Our Values
How we conduct ourselves and how we do business is extremely important to everyone at CIC. We strive to be good citizens and successful business partners whilst achieving the best results.
We believe our values will help us build a prosperous and sustainable future, enhance financial returns and have a positive impact on our stakeholders. These values were developed by our amazing team and truly characterise what it means to be part of CIC.
We think big and believe anything is possible.
We seek to be the best at what we do. We are pioneers. We are bold.
We are committed to doing the right thing, even when no one else is looking.
We speak with honesty, think with sincerity and act with integrity.
We are a people business, and our success is built on enabling the growth and development of our team.
We seek to ensure all members of our team are effective and fulfilled in their work.
We use our combined resources, internally and in the Cambridge ecosystem, to get the best results.
We pride ourselves on our ability to collaborate across sectors and markets.
We celebrate different views and seek to avoid hierarchies.
Each person on our team matters and plays an important role in our organisation's success.
As individuals and an organisation, we can make a real difference to the future, our community and the environment.
We contribute positively to the Cambridge ecosystem, making it a great place to work, live and thrive.
Values in action
We are delighted to support the Cambridge Science Centre in the important work they do for young people in Cambridge and beyond. Our sponsorship has helped them to return to full capacity following the strains of the pandemic on their workforce, and to continue to thrive and develop the innovators of the future – people who will one day have the potential to change lives and make their mark on the world.
Read our blog: Science changes lives
We’re committed to supporting diversity within the industry. Our ESG initiatives emphasise our own targets in advancing equality and inclusion within CIC, particularly through recruitment where gender and ethnic diversity is part of all shortlisted positions. Now, as a founding partner of LSX Female Founders we are pleased to have the opportunity to make a greater impact on diversity in the industry at a much larger scale.
Read our blog: The Power of Women in STEM – Female Founders
ESG and Impact
Since our inception, we have been aligned with positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Incorporating these principles into our practice aligns the investment activities with the values of our team and broader societal objectives. We believe that evaluating ESG and Impact will enhance financial returns for shareholders over the long term.
When we review a potential investment opportunity, we consider an impact thesis, in addition to a financial thesis, and assess the potential ESG risks and opportunities.
As an anchor institution in the Cambridge ecosystem we seek to demonstrate leadership and are committed to working with partners and co-investors in the broader innovation ecosystem to accelerate the incorporation of ESG and impact into company operations. In 2021 we ran an ESG workshop to support portfolio company implementation of ESG factors and based on the feedback from the workshop, we are developing an ESG toolkit for our portfolio companies.
Our impact strategy and how we measure success, together with the portfolio annual survey and case studies, are detailed in our annual Impact and ESG report for the year ended 31 March 2022.
Professor Andy Neely, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations:
CIC is a central part of the Cambridge Ecosystem. It provides expert support and investment to rapidly growing businesses in strategically important technology and life sciences fields. The University is delighted with the scale of impact achieved by CIC to date.
CIC is a signatory of PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) and the Investing In Women Code and a founding partner of LSX Female Founders.
PRI works to understand the investment implications of ESG factors and to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment.
The Investing in Women Code is a commitment by financial services firms to the advancement of female entrepreneurship through improving female entrepreneurs’ access to tools, resources and finance.
LSX Female Founders was founded to connect women entrepreneurs in the health and life science field with investors as well as offer mentorship from relevant industry professionals. Together with our fellow founding partners we can offer a combined network of over 10,000 investors to support the progression of new businesses.
CIC is a Carbon Neutral Business
