Sussex Innovation is a business support organisation and incubator working with ambitious founders, high-growth startups and scaling SMEs across technology, science, and innovation-led sectors. Established by the University of Sussex, we operate as a separate commercial entity, bridging academia and enterprise while working closely with regional, national, and international partners. Our focus is simple but powerful: helping innovative businesses start, grow and scale sustainably. We support ventures at every stage of development, from early-stage founders validating an idea, to established scale-ups refining strategy, accessing investment and expanding into new markets. Our model combines structured incubation, tailored advisory support, curated peer networks, investor readiness programmes, and specialist growth initiatives.
Our community spans healthtech, medtech, digital innovation, AI, creative technologies, climate-focused ventures, and purpose-led enterprises. We are particularly strong in supporting knowledge-intensive and research-informed businesses that are translating innovation into commercial opportunity.
Beyond workspace, we provide strategic business support including market positioning, commercial strategy, fundraising preparation, partnership development, and operational scaling. We work hands-on with founders to ensure their growth is not only fast, but resilient and well-governed.
At our core, Sussex Innovation exists to help founders turn bold ideas into credible, investable, and impactful businesses.
Maria Bedoya-Toro, Head of Programmes & Operations, Sussex Innovation said:
“UK Tech Week is more than a celebration of innovation, it’s a catalyst for meaningful progress. At Sussex Innovation, we work with founders who are building solutions to real-world problems, and this platform allows those ideas to connect with the capital, talent and partnerships they need to scale. We’re proud to stand alongside a community that believes technology should drive not just growth, but impact, economically, socially and globally. Our ambition is to ensure the businesses we support don’t just participate in the tech ecosystem but actively shape its future.”
