Deep tech leaders working at the frontier of AI, global innovation, infrastructure, venture capital and public policy will take to the stage at Cambridge Tech Week 2026to explore ‘How Deep Tech Changes the World’, the theme of this year’s event.
Running across five days in Cambridge (September 14-18), the internationally recognised festival will focus proactively on how to move frontier technologies from breakthrough to deployment and examine the systems, infrastructure and policy needed to scale them globally.
Confirmed speakers for this year’s 2026 programme include:
- Alice Delahunty, President, Electricity Transmission at National Grid
- Suranga Chandratillake, General Partner at Balderton Capital and founder/former CEO of blinkx, one of the defining British tech success stories of the 2000s
- Lucy Yu, CEO at Centre for Net Zero, Octopus Energy Group’s non-profit energy and AI organisation
- Tom Adeyoola, Executive Chair of Innovate UK
- Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein, former Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, now President of City St George’s, University of London.
- Karen Silverman, CEO and Founder, Cantellus Group
- Lord Kulveer Ranger, Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for AI.
- Sasha McMurray, Head of Programmes at Deeptech Labs
- Tom Wilson, Partner, Seedcamp
- Teemu Turunen, Finnish Ambassador to the United Kingdom and former Deputy Director of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service
- Chengxi Taylor, Co-founder and President of General Reasoning and founder of SEEN Club
- Shane Mason, Founder & Director, Strategical
- Kateryna Bezsudna, Director, TEKEVER [corr] Ukraine
The 2026 event draws on Cambridge’s globally recognised strength as a place where science, capital and policy converge within one high-impact innovation ecosystem.
Across the week, the curated programme will be structured across five connected themes, with discussions focusing on deep tech as the essential systems layer of modern economies:
- Monday – Showcase Cambridge: A curated introduction to one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems.
- Tuesday – Visionary Tech Day: A macro view of deep tech infrastructure, systems and global competition.
- Wednesday – Startup to Scaleup Day: A practical deep dive into building and scaling deep tech companies.
- Thursday – Quantum/ AI/ Healthtech/ MedTech Deep Dives & Big Tech Debate: Specialist exploration of frontier technologies and critical issues.
- Friday – Connections: A decentralised programme focused on collaboration, networks and regional strength.
Dr Mike Short, Chair of Cambridge Tech Week said:
“Cambridge has long been a global centre of scientific discovery, but the conversation has fundamentally shifted. The challenge now is international deployment – how do we invest and scale transformative technologies responsibly, competitively and fast enough to meet major global challenges.”
Katie Nelson, Head of Leasing UK&I, at Kadans Science Partner, a sponsor of Cambridge Tech Week 2026, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting Cambridge Tech Week which provides a unique platform to connect entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and industry leaders shaping the technologies that will define the coming decade.
“Cambridge continues to demonstrate why it is one of the world’s most influential deep tech innovation hubs, and we are proud that our latest development, Merlin Place, sits at the centre of this ecosystem providing offices, labs and collaboration spaces for innovative companies.”
Further speakers and programme announcements will follow in the coming weeks.
To keep updated, please visit https://cambridgetechweek.co.uk/ Tickets for Cambridge Tech Week 2026 are now available from: https://cambridgetechweek.co.uk/tickets.html
