The final show: REACTOR Showcase 2019

Published: 31 July 2019 at 11:30

The REACTOR Project held its annual Showcase event on Thursday 20 June at the Cambridge Junction, concluding another successful year of supporting local SMEs and start-ups.

The day was attended by entrepreneurs, business experts and investors keen to discover new business innovations and insights from the Showcase’s exciting speaker line-up and networking opportunity.

The event’s agenda included keynote talks from Peter Cowley, President of the European Business Angel Network, and Professor Alan Barrell, Cambridge’s innovation champion. Peter Cowley’s keynote focussed on his many insights and experiences as an investor, with specific reference to his book, The Invested Investor. The second keynote speech of the day saw Professor Alan Barrell explore the concept of creative thinking in the modern world, specifically in the world of business.  Presentations were also given by a selection of SME and start-up founders that have worked with REACTOR for the past year, including Sarah Trude, Founder of The DICE App, and Helen Galbraith, Founder of Money Ready.

Helen Galbraith, Founder of Money Ready, said:

“Despite joining the REACTOR programme a bit later than the other start-ups, REACTOR has helped me transition my product from a side project to a full time career in under a year – as of the end of June 2019!”

Alongside the speeches, local business experts from NatWest, Exemplas, Barclay’s Eagle Labs and Stone King held one-to-one business consultancy sessions throughout the event to provide crucial counsel to those looking to grow their businesses.

Dr Jan Storgårds, REACTOR Project Director, drew the event to a close with a look at the past achievements of the REACTOR Project, and the team’s excitement for the future of the entrepreneurs they have supported through the programme’s funding, mentoring, networking, and business-related workshops.