SETsquared names 21 deep tech ventures to pitch at Investment Futures 2026
SETsquared has unveiled 21 deep tech start-ups and spinouts selected to pitch to investors at Investment Futures 2026, as the university business incubator looks to connect high-potential businesses with investment of up to £5 million.
The event will take place on 24 November at CodeNode in central London, showcasing companies from the South and South West of England developing technologies across advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence, life sciences, and digital technologies.
The sectors align with the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, which identifies them as key areas of growth over the next decade. Each of the selected companies is currently seeking investment of between £250,000 and £5 million.
Among the ventures selected are Bristol-based Attomarker, a life sciences spinout developing biomarker-based diagnostic technology to improve the detection of conditions including Long Covid, Lyme disease and Type 1 diabetes.
Also pitching is DATAMBIT, an artificial intelligence company developing NATO-validated technology to detect and verify synthetic audio and video in real time for defence applications. Surrey-based Sorair Technologies will showcase its autonomous drone security platform, which enables industrial, commercial, and government organisations to deploy automated security and site safety operations.
The 21 companies were chosen from 57 applicants following a competitive selection process involving external investors.
Rosie Bennett, Director at SETsquared, said the selected businesses represented the breadth and potential of innovation emerging from the organisation’s network.
“The high-potential science and technology ventures being built across the South and South West have the technologies and the teams to scale,” she said.
“Every company pitching has been through a rigorous selection process and is actively raising, so investors are meeting founders at the point where capital can make a real difference.”
Bennett said SETsquared aimed to strengthen the UK’s innovation ecosystem by preparing research-led businesses for investment and connecting founders with the capital and expertise needed to grow.
The programme will also feature a keynote address from Professor Chris Johnson, lead research scientist at the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST).
Delegates will be able to attend breakout sessions examining where investment opportunities are likely to emerge over the next decade and how connections between university spinouts and investors can be improved. Johnson will also take part in a panel discussion chaired by Thierry Heles, Founder and Editor of The Next Leap podcast.
The event will conclude with a drinks reception and the SETsquared Investment Futures Awards.
Alongside the presentations, investors will have opportunities to meet founders through structured networking and one-to-one meetings, with the aim of exploring potential investment and commercial partnerships.
Investment Futures 2026 is delivered in partnership with QantX and sponsored by Innovate UK, HSBC Innovation Banking, RWK Goodman, and Mathys & Squire.
Registration is open to venture capitalists, angel investors, fund managers, investment managers, government funders and corporate investors, as well as corporate innovation, and technology teams.
The event takes place on Tuesday 24 November 2026, from 12pm to 6.30pm, at CodeNode, 10 South Place, London.
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