📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR
How do we turn world-leading biological research into breakthrough therapies, transformative companies and real-world impact?
This Thursday Gathering, delivered in partnership with the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), explores its Sculpting Innate Immunity Opportunity Space, bringing together researchers, founders and innovators at the forefront of one of the most exciting areas of modern science. Together, we'll explore how bold research moves beyond the lab through collaboration, investment and commercialisation.
The evening's headline panel, Turning Complex Biology into Commercial Reality, features voices from ARIA, academia and the startup ecosystem discussing the opportunities and challenges of translating cutting-edge biology into innovations that could reshape the future of healthcare.
In partnership with and powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA)
Community Partner: Nucleate
Our Thursday Gatherings are for you to make serendipitous connections and make things happen! Step into a space where every conversation could spark something new. Enjoy music, refreshments, and a lively atmosphere designed to bring people together, whether you’re exchanging ideas, discovering collaborators, or simply sharing a laugh. This is the perfect moment to unwind, connect, and let serendipity guide your evening.
Join us before the main event to explore the Innovator Showcase, where you’ll have the chance to meet the talented startups. Be the first to experience the innovative technologies and forward-thinking ideas on display.
🧬 NK:IO is an Imperial College London spin-out developing allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapies. Its platform rests on leveraging the NK cell biology work from the Brady lab that discovered E4BP4/NFIL3, as the transcription factor that governs NK cell development.
♻️ Sorta is an AI-powered waste assistant helping hospitals make faster, safer and more sustainable disposal decisions. Staff simply describe an item in plain English, and Sorta instantly tells them which waste stream to use, based on national guidance and local policy.
🧬 ImmunoKey is developing a first-in-class platform technology to unlock the potential of CAR T-cell therapy for solid cancers. Their lead product is focused on ovarian cancer, a disease marked by high relapse rates and poor patient outcomes.
Imagine you've travelled ten years into the future. What new therapeutics, diagnostics, models or delivery technologies would enable us to target, modulate or mimic the innate immune system to tackle human disease?
Join researchers, founders, clinicians and innovators to explore bold ideas, challenge assumptions and help shape the technologies that could transform healthcare over the next decade. Bring your expertise, your curiosity and your biggest ideas - your perspective could help inspire the next generation of breakthroughs.
Welcome to Venture Café Manchester
Venture Café Manchester brings founders, innovators, researchers, investors and changemakers together to connect, collaborate and turn ideas into action. Our Thursday Gatherings are a weekly space to meet new people, share ideas, learn from one another and discover opportunities across Manchester’s innovation ecosystem.
Partner With Us & Shape the Future
Help us shape future Thursday Gatherings by sharing your expertise, hosting a session, showcasing your work or connecting us with others in the ecosystem.
Want to get involved? Submit a form HERE.
Join our Lightning Pitch session where you’ve got just 60 seconds to introduce yourself and share your business or idea with the room. It’s fast, fun, and a brilliant way to meet fellow founders, spark conversations and get your idea out into the Manchester startup community.
🎟️ If you are interested in pitching, please pick up a raffle number from the registration desk for a chance to be selected to pitch!
ARIA's Programmable Physiology (previously known as Sculpting Innate Immunity) opportunity space explores one of the most promising frontiers in human health: the body's innate immune system, our first line of defence against infection, injury and disease. By combining advances in immunology, synthetic biology, AI, drug delivery and data science, ARIA aims to develop precise ways to modulate innate immunity, unlocking new approaches to preventing and treating everything from rapidly evolving viruses to chronic inflammatory diseases. Bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs and clinicians from diverse disciplines, the programme seeks bold, breakthrough ideas with the potential to redefine how we protect and improve human health.
From breakthrough discovery to real-world impact, the path from cutting-edge biology to successful commercial innovation is rarely straightforward. This panel brings together perspectives from ARIA, leading academic researchers and pioneering founders to explore what it takes to translate complex biological science into products, companies and solutions with the potential to transform society.
Together, they'll discuss the challenges of moving from the laboratory to the marketplace, the role of mission-driven funding and collaboration, and how researchers, entrepreneurs and investors can work together to accelerate innovation in one of the world's most exciting fields.
Imagine you've travelled ten years into the future. What new therapeutics, diagnostics, models or delivery technologies would enable us to target, modulate or mimic the innate immune system to tackle human disease?
Join researchers, founders, clinicians and innovators to explore bold ideas, challenge assumptions and help shape the technologies that could transform healthcare over the next decade. Bring your expertise, your curiosity and your biggest ideas - your perspective could help inspire the next generation of breakthroughs.
Get Pitched: A Game of Serendipitous Solutions is taking over the Café for a teams edition.
Get ready for fast-paced game full of determination, wit and ingenuity.
You play as a startup company, who is tasked with delivering a solution to a current societal challenge to an investor.
You will be a set of randomised variables:
- The Problem
- A Technology
- An Industry Focus
- A Resource
You must strategise a serendipituous solution on the spot and convince your investor and the room to #makeithappen.
📍 Venue: SISTER – Renold Building, 32a Altrincham Street, Manchester, M1 7JR
How do we turn world-leading biological research into breakthrough therapies, transformative companies and real-world impact?
This Thursday Gathering, delivered in partnership with the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), explores its Sculpting Innate Immunity Opportunity Space, bringing together researchers, founders and innovators at the forefront of one of the most exciting areas of modern science. Together, we'll explore how bold research moves beyond the lab through collaboration, investment and commercialisation.
The evening's headline panel, Turning Complex Biology into Commercial Reality, features voices from ARIA, academia and the startup ecosystem discussing the opportunities and challenges of translating cutting-edge biology into innovations that could reshape the future of healthcare.
In partnership with and powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA)
Community Partner: Nucleate
Our Thursday Gatherings are for you to make serendipitous connections and make things happen! Step into a space where every conversation could spark something new. Enjoy music, refreshments, and a lively atmosphere designed to bring people together, whether you’re exchanging ideas, discovering collaborators, or simply sharing a laugh. This is the perfect moment to unwind, connect, and let serendipity guide your evening.
Join us before the main event to explore the Innovator Showcase, where you’ll have the chance to meet the talented startups. Be the first to experience the innovative technologies and forward-thinking ideas on display.
🧬 NK:IO is an Imperial College London spin-out developing allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapies. Its platform rests on leveraging the NK cell biology work from the Brady lab that discovered E4BP4/NFIL3, as the transcription factor that governs NK cell development.
♻️ Sorta is an AI-powered waste assistant helping hospitals make faster, safer and more sustainable disposal decisions. Staff simply describe an item in plain English, and Sorta instantly tells them which waste stream to use, based on national guidance and local policy.
🧬 ImmunoKey is developing a first-in-class platform technology to unlock the potential of CAR T-cell therapy for solid cancers. Their lead product is focused on ovarian cancer, a disease marked by high relapse rates and poor patient outcomes.
Imagine you've travelled ten years into the future. What new therapeutics, diagnostics, models or delivery technologies would enable us to target, modulate or mimic the innate immune system to tackle human disease?
Join researchers, founders, clinicians and innovators to explore bold ideas, challenge assumptions and help shape the technologies that could transform healthcare over the next decade. Bring your expertise, your curiosity and your biggest ideas - your perspective could help inspire the next generation of breakthroughs.
Welcome to Venture Café Manchester
Venture Café Manchester brings founders, innovators, researchers, investors and changemakers together to connect, collaborate and turn ideas into action. Our Thursday Gatherings are a weekly space to meet new people, share ideas, learn from one another and discover opportunities across Manchester’s innovation ecosystem.
Partner With Us & Shape the Future
Help us shape future Thursday Gatherings by sharing your expertise, hosting a session, showcasing your work or connecting us with others in the ecosystem.
Want to get involved? Submit a form HERE.
Join our Lightning Pitch session where you’ve got just 60 seconds to introduce yourself and share your business or idea with the room. It’s fast, fun, and a brilliant way to meet fellow founders, spark conversations and get your idea out into the Manchester startup community.
🎟️ If you are interested in pitching, please pick up a raffle number from the registration desk for a chance to be selected to pitch!
ARIA's Programmable Physiology (previously known as Sculpting Innate Immunity) opportunity space explores one of the most promising frontiers in human health: the body's innate immune system, our first line of defence against infection, injury and disease. By combining advances in immunology, synthetic biology, AI, drug delivery and data science, ARIA aims to develop precise ways to modulate innate immunity, unlocking new approaches to preventing and treating everything from rapidly evolving viruses to chronic inflammatory diseases. Bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs and clinicians from diverse disciplines, the programme seeks bold, breakthrough ideas with the potential to redefine how we protect and improve human health.
From breakthrough discovery to real-world impact, the path from cutting-edge biology to successful commercial innovation is rarely straightforward. This panel brings together perspectives from ARIA, leading academic researchers and pioneering founders to explore what it takes to translate complex biological science into products, companies and solutions with the potential to transform society.
Together, they'll discuss the challenges of moving from the laboratory to the marketplace, the role of mission-driven funding and collaboration, and how researchers, entrepreneurs and investors can work together to accelerate innovation in one of the world's most exciting fields.
Imagine you've travelled ten years into the future. What new therapeutics, diagnostics, models or delivery technologies would enable us to target, modulate or mimic the innate immune system to tackle human disease?
Join researchers, founders, clinicians and innovators to explore bold ideas, challenge assumptions and help shape the technologies that could transform healthcare over the next decade. Bring your expertise, your curiosity and your biggest ideas - your perspective could help inspire the next generation of breakthroughs.
Get Pitched: A Game of Serendipitous Solutions is taking over the Café for a teams edition.
Get ready for fast-paced game full of determination, wit and ingenuity.
You play as a startup company, who is tasked with delivering a solution to a current societal challenge to an investor.
You will be a set of randomised variables:
- The Problem
- A Technology
- An Industry Focus
- A Resource
You must strategise a serendipituous solution on the spot and convince your investor and the room to #makeithappen.