Mercia Fund Management (MFM), one of the leading technology investors in the UK, announces that Dr Nicola Broughton, a Leeds-based consultant specialising in the commercialisation of Intellectual Property, has joined the team as an Investment Director and Head of Technology Transfer.
Nicola will be growing a team to help support Mercia’s university partners in their areas of geographical focus – the Midlands, North and Scotland.
Nicola has already worked closely with several MFM investee companies within the Life Sciences sector, As well as Mercia’s university partners in the Midlands. She will be liaising with university technology spin-outs and University Technology Transfer Offices to offer them support and advice on developing their work into a profitable, marketable business.
Nicola has a wealth of experience in both Life Sciences and University Commercialisation. In April 2013, she founded her own IP Commercialisation company, for which she worked as a Transfer and Licensing Advisor to many universities across the UK. Nicola helped clients attain a viable route to market by advising them on a variety of issues, including Proof of Concept and business development strategies.
Alongside this, Nicola worked at Medipex Limited where, as a Business Development Consultant, Nicola helped to connect NHS organisations across the Yorkshire & Humber and East Midlands regions with industry and academia on both a national and global scale.
Previously, Nicola was at a University of Leeds spin-out. During her ten years there, Nicola acted as Commercial Director, supporting the company in fund raising, due diligence, IP management, contract management, business development, licencing and strategy. Nicola raised £12 million in Venture Capital as well as public money from grants.
Nicola holds a Ph. D. in Biochemistry from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and King’s College London. She also has an MBA, a BA in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, and a Diploma in Law.
CEO Mark Payton said:
“We are delighted to welcome Nicola to our team, especially as our number of university links continues to grow.
“MFM has an enviable pipeline of spin-out investment opportunities from universities based in the Midlands, North and Scotland, including the Universities of Warwick and Birmingham.
“With the appointment of Nicola as Head of Technology Transfer, we will be able to provide further support and guidance and, through our unique investment model, we will then be able to fund these spin-outs through to growth and potential exit.
“We look forward to working with Nicola as we begin a new round of investments and continue to expand our university partnerships.”
Nicola Broughton said:
“The combined model of MFM’s third party funds coupled with the direct investments made into ‘emerging stars’ by Mercia Technologies PLC is an inspired way of reducing the use of 10 year funds, which simply struggle to cope with the long timelines that university spin-outs require.
“I am looking forward to implementing this model and working with an exceptionally talented team to deliver our investment model to university partners across our geographic regions of the Midlands, North and Scotland.”