What Science Creates does

Science Creates is a privately held Deep Tech ecosystem headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, founded in 2015 by Harry Destecroix after his University of Bristol spin-out Ziylo struggled to find specialised laboratory space outside London's Golden Triangle. The company operates through four integrated pillars: Incubators (over 75,000 sq ft of specialised lab, office, and event space across the Old Market, St Philips, and OMX facilities); SCVC, an FCA-authorised venture capital arm (Science Creates Ventures LLP) investing at pre-seed and seed stages in deep tech; Platform, which delivers training, the UKRI-funded Engineering Biology Accelerator, and partnership programmes; and Outreach, a registered charity running STEM education through The Learning Lab. The company is structured across four UK legal entities — Unit DX Ltd (trading as Science Creates Incubators), Science Creates Services Ltd, Science Creates Ventures LLP, and Science Creates Outreach (charity no. 1199986) — and reports supporting 150+ startups since 2015, with 64 current member companies and £350m+ raised cumulatively by community companies.

The core technology is physical and operational infrastructure rather than software: a multi-site specialist incubator footprint in Bristol designed for the wet-lab, equipment, and prototyping demands of quantum, engineering biology, synthetic biology, AI, and advanced materials startups, combined with an in-house venture capital capability and UKRI-aligned accelerator programming. Since 2023 the platform has run three cohorts of the UK's first UK-wide equity-free Engineering Biology Accelerator, with 35 alumni companies to date having raised £3.8M in equity and £2.1M in grants within 18 months. Science Creates monetises through subscription-style lab and office rental, professional services including accelerator delivery and lab design (Science Creates Development), grant-funded programming, and long-duration returns on SCVC portfolio equity stakes; the company is institutionally backed by UKRI's Research England and the University of Bristol.

Customer concentration is intentionally low: revenue is distributed across a long tail of early-stage deep tech tenants and accelerator cohorts rather than a few enterprise anchors, with named customers spanning biotech, diagnostics, therapeutics, and lab automation. Recent strategic activity — including the December 2023 £8.5M grant for a third incubator, the 2025 launch of the OMX scale-up facility, the December 2025 National Composites Centre partnership, and the November 2025 transatlantic quantum agreement — points to ongoing geographic, vertical, and infrastructure expansion beyond the original Bristol footprint.

Name

Science Creates

Legal name

Science Creates

Website

https://sciencecreates.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Science Creates is a Bristol-based Deep Tech ecosystem operating four pillars — specialised lab incubators, an FCA-authorised early-stage venture capital arm (SCVC), a UKRI-funded Engineering Biology Accelerator, and a STEM outreach charity — supporting 150+ science and engineering startups across quantum, engineering biology, AI, and advanced materials since 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deep Tech Incubator and Venture Capital Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

Keywords

• Deep tech incubator
• Venture capital funding
• Lab space rental
• Startup accelerator programs
• STEM education outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Incubator Lab and Office Space Rental: Revenue generated from renting specialized lab, office, and event spaces to deep tech startups and scaleups across their three Bristol-based incubators.
2. SCVC Venture Capital Investment Returns: Science Creates Ventures (SCVC) provides early-stage investment to deep tech startups, generating returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies.
3. Training and Accelerator Programs: UKRI-funded accelerator programs provide training, mentoring, and support. The Engineering Biology Accelerator offers fully funded places with no equity taken, supported by UKRI funding.
4. Science Creates Development Services: End-to-end design and delivery service for laboratory and R&D facilities, building infrastructure for deep tech companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Science Creates is a Deep Tech ecosystem that provides specialised laboratory and office space across three Bristol incubators (over 75,000 sq ft), early-stage venture capital investment through SCVC, training and accelerator programmes (including the UKRI-funded Engineering Biology Accelerator), and STEM outreach via Science Creates Outreach charity and The Learning Lab. The organisation also operates a Development arm delivering end-to-end laboratory and R&D facility design and build services for Deep Tech companies.

Product overview

Science Creates is a Deep Tech ecosystem with four core pillars: Incubators (specialised lab and office spaces at Old Market, St Philips, and OMX locations), SCVC (early-stage venture capital investment), Platform/Accelerate (training programs including the Engineering Biology Accelerator), and Outreach (STEM education including The Learning Lab). The ecosystem also includes a Development arm for lab design services and Gravitate magazine. The organization supports Deep Tech startups from ideation through growth, with facilities spanning over 75,000 sq ft in Bristol, and has supported over 150 startups since 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCVC: Science Creates Ventures LLP, the venture capital arm providing early-stage investment for Deep Tech startups at pre-seed and seed stages.
• Gravitate

Products and services

• Deep Tech Incubators Specialised lab, office and events space designed for Deep Tech startups across three Bristol facilities: Old Market, St Philips, and OMX. The combined footprint exceeds 75,000 sq ft and serves innovative science and engineering companies requiring Deep Tech R&D infrastructure.
• SCVC (Science Creates Ventures) Early-stage venture capital investment for Deep Tech startups at pre-seed and seed stages, with a global impact focus. SCVC is FCA-authorised (FRN:1041971) and has invested in over 30 deals in the past three years with 17 portfolio companies including Houdini Bio, Scarlet Therapeutics, Delta.g, and PhovIR.
• Engineering Biology Accelerator UK-wide equity-free nine-week intensive accelerator programme for engineering biology entrepreneurs, delivered in partnership with UKRI. Includes expert training, mentoring, £4,235 stipend, travel/hotel budget, discretionary training budget up to £1,000, and access to up to £50k of UKRI equity-free follow-on feasibility funding.
• Development (Lab and R&D Facility Design and Delivery) End-to-end design and delivery service for laboratory and R&D facilities, building infrastructure for Deep Tech companies. Delivered by an award-winning ARB registered architect-led team balancing high-quality design, user experience, cost and sustainability.
• The Learning Lab An immersive science lab space for hands-on STEM workshops and educational experiences, available for both education and corporate visitors. Operated by Science Creates Outreach as part of the ecosystem's public engagement pillar.
• Gravitate Magazine The Deep Tech Founder Magazine published by Science Creates, featuring articles on how Deep Tech startups are disrupting food, energy and healthcare sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ startups supported since 2015
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• National Composites Centre (NCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Strategic partnership to create an integrated ecosystem for deeptech ventures in the UK, combining scientific breakthroughs with industrial capability and investment. The collaboration will support rapid scaleup of deeptech companies, launch collaborative R&D projects including AI and engineering biology applications, establish co-located spaces, and build a deeptech network launching in early 2026.
• West of England Mayoral Combined AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Signed landmark technology deal with US to promote growth in quantum businesses, involving University of Bristol and Elevate Quantum. Agreement aims to create jobs and foster collaboration in quantum research.
• Elevate QuantumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025US partner in quantum technology deal with West of England, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming regions.
• University of BristolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2023University spinout origin of Science Creates; co-funder of £8.5 million for third incubator; supports university spin-outs and technological innovation in quantum and engineering biology.
• Thermo Fisher ScientificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-first partnership providing technical guidance and long-term support from multinational biotech service provider for accelerator participants.
• Deep Science VenturessupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivery partner for Engineering Biology Accelerator, providing expert training and mentorship.
• HGFsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIP and patent services delivery partner for Engineering Biology Accelerator.
• Withers & RogerssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPatent and trademark services delivery partner for accelerator programme.
• University of BristolsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner for Engineering Biology Accelerator with Bristol Biodesign Institute involvement.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Deep Science Ventures: An explicit delivery partner of Science Creates' Engineering Biology Accelerator and a UK deep tech venture builder operating at the science-to-startup interface. Closest comparable given shared model of investing in and incubating early-stage science founders across similar categories.
• Set Squared: One of the UK's longest-running university spinout incubators with a multi-university footprint (five Russell Group institutions) and a parallel deep tech accelerator. Comparable on deep tech spinout support services, training programs, and lab/office provision, though at significantly larger scale and geographic spread.
• Bruntwood SciTech: A specialist UK lab and workspace operator targeting life sciences and tech companies through a national portfolio. Most directly comparable for Science Creates' incubator arm, offering specialised deep tech-ready lab space, though it does not run VC or accelerator programs.
• Oxford Science Enterprises: Oxford's deep tech spinout builder and investor, capitalized with over £600m and directly comparable to SCVC's venture model plus Oxford's ecosystem support. Similar thesis of taking university research and commercialising it into category-defining deep tech, but anchored to Oxford rather than Bristol.
• Cambridge Innovation Capital: Cambridge cluster venture capital firm investing in deep tech and life sciences spinouts at seed through growth stages. Directly comparable to SCVC's venture model and shares the broader thesis of monetising university-led innovation ecosystems outside the Golden Triangle's startup norm.
• Imperial College White City Deep Tech Incubator: Imperial College London's deep tech incubator and innovation district providing specialised lab space and commercialisation support for academic spinouts. Comparable on the combined lab-space-plus-spinout-support model in a deep tech context, though anchored to a single institution rather than the SCVC multi-institution reach.
• BioCity Group: A UK bioscience incubation and accelerator network with sites across Nottingham, Scotland, and beyond. Directly comparable for life science incubator services and company creation programs, though broader geographically and primarily focused on biotech rather than the broader deep tech definition Science Creates pursues.

Broad incumbents

• IndieBio: The world's leading synthetic biology accelerator, running cohorts globally and investing in early-stage biotech founders. Comparable to Science Creates' Engineering Biology Accelerator for its biology-led startup creation, though IndieBio is global and better capitalised.
• Techstars Industries: Global accelerator network with deep tech and industry-specific programs providing equity-based seed investment plus structured accelerator cohorts. Comparable on the structured accelerator program format and founder support services, though at much greater scale and with an equity-taking model unlike Science Creates' UKRI-funded equity-free accelerator.

Regional players

• Rosalind Franklin Institute: A UK national life sciences research institute enabling commercialisation of breakthrough technologies through industry partnerships. Comparable on the broader UK deep tech ecosystem orientation and commercialisation mission, though not a direct incubator and operates on a public-sector funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sciencecreates
• Xx.com/sciencecreates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Science Creates