Investing in Oxford: showcasing Oxford life sciences during JPM week in San Francisco

16th January 2026

Oxford University Innovation (OUI) returned to San Francisco on Tuesday 13 January 2026 to host its third annual ‘Investing in Oxford’ event during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week. Bringing together international investors, corporates and Oxford spinouts, the evening highlighted why Oxford remains one of the world’s most compelling places to invest in life sciences innovation.

Oxford University Innovation (OUI) returned to San Francisco on Tuesday 13 January 2026 to host its third annual ‘Investing in Oxford’ event during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference week. Bringing together international investors, corporates and Oxford spinouts, the evening highlighted why Oxford remains one of the world’s most compelling places to invest in life sciences innovation.

Held at the Center for Architecture and Design, the programme combined a fireside chat, rapid company presentations and networking drinks, creating space for meaningful conversations at one of the busiest weeks in the global healthcare investment calendar.

Connecting Oxford innovation with global capital

The event welcomed over 100 attendees on the night, including 37 investors, 41 ecosystem partners and 24 members of Oxford spinout teams – reflecting strong and growing interest from international healthcare investors already in San Francisco for JPM week.

‘Investing in Oxford’ was designed to strengthen existing relationships and create new ones between OUI and US-based and international investors, while raising the visibility of investable Oxford University life sciences spinouts. The evening was delivered in partnership with Womble Bond Dickinson and HGF, whose support helped bring together investors, advisers and founders from across the global healthcare ecosystem.

A $1.5bn Oxford exit: lessons from OrganOx

The centrepiece of the evening was a fireside chat titled ‘OrganOx – the $1.5bn Oxford exit’, exploring the journey behind one of Oxford’s most significant life sciences successes.

The discussion featured Jin Hagimoto, Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive Officer at Terumo, alongside Baroness Nicola Blackwood, Chair of Oxford University Innovation and Chair of Genomics England. The conversation offered a light-hearted and reflective look at the OrganOx story, from its early formation through to acquisition.

Baroness Blackwood noted that while the original research began in Cambridge, OrganOx ultimately found its home in Oxford after the founders made the move – a decision that proved pivotal in the company’s growth.

Jin described the more than decade-long relationship between OrganOx and Terumo, which began with Terumo acting as a key component supplier to the OrganOx Metra device. That relationship deepened in December 2024, when Terumo became an investor, enabling closer collaboration and alignment around a shared strategic vision.

He emphasised that the acquisition was driven as much by relationships as by technology. Early conversations, first sparked at an industry conference, helped build trust between the founders, the OrganOx leadership team and Terumo – laying the foundations for a long-term partnership and, ultimately, a successful exit.

The session also featured reflections from Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Innovation and Safety and a former transplant surgeon. Drawing on his firsthand clinical experience, he spoke about using the OrganOx Metra device and its life-saving impact for patients, underlining the real-world outcomes of Oxford-led innovation.

Oxford’s innovation strength on the global stage

Opening the event, Adam Workman, Head of Investments & New Ventures at Oxford University Innovation, welcomed guests to OUI’s third spinout showcase during JPM week. He emphasised Oxford’s strength as a place to invest and the opportunity for attendees to make new connections across the Oxford and international healthcare community.

Baroness Blackwood then set the scene for Oxford’s wider innovation ecosystem. She reflected on a year of continued global impact from Oxford-led innovation – from the rollout of the R21/Matrix-M™ malaria vaccine across Africa to advances in cell and gene therapies, sustainable fuels and digital health.

She highlighted Oxford’s position as the UK’s leading university for spinout creation for the fourth year running, and its ranking as first in Europe for deep tech and life sciences spinout value. Despite challenging economic conditions, OUI-supported companies raised £489.8m in investment and £34.2m in seed funding in 2024/25, alongside three record-breaking exits: Oxford Ionics, OrganOx and Dark Blue Therapeutics.

Eight Oxford spinouts take the spotlight

Following the fireside chat, eight companies from OUI’s healthcare portfolio each took to the stage for a three-minute presentation:

Nucleome Therapeutics
Dandelion Diagnostics
TimeTrace Labs
Orfonyx Bio
Oxford Drug Design
Yellowstone Biosciences
Albus Health
Orthoson

Each company showcased how research and knowledge from the University of Oxford is being translated into innovative approaches to some of the most pressing challenges in life sciences and healthcare. The rapid-fire format offered investors a clear snapshot of the breadth, quality and ambition of Oxford’s spinout pipeline.

Building momentum for future engagement

‘Investing in Oxford’ continues to play an important role in OUI’s international engagement strategy, strengthening relationships with US corporates, investors and funds while ensuring Oxford innovation has a strong presence during a pivotal week for global healthcare investment.

As Oxford–Cambridge collaboration and wider UK innovation initiatives continue to gather pace, events like this help reinforce a clear message to global investors: Oxford is open for investment.