Panel Discussion: From Lab to Launch

9 February 2026

 

CHIA’s Early Career Community hosted a panel discussion about launching a start-up, where the audience heard from four exceptional panellists who have navigated the journey from academic research to entrepreneurship and industry impact. 

Panellists included:

 Zuzanna Kossobudzka – Co-Founder at Proximo Ventures. Zuzanna Kossobudzka is a quantum physicist turned founder and deep-tech investor with experience across climate, industrial, and quantum technologies. She built an award-winning wearables company and supported Series A investment in green hydrogen. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering.  

Nigel Collier – Co-Founder at Trismik. Nigel Collier is Professor of Natural Language Processing at the University of Cambridge and Chief Scientist of Trismik. His work focuses on creating better AI systems with an emphasis on uncertainty, personalisation, and adversarial assessment of model behaviour.

Chen Ye – AI and Business Innovator. Chen Ye has 12 years of experience in industrial automation and intelligence across China, Africa, and the United States. His PhD research at Cambridge focuses on digital transformation and how AI and ML can reshape business models to improve performance and productivity in manufacturing. Chen has obtained 20 patents and received 2 industry awards.

Alva Markelius – Ex-EthicAI. Alva Markelius is a Cambridge Trust Scholar researching the ethics of social AI and robotics, specifically at the intersection of embodied robotics and large language models. She co-founded EthicAI, and was nominated as one of the Top 100 Women in AI Ethics 2024.