Programme Team
The Programme Team is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Programme.
They will help you stay on track throughout the Accelerator, collecting and relaying feedback from all of our delivery partners to you, searching for opportunities for you and your company around the Accelerator, and connecting you to the right people within our growing network of deep tech entrepreneurs.
Dr Francis Lister
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR
Francis is Head of Innovation and Partnerships at Science Creates.
He is Programme Director for the Accelerator Programme, bringing together the delivery partners and developing the partnership with UKRI.
Francis has created and launched multiple accelerator programmes over the last six years. He helped launch Deep Science Ventures, joining as their first employee to develop their programme's tuition structure, content and frameworks for future cohorts. He led two DSV accelerator cohorts and was responsible for 40+ cohort members' tuition and progression towards company formation and investment milestones. His more recent fellowship on the QTEC Programme, where he co-founded TestBuds has allowed him to gain his own entrepreneurial experience through launching and running his own company.
During lockdown, Francis wrote a foundation level chemistry course for the University of London and co-created Chemistry Champions - bringing chemistry tuition and interviews with world-leading scientists to 1000+ GSCE and A-level Students across the UK in the form of weekly online lectures.
Whilst studying his PhD, he created a synthetic replica of a GPCR receptor with other members of the Clayden Research Group.
Francis is really excited about helping you turn your engineering biology ideas into amazing businesses and seeing the cohort of entrepreneurs grow through the Programme.
Dr Lucy McGowan
INNOVATION MANAGER
Lucy is the Innovation Manager at Science Creates. She is responsible for ensuring the successful day-to-day running and delivery of the Accelerator Programme. Lucy is eager to meet lots of ambitious engineering biologists and support some of the UK’s most promising Deep Tech start-ups.
Lucy obtained an MSci degree in Biology from the University of Manchester and a Wellcome Trust funded PhD in Dynamic Molecular Cell Biology from the University of Bristol. Subsequently, she worked in academia as a post-doctoral scientist for over a year, researching the immune response to fractures.
In addition to her academic career, Lucy has extensive experience in science communication and public engagement, volunteering with organisations such as We The Curious, Letters to a Pre-Scientist, RETHINK Scicomm and I’m a Scientist Get Me Out of Here.
As the City Coordinator for Bristol, she led the delivery of the 3-day sell out Pint of Science festival in 2019, as well as spin out events in partnership with Bristol Pride and the ISS Educational Trust. She has also worked as a presenter on BCfm Radio’s science show, broadcasting interviews and discussions around STEM to over 10,000 listeners.
Outside of work, you can find Lucy swimming, cooking and going on long walks with friends (and a pub at the end). Lucy loves the outdoors, camping and nature; she is often reciting odd facts about animals.
Edda Pudner
EVENTS MANAGER
Edda is the Front of House and Events Manager at Science Creates.
She will ensure the bootcamp, check-in days, venture day and all of the exciting events we have organised around the Accelerator Programme are a great experience.
Edda manages the events and event spaces for our members, staff, visitors and clients. From a 100-person networking event to a small gathering by the terrace, she uses her expert knowledge to provide a seamless events programme.
Patrick Fallon
LEAD DESIGNER
Patrick is a founding team member of Science Creates and has actively shaped its brand and story. From a start-up in a basement to a multi-site innovation operator, he has provided creative leadership on the physical and digital experience for the growing deep tech community.
As a creative designer, Patrick brings a vibrant series of interactive workshops covering visual communications, storytelling, and how to articulate the value proposition.
Holly Fisher
LAB & SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER
Holly is the Laboratory and Sustainability Manager at Science Creates, a role which has two overlapping halves. The laboratory side involves the running of Science Creates’ shared facilities and services. Holly organises shared annual equipment servicing, helps to facilitate scientific collaborations, and chairs community biosafety committee meetings. The sustainability side involves reducing Science Creates’ environmental impact and helping our member companies with their own projects where possible and running the sustainability working group within the community.
Holly has an MSc in Conservation and Biodiversity from University of Exeter, and has a particular interest in ethology and ornithology.
Advisors / Mentors
Our Advisors and Mentors bring a wealth of experience to the design of the Accelerator Programme.
Collectively, they are highly skilled at launching and running successful businesses across a wide range of sectors. They are also very experienced at running highly successful accelerator programmes.
Having advised on the design of the Accelerator Programme, our mentors will be providing bespoke training and support at various point of the Programme.
Keith MacDonald
ADVISOR / MENTOR
Keith has over 30 years of corporate finance experience both with major financial institutions (Citibank & Lloyds Bank) and within boutique investment firms (Manresa Partners and Aspanova). As an investor, director and mentor of multiple early-stage companies, his career has included the sale of Ziylo Limited to Novo Nordisk A/S in 2018, the sale of Activate Clients to FD Technologies plc in 2015, membership of the Lloyds Development Capital Investment Committee 2009-2013, Executive Chairmanship of both Science Creates Incubators and Carbometrics Ltd plus numerous other relevant roles and experience. Keith is a Chartered Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Dr Harry Destecroix
ADVISOR / MENTOR
Harry is the Founder of the Science Creates and Board Member and Managing Partner of SCVC.
In 2014, in the midst of his doctoral research, Harry co-founded the biotech start-up Zilyo. A year later, with Ziylo in its developmental stage, Harry founded Science Creates to provide infrastructure and support for deep tech spinouts. Under his leadership as CEO, Ziylo flourished and was acquired by Novo Nordisk in a deal worth up to $800 million in 2018. He is also a co-founder of Carbometrics, which leverages the foundational Ziylo technology to innovate in the glucose sensing arena for diabetes management. Currently, Harry spearheads SCVC, an early stage deep-tech Venture Capital firm, as the founding Managing Partner. The firm recently marked the inaugural close of its second deep tech fund, aiming for a $100 million target.
Science Creates has notably established two state-of-the-art deep tech incubators in Bristol, UK, with a third in development. In 2017, Science Creates opened its first 15,000 square-foot deep tech incubator housing two pioneering tech companies, Ziylo and NuNano. By 2019, the Science Creates ecosystem had supported 37 deep tech companies and contributed to the creation of 100 jobs, with two-thirds of University of Bristol spinouts from 2010 onwards being affiliated. Science Creates has now contributed to the creation of 370 high-value jobs, a gross GVA of £125 million, and support for 82 deep tech companies, with 41 active members.
Harry founded the Science Creates Outreach charity in 2022 to spark a passion for deep tech entrepreneurship among schoolchildren..In 2023, he also launched Science Creates’ first national accelerator programme in engineering biology, backed by UKRI and setting a new benchmark for innovation and enterprise in the UK's deep tech landscape.
As a Board Member of SCVC and Managing Partner, Harry has ultimate responsibility for the management of SCVC. Harry sits on the Investment Committee and oversees the Investment Team.
Jane Blennerhessett
ADVISOR / MENTOR
Jane works with start-up and early stage science and technology businesses as advisor, NED or Chair. She is currently a NED with Siloton and Chair of Milbotix, recently advising Actuation Lab in its latest fund raise. Jane also assists university technology transfer offices in analysing commercial pathways for their research.
She was last employed as Enterprise Director at the University of Bristol where she set up and ran the Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC) until June 2021. Her strengths and passions are in helping academics and scientists to create and build businesses and become entrepreneurs.
Jane learned ‘entrepreneurship’ the hard way. Some years ago, she built her own software company from nothing to a float on AIM, and has the scars to prove it! Outside of formal work, Jane finally managed to stand on a surf board (her sports' passion) and enjoys time with her husband and adorable Golden Labrador, Marley.
Delivery Partners
Rather than trying to teach you everything you need to know to launch a company with a small team, we have selected and built a consortium of expert Delivery Partners to teach you everything you need to know to get your business off the ground.
Our delivery partners will cover a range of things throughout the lifetime of the Programme, including helping with the assessment of incoming candidates, delivering courses as part our our Founder Bootcamp, providing regular check-ins and assessment at weekly stand-up pitches, setting 2-week focused sprints for you during the Accelerator, and making the final assessment of teams at the end of the Accelerator.
Dr Catherine Fletcher
TECHNOLOGY & INVESTOR READINESS TEAM
Catherine is a Synthetic Organic and Supramolecular Chemist with 8 years research experience.
She joined at the inception of SCVC, establishing its core due diligence process and managing its pipeline and portfolio management. She has operations and business development experience from roles in early-stage life science companies, and acts as observer on a number of company boards.
Dr Thane Campbell
TECHNOLOGY TEAM
Thane is Dean for Deep Science Ventures's new PhD programme the Venture Science Doctorate. Thane designed the Venture Science Doctorate and onboarded its corporate and academic research partners. His PhD in Immunology and AI was completed with GlaxoSmithKline and he built diversity-first founder training programmes for Edinburgh's City Region Deal. Thane rapidly established Scotland’s first venture builder, DSV FAST and works with Schmidt Futures, Innovate UK and Anglo American putting venture at the heart of research.
At the University of Edinburgh, Thane earned a PhD in Optical Immunology for combining biochemistry, live cell imaging and neural networks to predict immune responses, with GlaxoSmithKline. He is a recipient of the BBSRC Recognizing Excellence in Knowledge Transfer Award and launched Scotland’s first venture builder. Thane works with government agencies, corporates, leading universities and venture ecosystem builders building the curriculum and collective for STEM PhD systems change. Thane is building the Venture Science Doctorate with the global science policy philanthropic facility, Schmidt Futures, the global mining company, Anglo American and the UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK.
Dr Kathleen Sedgley
TECHNOLOGY TEAM
Kathleen Sedgley is the Bristol BioDesign Institute Scientific Manager. She oversees the coordination of the synthetic and engineering biology portfolio across the University of Bristol and the underpinning partnerships.
She manages several high value and strategic BBI projects including UKRI-funded BrisEngBio, the Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology and the ADDovenom EU Future Emerging Technologies Consortium.
Kathleen has a background in pharmacology and neuroendocrinology, and has over 15 years experience in research management. She is an active member of the UK synthetic and engineering biology research managers network and has been instrumental in supporting the delivery of Bristol’s vision to be a world leading institution for synthetic and engineering biology research and innovation.
Dr Kerstin Kinkelin
TECHNOLOGY TEAM
Kerstin Kinkelin is Innovation Manager at the Bristol BioDesign Institute, where she works with academics to identify opportunities for translation and partnering presented by their research in synthetic and engineering biology. She also oversees a wide programme of activities for early career researchers to develop their skills in translational research and innovation.
A biochemist by training, Kerstin moved into research management after several years in research in Germany and the UK. She has experience in researcher development, research funding and research programme management, working for organisations such as the Francis Crick Institute, the Royal Society and Blood Cancer UK.
Lara Menke
LEADERSHIP PSYCHOLOGY
Lara Menke is the co-founder & CEO of CAIA and an experienced leadership coach and occupational psychologist who is passionate about unlocking the full potential of leaders by working at a deep psychological level. Lara’s coaching style balances compassion and challenge to guide clients ‘below the surface’ in order to trigger mindset shifts and behaviour change. She empowers her clients to explore their emotions and unconscious limiting beliefs to help gain new perspectives and new options for action.
Lara has worked extensively with senior leaders and teams from FTSE100, Fortune 500 and Start Up companies, facilitating group-based development sessions as well as 1-1 executive coaching. She has coached leaders ranging from C-Suite to first-time leaders and everything in between. Clients value her empowering style, her positive energy and presence and the sharp insights into their untapped potential and blindspots that she brings. Clients also value feeling genuinely understood for who they truly are and motivated to grow into their highest leadership potential. Lara tailors each session to her clients’ changing needs and uses a variety of powerful coaching techniques to help her people gain greater clarity and practical action steps towards their leadership growth. Her focus in on helping people become the most authentic leader they can be.
Before founding CAIA in 2018, Lara worked as a Leadership Consultant and Coach for three of the worlds' leading leadership consultancies (YSC Consulting, Heidrick & Struggles & Korn Ferry). She worked as the lead leadership assessor and executive coach on a large number of global leadership development programmes, leadership assessments and coaching engagements with senior leaders in a range of organisations. Her corporate clients included GSK, HSBC, Barclays, AIB, UBS, The Bodyshop and many more. She also coaches leadership teams of tech Scale Ups like Heights, CogX, Venuescanner, Fuse Universal and many more. Lara has coached leaders on all five continents, having lived and worked in six different countries herself. In addition to English, she speaks fluent German and advanced Italian as well as beginner level French, Spanish and Dutch. Lara holds a MSc in Business Psychology from UCL in London and a BSc in Psychology from Maastricht University in The Netherlands.
Kirra Southwell
LEADERSHIP PSYCHOLOGY
Kirra is an experienced business psychologist and leadership consultant who is constantly seeking new ways to bring innovative solutions to the challenges faced by leaders and organizations.
Since joining CAIA in 2019, Kirra has made a significant contribution by co-founding COA, a scientifically validated personality psychometric that has helped shape the future of assessments. Kirra’s approach to leadership development combines cutting-edge research with practical, real-world experience. In her work, Kirra leverages her deep understanding of the interplay between psychology, leadership, and organizational performance to provide insightful and actionable recommendations that help her clients navigate complex challenges and achieve their potential.
She has a proven track record of success in working with a diverse range of organizations,from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Her recent clients include multinational corporations such as Rio Tinto, BHP, Woolworths Group, Diageo, and The Body Shop, as well as government agencies and not-for-profits.
Kirra holds a Master of Business Psychology, and a Bachelor of Psychological Science from the University of Queensland in Australia. She has also completed an Intensive Program in Forensic Psychology at Maastricht University in The Netherlands.
Katy Tuncer
LEADERSHIP TEAM
A serial founder, Katy has “been there, done that” in a vast array of senior leadership roles (in tech start-ups, McKinsey, the British Army, Met Police). Katy has partnered with hundreds of founders, bringing perspective and insight to transform leadership performance in innovation business, while working at pace. It’s all about results. Her areas of expertise include leadership mindsets, personal impact and influence, and vision and purpose.