra is specifically looking at protein degradation processes in T cells and how these aid T cells to perform their function.
Ollie Grimes, Economics, St Andrews
Financial Economics and Management student at St Andrews interested fintech and SAAS with experience at multiple early stage startups.
London:
Alexander Jenkins, PhD Artificial Intelligence, Imperial
Alex is a second year PhD in AI at Imperial College London where he is researching graph neural networks and deep generative models. He holds an MPhil in causal inference and MPhys in physics. He has held positions in AI startups, and positions in strategy and data science in financial industry and at University of Oxford. Alex is interested in AI-based business and strategy.
Ben Spencer Jones: MBA, London Business School
Ben is an MBA student at London Business School. He was previously a Captain with the Parachute Regiment, deploying to Afghanistan and Eastern Europe on several occasions. Through these experiences, he developed a passion for technology, particularly in the defence sector. After leaving the Army in January 2022, he spent 6 months working in the product strategy team for Skydio, a San Francisco-based start-up building autonomous drones for military, enterprise, and consumer use.
Alice Pettitt: PhD Biophysics, King’s
Alice is a second year PhD student on the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral programme. Her current research at UCL and Kings focuses on characterising intrinsically disordered viral proteins, which are promising potential therapeutic targets. She has also obtained an MSci degree in Biochemistry from UCL and has completed a professional internship at Chariot Innovations, the technology transfer office for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Elizabeth Zubanova, Mathematics, UCL
Elizabeth is in the 4th year of an Integrated Master’s in mathematics at UCL. She has spent summers looking at the tech sector from across the investment life cycle (M&A, growth/public equity). She has a particular interest in solving control problems in electricity grids and the wider implications of changing generation and consumption of electricity.
Eve Townsend, Master’s in Innovation, RCA
Eve is pursuing a dual masters degree in Innovation Design Engineering (MSc/MA) at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Most recently, she has worked on designing and automating calibration routines for scalable quantum computing at Riverlane.
Igor Sadalski, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial
Igor currently pursues BEng in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial. His main interests and expertise revolve around robotics. At Imperial he assembled a large team of engineers that work on developing fully autonomous racing car, he was also a VP of Data Science Society, one of the biggest societies at his university. Recently, he secured a fully funded placement at Caltech, Pasadena, where he worked on robotics research.
Dev Patel: Economics, LSE:
2nd year BSc Economics student. Dev previously worked at Innovis VC (a European fund) and worked to source pre-seed start-ups and led due diligence projects for a multi-billion VC fund in the metaverse.
Nikita Semenov: Economics, UCL
Nikita is an Economics undergraduate at UCL and the CEO at Blackelm Equity London. During the Summer of 2022, he completed a Sustainable Investing Internship at Impax Asset Management.
South of England:
Miruna Chipara: PhD Bionengineering, Birmingham
Miruna is starting her third year at Creator Fund, continuing to find exceptional founders in the Midlands & South of the UK. She is currently completing a PhD in Formulation Engineering at the University of Birmingham and Harvard University as a Fulbright Research Scholar. Miruna has a broad background, also holding a MRes in Chemical Engineering and BSc in Biosciences with Business Management, as well as working in Stem Cell Research, Tissue Engineering, and 3D Bioprinting.
Anoushka Patel: Engineer, Bristol
Anoushka is a 4th year Undergraduate Engineer at Dyson. She works in the New Concepts Product Innovation team on live global projects, whilst concurrently studying for an Engineering degree from Warwick University. She recently completed a Dyson work placement in Singapore, landscaping VC and corporate venture ecosystem in South East Asia.
Sabir Chowdhury: Computer Systems, Bath
Sabir is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Bath studying BSc in Computer Systems Engineering. He has just finished my industrial placement year as a software developer at Wonders of Maths — an EdTech start-up focused on using AI to personalise education for all students.
Velizar Zlatev: Mechanical Engineering, Bristol:
Velizar is a second-year studying BEng Mechanical engineering. He is currently the Vice-President of the Mechanical engineering society.
Callum Hill: Law Bristol:
Callum is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Bristol studying Law. He has experience working in cleantech and MedTech startups and, most recently, developed sustainable agriculture policy with Defra.
If you are a founder building a deep tech on the edge of what’s possible, get in touch!
