Cambridge Innovation Capital operates through a formal relationship with the University of Cambridge as a preferred VC for spinouts, giving it structured access to university IP and academics, while running a bespoke Entrepreneur in Residence programme that systematically matches deep-tech operators with academic IP to create new companies. The fund serves as both investor and ecosystem architect by co-founding accelerators like Deeptech Labs and managing Start Codon, and is positioned by financial media as the access point for pension funds seeking exposure to the Cambridge science-and-technology cluster.