The Innovation Sprint 2025 brought together mentees and mentors from the Northern Triangle Mentor Network for a ‘speed date-style’ day of commercialisation support, expert advice, and academic innovation from Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.
Some of the mentees and mentors that attended this Innovation Sprint
On 8th May 2025, the Northern Triangle Mentor Network hosted the Innovation Sprint at the Chamber of Commerce in Manchester. It was a fast-paced, high-impact day designed to connect academic innovators with experienced commercial mentors. The event formed part of the Northern Triangle Mentor Network programme and brought together around 50 attendees, including mentors, academic mentees, early-stage founders and supporters from the innovation ecosystem.
The day kicked off with an inspiring and refreshingly honest keynote from Dr Vikas Shah MBE DL, who spoke candidly about the realities of building a business. Drawing on his own experience, he stressed the importance of resilience, taking risks, and being open to feedback.
“You only need one yes” – Vikas Shah reminded the room, “but each ‘no’ is an opportunity to learn and grow”
Vikas Shah was able to draw on his many experiences as an entrepreneur in a number of industries.
His advice on taking chances – like asking Buzz Aldrin to be his first ever interviewee for Vikas’s blog, Thought Economics, and him saying yes – showed the power of being brave enough to ask, even when you think someone is out of your league. That spirit of reaching out, listening, and adapting really struck a chord with many of the early-stage researchers in the room.
Following Vikas, we heard from Dr Richard Unwin, co-founder of Complement Therapeutics, who shared his commercialisation journey — from research idea scribbled on to a piece of paper to spinout success. Richard’s talk highlighted the importance of preparation and seeking support early, particularly from services like the Innovation Factory, who help navigate the complex route from academic research to real-world impact and support with complex processes like patenting. He also encouraged academic entrepreneurs to attend events like the Innovation Sprint, describing them as invaluable opportunities to test ideas, ask questions, and build confidence, and something he wishes he had had access to at the beginning of his journey with Complement Therapeutics.
Richard Unwin concluded his talk with a scribble of advice from former University of Manchester Innovation Factory member, Arnaud Garçon L = “Your comfort zone” R = “Where the magic happens”
With that, the main sprint sessions began — a series of 20-minute 1:1 meetings where mentees pitched their commercialisation ideas and received constructive feedback from mentors. The format was designed to be focused but informal, giving participants the chance to deep-dive into specific challenges and opportunities in a short space of time.
Our mentors came from a diverse range of backgrounds — from venture capital and business development to clinical and technical fields — offering guidance on everything from market validation and IP, to team building and funding strategy.
There was a genuine buzz in the room. Mentees commented on how valuable it was to receive targeted, honest feedback in a supportive environment. Mentors were equally positive, praising the quality of ideas and the ambition of the academic teams involved.
Here’s handful of mentees giving feedback:
Supporting the journey from research to real-world impact
Events like Innovation Sprint play a key role in helping researchers explore the real-world potential of their work — providing space to reflect, ask questions, and start to shape their path forward. We’re proud to support this journey, and grateful to all our speakers, mentors, and attendees for making the day such a success.
The Northern Triangle Mentor Network (NTMN) is a collaborative programme between the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield, designed to support academic researchers on their commercialisation journey. The network connects academics with experienced mentors across a wide range of sectors, providing tailored advice and guidance to help promising research projects take their next step towards real-world impact.
If you’re an academic with a project in the University of Manchester Innovation Factory pipeline and would like to benefit from the NTMN, talk to your project manager to register your interest.
