# Cranfield University

> Cranfield University is a VC fund in Bedford backing Manufacturing and Energy. See 5 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Bedford, United Kingdom
- Total investments: 5
- Last investment: Dec 2025
- Lead investor: 20%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/cranfield-university
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/CranfieldUni
- Website: http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Cranfield-University/13467389881

Cranfield University is a postgraduate university that specializes in education and transformational research in various technologies, development, and designs. The university’s schools and departments include Cranfield College of Aeronautics, Cranfield Postgraduate Medical School, and Cranfield University at Kitakyushu, Japan. The institute offersresearch degrees such as doctor of philosophy, doctor of business administration, engineering doctorate, master of philosophy, and master of science.Cranfield University is a U.K.-based institute that was founded in 1946.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Cranfield University. Shizune tracks 8 team members at Cranfield University. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/cranfield-university?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 60% |
| Energy | 1 | 20% |
| Aerospace | 1 | 20% |
| Automotive | 1 | 20% |
| Energy Storage | 1 | 20% |

9 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grant | 2 | 40% |
| Pre-Seed | 2 | 40% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 20% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 80% |
| United States | 1 | 20% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Claire Banwell Spencer | Head of Entrepreneurship Growth Portfolio | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/claire-banwell-spencer |
| Claire Stokes | Member of Council | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/claire-stokes |
| Jeff Obbard | Visiting Professor, School of Water, Energy and Environment | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jeff-obbard |
| Lynette Ryals | Vice-Chair to Assembly | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lynette-ryals |
| Patrick McLaughlin | Lecturer | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/patrick-mclaughlin-9f07 |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A&B Smart Materials | The A&B Smart Materials Using innovative cooling technologies to boost photovoltaic efficiency. | $2M | Pre-Seed | Dec 12, 2025 |  |
| ZERØTEC | ZERØTEC is an pattern design and nesting software platform for fashion designers and manufacturers | $739.6K | Pre-Seed | Oct 01, 2025 |  |
| Vox Aeris | Vox Aeris is a developer of agglomeration based advanced air filtration and HVAC technology. | $50.2K | Grant | Jan 15, 2024 |  |
| Cranfield Aerospace | Cranfield Aerospace is an aerospace market leader in the rapid prototyping of new aerospace concepts. | $12.4M |  | Apr 21, 2023 |  |
| TaiSan | TaiSan is Battery Materials company, innovated proprietary quasi-solid gel polymer electrolyte and sodium-potassium metal anode to enable quasi-solid-state sodium battery. It leads to best-in-class energy density. We work with battery and automotive OEMs to scale our technology and signed 19 non-binding MoUs. | $55.8K | Grant | Oct 01, 2022 |  |

5 of 5 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Archipelago Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/archipelago-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Bethnal Green Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bethnal-green-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Caesar Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/caesar-ventures-llc) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [HydrogenOne Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/hydrogenone-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Imperial College London](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/imperial-college-london) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [LIVING HOPE VC](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/living-hope-vc) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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- [Foundation for Innovation and Technology (FIT)](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/foundation-pour-l-innovation-technologique) — VC Fund
- [Business Finland](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/tekes) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Cranfield University invest in?

Cranfield University invests primarily in Manufacturing, Energy and Aerospace startups, most often at Grant and Pre-Seed stage. Most of the 5 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United Kingdom. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Cranfield University?

Public channels for Cranfield University include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Cranfield University?

The team at Cranfield University includes Claire Banwell Spencer (Head of Entrepreneurship Growth Portfolio), Claire Stokes (Member of Council) and Jeff Obbard (Visiting Professor, School of Water, Energy and Environment), among 8 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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