Robin Sterling started his PhD 20 years ago when useful quantum computers were "at least 10 years away." He's seen the field go from academic curiosity to venture-backed race - with companies like Quantinuum and Riverlane demonstrating things that once felt like pipe dreams. But he's candid: today's systems are still orders of magnitude smaller than what's actually useful.

Right now, quantum systems are just small enough that engineers can manage complexity with Python scripts and intuition. Make them 100x bigger - which is what the industry needs - and that stops working entirely. Robin talks about how we’re at the same wall classical computing hit in the 1980s, when CPU design had to be automated.

Enter Coherence Engine: The company builds system-level simulation and validation software for quantum hardware. The goal: let quantum engineers design, simulate, and validate their next-generation systems before buying a single piece of hardware. Think of it as CAD tools for quantum computers.

Founded in August 2024, with pre-seed funding secured in January 2025, Coherence Engine was built with the support of Cambridge Future Tech (CFT) - the deep tech venture builder based at the Bradfield Centre. Robin credits CFT as instrumental in turning his idea into a fundable, scalable company, particularly as a solo founder coming off the back of a previous unsuccessful startup.

Tune in to hear this and more, and subscribe on all major podcast platforms. If you enjoyed this episode, a five-star review goes a long way - it helps more people discover the show.

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Prashant Shah co-hosts this week’s episode with Faye Holland talking all things CWOW - and it's going to be a big one.

CWOW runs from 11th–19th June 2026, bringing together the life sciences community across Oxford, London and Cambridge for a week packed with pitches, open days, panels, and networking.

Here's a snapshot of what we talked about:

🚀 Ventures Tours (Oxford → London → Cambridge) Kicking off on 11th June in Oxford, the Ventures Tour moves through London (12th) before landing in Cambridge for two full days (15th–16th). Investor showcases and networking sessions with the likes of Oxford Science Enterprises, KQ Labs at the Francis Crick Institute, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, Cambridge Angels, and many more – all showcasing their most inspiring startups and entrepreneurs.

🏢 Cambridge Wide Open Day - 17th June The centrepiece of the week. Tours, company showcases, masterclasses, and a party - all in one day. A brilliant way to see the Cambridge life sciences ecosystem in action. If you want to be part of the car pool with #CamTechPod then let us know!

🧬 TechBio, Biotech & Pharma Day - 18th June BIA TechBio X at AstraZeneca's Discovery Centre, plus the AZ Exchange celebrating collaboration across the UK Life Sciences ecosystem.

Big shout out to Ajit Guller and Francois Meullenet and the o2h team, and sponsors Donna Ardeman, Mills & Reeve, Jonathan Goodacre, Keltie, and so many more sponsors, supporters and partners.

Tune in to hear the full conversation on the Cambridge Tech Podcast - available on all major platforms.

Headline sponsor Holden Polestar

Produced by Cambridge TV

#CamTechPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, hosts Faye Holland and James Parton dive deep into the region's thriving FinTech ecosystem with Tim Robinson, CEO of Tech East, and Antony Bellingall, co-founder of Norwich-based compliance software company Idenfo. What emerges is a compelling story about regional tech excellence, female founder leadership, and why London's dominance in FinTech might be masking some genuinely impressive talent elsewhere.

What makes this particularly interesting is that Norwich wasn't even mentioned in the government's 2021 Khalifa review of UK FinTech - despite financial services accounting for one of the highest proportions of GVA in the city's economy. The oversight was glaring.

But there's something special happening across the East of England:

• Female founder leadership: Outside London, Norfolk has the highest proportion of female tech founders in the UK
• Strong role models: From university leadership to corporate executives, visible female pioneers are normalising entrepreneurship
• Supportive ecosystem: Professional services, legal support, and university partnerships create a genuine community

The Idenfo Story: Global Ambitions, Local Roots

Antony Bellingall's journey perfectly encapsulates why the region works. After stints in Japan and Singapore building compliance expertise, he returned to Norwich to launch Idenfo in 2019. Today, they have 2,000 customers across 15 countries.

The collaboration with the University of East Anglia on hologram detection systems for identity cards shows how academic partnerships can drive real product innovation.

What's Next?

Tech East has just launched FinTechEast.com and is planning a major push to connect FinTech businesses across the entire region - Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, and beyond. Rather than competing with London, the strategy is smarter: build a distributed network of smaller hubs that collectively punch well above their weight.

Tim Robinson will be speaking at London Tech Week 2026 on Regional Tech Ecosystems, bringing the East's story to the capital.

Listen to the full episode on the Cambridge Tech Podcast and discover why this region deserves a place on every tech investor's radar.

Headline sponsor Holden Polestar

#CamTechPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.