Northern Gritstone raises fund for UK Northern University science and technology investments

Northern Gritstone today announces the launch of the Northern Universities Venture Fund, a new Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) fund offering investors access to early-stage IP-rich science and deeptech investment opportunities from the Universities of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield.

The Fund will be managed by Parkwalk Advisors, the UK’s most active university spinout investor with over £500 million of assets under management and target investments across sectors such as quantum computing, AI, engineering biology, semiconductors, healthtech and clean technology.

The Fund is supported by Northern Gritstone, differentiating itself from other university-linked EIS’s through multi-year agreements with the four ‘Northern Arc’ universities, giving it preferred investor access to university spinout opportunities.

Northern Gritstone recently announced further fundraising of £50 million from leading institutional investors including Aviva and Fulcrum Asset Management, bringing its total capital commitment to £362 million.

Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, said:

“I am convinced that the UK’s first trillion-dollar business will emerge from investing in UK university science and technology.

The launch of Parkwalk’s Northern Universities Venture Fund is a way to bring untapped innovation from the North of England to a broader investor base.”

Moray Wright, CEO of Parkwalk Advisors, said:

 "This collaboration brings together two of the UK’s leading forces in university commercialisation. Parkwalk’s expertise in venture capital and deep tech, combined with Northern Gritstone’s unrivalled university partnerships, means we can offer investors access to an exceptional and underexploited pipeline of innovation."

Lead image: University of Liverpool.