Victor Christou has stepped down from his position as chief executive of Cambridge Innovation Capital just weeks after helping the unit raise $196m in additional funding.

Victor Christou (pictured), chief executive of University of Cambridge’s patient capital fund Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), has left after more than five years. CIC completed a $194m fundraising effort a couple of weeks ago to bring its total capital under management to $360m, and Christou noted that with the fund’s future guaranteed he was ready to seek out new opportunities. He said: “My time with CIC has been a fantastic journey. I have seen the company grow into a leading investor with an outstanding team. However, with the new funding in place I believe this is an opportune time to re-evaluate my career, with a view to moving back into a more hands-on investing role.” Christou joined CIC when it launched in 2013, serving as senior investment director for two years before his promotion to chief executive in 2015. He took 12th place on GUV’s inaugural Powerlist in 2018. CIC currently has a portfolio of 25 companies and to date has invested more than $163m in spinouts and startups from the Cambridge ecosystem across sectors such as surgical robotics, flexible electronics, microbiome science and edge intelligence. Edward Benthall, chairman of CIC, has been appointed interim executive chairman as the fund restructures its management team. A new chief executive has not yet been named. Benthall said: “Victor has made a huge contribution to the success of CIC. He has led the process of establishing a first-class investment team and an excellent portfolio of companies. “He has also led two fundraising rounds, raising £225m, taking CIC from its early foundation stage to becoming a principal investor in UK intellectual property. He leaves with our gratitude for all that he has done for CIC and we wish him the very best for the next stages of his career.”

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Thierry Heles

Thierry Heles is the editor of Global University Venturing, host of the Beyond the Breakthrough interview podcast and responsible for the monthly GUV Gazette (sign up here for free).