This year's Spinout Showcase reflects King's commitment to supporting researchers to explore the commercial potential of their work. Research can create impact beyond the lab, growing into ventures that improve lives, contribute to economic growth and attract investment. It is important to celebrate the colleagues driving innovation forward, as their achievements help pave the way for the next cohort. Congratulations and best wishes to all five spinouts.
Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi (Vice President of Research & Innovation)
15 July 2026
King's celebrates second cohort of spinouts at the Spinout Accelerator Showcase
The Spinout Showcase, held at Bush House, marked the conclusion of King's Spinout Accelerator Cohort II, featuring five research-led ventures originating from four different faculties.
About the King's Spinout Showcase
The event, opened by Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi, Vice President (Research & Innovation), showcased how academics and researchers from across King's are translating research into real-world impact in health, security and clean energy.
Five spinouts presented their innovations, followed by questions from a guest panel featuring:
- Malcolm Ace - King's Vice President (Finance) and Chief Financial Officer
- Dr Kristin Polman - London-based digital health strategist working with start-ups, investors, government and academia since 2008
- Tom Weatherall - Associate, Early Stage Fund, Amadeus Capital Partners, sourcing and supporting innovators in applied AI and robotics
It was really exciting to pitch in front of real audience and investors. The questions from the panel were very insightful and challenged us to think more about our ventures. It was also inspiring to see how well my cohort and colleagues did. Seeing everyone's progress together made the whole experience even more rewarding.
Professor Sandrine Thuret, NeuroPrognostix
The five ventures of King's Spinout Accelerator:
The five spinouts showcasing their innovations were:
- NeuroPrognostix (Professor Sandrine Thuret and Dr Edina Silajdžić, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience) - creates a neurogenesis-based blood test predicting Alzheimer's disease risk and progression with high accuracy before clinical diagnosis. The venture has secured over £900,000 in grant funding and is now seeking additional grant and pre-seed investment to scale and validate its technology ahead of pharmaceutical partnerships and a Series A round.
- Alucia (Professor Christopher Hobbs, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy) – is a tech solution uncovering hidden risks in global supply chains, from sanctions evasion to forced labour buried deep in supplier network. Using AI, it builds a digital twin of organisation’s supply chain with an explainable, supervised dashboard. The venture already piloted with major nuclear industry companies to strengthen due diligence.
- Precise Therapeutics (Dr Cynthia Yu-Wai-Man PhD, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine) – the first anti-scarring drug to prevent blindness caused by common eye diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Having identified a key molecule driving scarring in the eye, the venture is developing a prefilled syringe injection; the company is now raising funding to take the drug into clinical trials.
- MetaSenZ (Dr Anastasiia Zaleska, Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences) - developing ultrasensitive gas sensors for hydrogen safety, addressing a critical need as hydrogen becomes central to the green energy transition. The venture has already showcased its plasmonic sensing technology at national materials and innovation events.
- ChemKAS (Professor Steve Archibald, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine) - is developing new cancer treatments to treat patients unresponsive to current options and improve therapy response. Their research is based on radiotheranostics, a new wave of precision, personalised cancer therapy.
All five ventures have worked with King's Entrepreneurship Institute (KEI) over the past 12 months to strengthen their commercial propositions, marking an important milestone in their growth. A number of ventures will continue working with KEI to strengthen their investment case and move toward raising investment.
The King's Spinout Accelerator supports researchers and founders to turn their ideas into ventures that make a difference. Tonight's spinouts are a brilliant example of that, tackling everything from clean energy and security, to breakthroughs in neurological disorders and cancer treatment. I've been struck by how far they've grown over the past twelve months, and wish them every success as they take their next steps.
Julie Devonshire OBE (Director of Entrepreneurship Institute)
What’s next: King’s Spinout Accelerator Cohort III
King's has now announced the ventures joining Cohort III of the King's Spinout Accelerator. This year's ventures are advancing innovations in health, tech and security that will positively impact areas ranging from skin cancer prevention to virtual clinical placements.
Cohort II's ventures remain closely involved in the wider Entrepreneurship Institute ecosystem, offering support and insight to the founders of Cohort III as they embark on their own journey.
What is the King’s Spinout Accelerator?
The King's Spinout Accelerator is a 12-month programme run by the Entrepreneurship Institute, transforming early-stage prospective spinouts into robust commercial propositions.
Participants access:
- interactive masterclasses led by experts
- skill development sessions to explore commercial pathways for impact
- evidence-based validation
- partnership opportunities, alongside coaching
- a peer network
- desk space at the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute
- the King's Investor Network.
The Accelerator is run in partnership with King's Innovation Catalyst, drawing together expertise from Translational Research Support, IP & Licensing and Industry Partnerships to facilitate the creation of knowledge exchange, ventures and intellectual property.
Photo credit: David Tett
In this story
Senior Vice President (Research & Special Initiatives)
Vice President (Finance) & Chief Financial Officer
Professor of Neuroscience
Lecturer in Psychosis Studies & Lab Coordinator
Professor of Science and International Security
Clinical Reader and MRC Clinician Scientist
Research Associate
Head of Research Dept of Imaging Chemistry & Biology