Imperial has the spirit of a 117-year-old startup – a culture of discovery, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, where breakthrough science is chased, translated and applied at incredible speed and with transformative impact.

Since our founding in 1907, we have been driven by an entrepreneurial mission: to transform world-class research into real-world impact. Today, under our Science for Humanity strategy, entrepreneurship and innovation are embedded in everything we do — from our teaching and research to the partnerships and global networks we build.

Innovation Ecosystem: World leading and World Changing

Imperial’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is one of the most advanced and inclusive in Europe. Centred around the Imperial Enterprise Lab, White City Incubator, Advanced Hackspace, and Undaunted, our climate innovation centre, this ecosystem supports science-based entrepreneurs from first idea to global scale.

In 2024, Imperial was named Europe’s leading large university (£1bn+) for startup creation by the Redstone University Startup Index and became the only university with two startup hubs ranked in the Financial Times’ Top 125 European Startup Hubs — the Enterprise Lab and Undaunted. The Times credited Imperial’s “status as a source of tech innovators” as a key factor in our rise to 2nd in the QS World University Rankings that same year.

Building a Community: From Idea to Impact

Imperial’s entrepreneurial community thrives on collaboration, creativity, and access to world-class facilities. Our White City campus — a 23-acre innovation district in west London — is home to state-of-the-art labs, prototyping and incubation spaces, co-working hubs and deep-tech facilities such as SynbiCITE and the DNA Foundry. It connects startups, researchers, corporates, and investors in one dynamic environment.

Across this ecosystem, our approach is founder-first and impact-driven:

• Imperial Enterprise Lab helps over 2,000 students and staff annually through training, mentoring and programmes such as the Venture Catalyst Challenge and WE Innovate, our flagship pre-accelerator for women founders.
• Undaunted, home of The Greenhouse accelerator, supports climate-tech ventures tackling the most urgent environmental challenges. To date, Undaunted-supported companies have raised over £1 billion in investment, collectively targeting 30 MtCO₂e reduction by 2030.
• The White City Incubator, winner of Best Incubator and Co-working Space at the West London Business Awards, provides early-stage deep-tech ventures with the facilities and networks needed to scale.
• Our Founders Choice™ equity model, the UK’s most founder-friendly, gives researchers flexibility to commercialise discoveries while maintaining strong university partnerships — a model now influencing best practice through the TenU network.

Expanding Access and Global Reach

Imperial is not only scaling innovation — we’re scaling access.

• WE Innovate National, launched in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, has expanded our award-winning women’s entrepreneurship programme beyond London. The 2024 pilot supported 50 teams across the UK, culminating in a £60,000 Grand Final. By 2026, it will reach seven universities, supporting 175 teams nationwide.
• Our inaugural Commonwealth Startup Fellowship, run with the FCDO and Commonwealth Scholarships Commission, selected 20 founders from low- and middle-income countries from 1,400 applicants. Participants joined a six-month accelerator, including a bootcamp at Imperial Global Ghana and a London showcase.
• Through Imperial Global, our new network of hubs in the USA, Singapore, Ghana and India, we’re expanding inclusive innovation worldwide — supporting ventures to enter new markets, connect with investors, and build international collaborations.

Collaboration and Institutional Influence

Imperial’s influence extends far beyond its own ventures. We lead national and international collaborations that amplify entrepreneurial impact:

• The GreenTech Legal Collaborative, run with Bloomberg and 12 leading law firms, has delivered over £6 million in pro bono legal support to 36 startups, winning ESG Programme of the Year (Legal Business Awards 2024).
• The Network for Coaching and Mentoring Entrepreneurs (NCME), co-ordinated by the Enterprise Lab, now connects 120 enterprise educators globally, sharing best practice and helping other universities develop their own expert-in-residence models.

A Proven Track Record of Entrepreneurial Excellence

Imperial’s founders are reshaping industries — from Myricx Bio, which raised £90 million in one of the UK’s largest Series A biotech rounds, to Fluus, a WE Innovate winner reinventing sustainable period care. These ventures exemplify our ability to turn ideas into investable, impactful businesses.

Looking Ahead

Imperial’s entrepreneurial vision is global and inclusive. We aim to scale thousands of ventures over the next decade — ventures that not only generate economic value but address humanity’s greatest challenges.

As finalists for the Times Higher Education Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award 2025, we’re proud to represent what a 117-year-old startup can achieve: combining scientific excellence, entrepreneurial energy, and a relentless drive to turn ideas into impact — from west London to the world.