About the Week
Cambridge Wide Open Week is a life-sciences and deep-tech festival that, in its 2026 season (11–19 June), expanded across the UK's innovation "Golden Triangle" - Cambridge, Oxford and London - for the first time. Over nine days it brought together venture funds, accelerators, policymakers and industry leaders at investor breakfasts, venture showcases, networking events and evening receptions.
Its Venture Tours programme offered access to investment-ready ventures developing new technologies across healthcare, therapeutics, AI and drug discovery - aimed at angel investors, venture capital firms, corporate investors, family offices and financial institutions.
Keynote voices in 2026
The 2026 programme featured speakers from across innovation, government, investment and media, including:
- George Freeman, former Minister for Science
- Gillian Tett OBE, FT columnist
- Lord Richard Harrington, former Business and Industry Minister
- Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge
- Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough
- Dr Jason Mellad, scientist entrepreneur
Why we highlight it
For members across our Venture & Investment and Science & Achievements interest areas, Wide Open Week is one of the densest investor-meets-founder moments in the calendar , and the kind of connection the Cambridge Society exists to encourage.