Cambridge Consultants Ltd
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| Cambridge Consultants | |
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| Type | Private (Private company) |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Headquarters |  Cambridge, England, Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Industry | Product and technology development and consultancy |
| Employees | 280 |
| Website | www.CambridgeConsultants.com |
Contents |
[edit] Profile
Cambridge Consultants is a world-renowned product and technology developer, working for a global client base in a wide range of industries including: medical technology, wireless communication, automotive, transport, energy, consumer products, industrial products and defence. The majority of the company’s business is fee-for-service development work where clients seek competitive advantage and differentiation through the creation of radical new products. The company also provides business consulting services in the areas of Innovation Management, Market Strategy and Due Diligence.
In addition to its ‘fee-for-service’ work, Cambridge Consultants also invests in its own intellectual property (IP) which is then acquired or licensed by clients. On occasion this IP investment is used to form a new corporate venture or spin-out. Cambridge Consultants’ track-record in venturing is second to none and the company is one of the central pillars behind what is known as the Cambridge Phenomenon or Silicon Fen. Many companies in and around the city of Cambridge can trace their roots back to the company, including the majority of the company’s current local competitors.
[edit] History
Cambridge Consultants was founded in 1960 by two Cambridge graduates, Tim Eiloart and David Southward, who wanted to "put the brains of Cambridge University at disposal of the problems of British industry".
Until 1 January 1972 the company was privately run before becoming part of Arthur D. Little , the large U.S. management consultancy. Cambridge Consultants remained part of Arthur D. Little until 2001. In 2002 the management team at Cambridge Consultants acquired the company, backed by Altran, Europe’s largest technology consultancy.
Despite the early difficulties witnessed by many technology companies at the turn of the millennium, Cambridge Consultants has managed to grow from strength to strength in recent years and now has a reputation as one of the world’s leading innovators in a wide range of industries. The company has two offices, in Cambridge UK and Boston USA, employing nearly 300 talented engineers, scientists, analysts and consultants.
[edit] Current business
Cambridge Consultants is split into four divisions: MedTech, Healthcare Consulting and Innovation Management, Wireless and Products & Systems. Each division is then split into further ‘campaigns’ where the company focuses on particular areas of specialism and technologies, helping clients to lead their respective markets.
[edit] MedTech division
Cambridge Consultants develops products and technology for drug delivery (respiratory, transdermal, injection, etc), diagnostics (both lab-based and point-of-care devices), surgical and interventional, and sensing and imaging. The company has also combined its wireless and medical device expertise and is currently working with clients on a new generation of wireless medical products.
[edit] Wireless division
The wireless division develops new and innovative technology for its clients, employing its distinguished team of systems, RF, analogue, baseband, DSP, ASIC and software engineers. The company develops chips through to complete products and is active in the majority of wireless technologies available today; from satellite and WiMAX to ZigBee, UWB and NFC. Nevertheless, remaining technology agnostic enables the team to advise on the optimum technology and approach for its client’s products.
Cambridge Consultants is responsible for many ‘world-firsts’ in wireless communication, including:
- The first single-chip Bluetooth device, which was spun out to create CSR, now the market leader in Bluetooth chips
- The digital radio used to manage the majority of the US airspace
- The world’s first GSM videophone for Orange
- The world’s first digital wireless patient monitoring system operating in the WMTS medical frequency band, which the company developed for its client Philips Medical Systems
[edit] Products & Systems division
The P&S division within Cambridge Consultants develops industrial and consumer products, automotive and transport technologies, and ASICs and FPGAs. Many ASIC projects use Cambridge Consultants' XAP processor core. This division also developed [prism 200], a highly sophisticated handheld through-wall radar.
[edit] Healthcare Consulting and Innovation Management division
The consulting division at Cambridge Consultants provides analysis and advice on market strategy, transaction support and innovation management especially for complex technology products and companies.
- In innovation management the company uses its own ideas management process to come up with novel products and concepts.
- Its market and strategy specialists are focused solely on first-in-class products.
- The division’s consultants and analysts carry out technical and commercial due diligence for clients around the world, as well as providing Expert Reports for companies listing on the UK stock market.
[edit] Spin-outs
Cambridge Consultants has created over twenty new ventures in the past twenty-five years, several of which have gone on to achieve listing on the London Stock Exchange, namely Domino, Xaar, Prelude Trust, CSR plc and Vivid (sold to Vectura). Other successful spin-offs include Alphamosaic and Inca, who have subsequently been acquired by Broadcom for $123m and Dainippon Screen for Euro 43.8m, respectively. Both sales were achieved within five years of the companies being formed.
After a four year gap the company has announced that it is moving back into the venturing part of its business. In an innovative new approach to venturing, Cambridge Consultants has established a joint £10M joint venture fund with the leading technology venture capitalist Esprit Capital Partners. The fund will be used to invest exclusively in Cambridge Consultants’ own spin-outs. [1].
Cambridge Consultants encourages an entrepreneurial culture and works with staff to help develop their technical and commercial skills. This culture helps create the next wave of entrepreneurs as well as demonstrating to clients that the company is commercially and technically astute. The company’s history in creating spin-off companies helps it to attract entrepreneurial-minded engineers, which in turn also benefits clients.
[edit] Further reading
- Dale, Rodney (1979) From Ram Yard to Milton Hilton: A History of Cambridge Consultants Ltd, 1960-1979, 36 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge Consultants Ltd
[edit] External links
[2] Cambridge Consultants is a Founder Member of the Cambridge Network and regularly posts news and jobs here
