Johnathan Matlock joined a university spinout called Ziylo, in 2017 as its senior scientist. Just over 18 months later it was acquired by drug giant Novo Nordisk, in a deal potentially worth over $800 million. Matlock, 36, has since teamed up with former Ziylo physicist Ben Miles, 35, and made 65 angel investments in young, promising companies, committing over £6 million in capital.
Their investments include EnsiliTech, which is pioneering fridge-free vaccines using silica, and QV Bioelectronics, which is exploring electric field therapy using implantable devices for recurrent glioblastoma, a cancer that occurs in the brain. Their new venture fund, called Empirical Ventures, is raising £10 million. It specialises in supporting entrepreneurial scientists commercialising their ideas.
Ziylo was a spinout company from the University of