Empower UK
Our quest is to galvanise the next generation of company founders, giving them the tools necessary to foresee new horizons. Vellos and Fifty Years have joined forces, united by the belief that the future rests on scientists and engineers targeting civilisationally important problems. We will be uniting committees of early career scientists in different cities to engage and create a community of curious and entrepreneurially minded scientists. Empower workshops are delivered with the committees, designed to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs to consider a career as a founder. The workshops will equip students and researchers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape and innovation-centric careers. These are composed of lectures, panels, fireside chats, and networking, led by successful entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts to provide insights, guidance, and connections. Operational from autumn 2025.
5050
Vellos co-founders Steph, Tony, and the rest of the Fifty Years team help scientists and engineers translate breakthrough research into deep tech startups. Fifty Years has run five successful US-based 5050 cohorts, training 250 scientists and engineers founding 50+ companies, before bringing programme has come to the UK, powered by the UK government's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Over 16 weeks, cohort members work with the 50Y team to answer the following questions:
- How do I turn breakthrough science into a startup?
- Am I addressing a problem with a large enough market?
- How do I recruit a world-class team?
- Am I the right person to do it?
To apply now for the next cohort, which starts in September, please register your interest here.
Fifty Years
Fifty Years invests in deep tech companies solving civilisationally important problems. The team at Fifty Years has backed over 100 deep tech startups from the earliest days and helped them raise over $4.5B. Companies like Solugen (carbon-negative chemicals, now a $2B company), Astranis (internet to billions of people viasatellites, now a $1.4B company), and Opentrons (low-cost lab robots, now a $1.8B company).
