Jim Glasheen on scaling impact, from San Francisco to Cambridge

Listen to the full podcast episode here

With a career spanning over two decades across industry and university environments in both Silicon Valley and the Cambridge Massachusetts innovation ecosystem, Jim brings a renewed global perspective to Cambridge’s strengths. His first impression of Cambridge was of a charming and supportive environment: “It’s truly warm and there is kinder undertone here, which I love and appreciate. I think that this overall supportive, collaborative feel to the ecosystem is one that we should harness and continue to cultivate going forward”.

Amidst a busy schedule of strategic meetings, one initiative that stands out is Jim’s work to establish a Cambridge Enterprise office in London. The goal: to bridge Cambridge innovation with capital, global talent and new partnerships. As Jim put it, “We shouldn’t wait until Series B to start building relationships with international investors. That outreach starts now”. This strategic move aims to enhance Cambridge’s ability to scale its startups and integrate more deeply with global networks.

Throughout the podcast, they discussed the challenges ahead. Jim talked about the challenges faced by startups, particularly the limitations of funding between early-stage and growth-stage and suggested a more proactive approach, urging the community to build relationships with global investors from the very beginning. During the 30-minute episode, Jim talked about attitude to entrepreneurship: “The real signals come from the market, customers, capital and talent. Too much structure can blunt that.”

Jim also reflected on the broader role UK universities play compared to their US counterparts. At Cambridge Enterprise, that role spans technology development, company creation, consulting and venture investment, making it unusually comprehensive. He shared a thought-provoking perspective on the balance between offering support and encouraging entrepreneurial resilience. While strong support is essential, it’s equally important to create space for entrepreneurs to develop the adaptability and confidence needed to navigate the realities of commercialisation and scaling a venture.

Building on this, he explored how attitudes toward failure and risk shape entrepreneurial success. Drawing on his experience as both investor and founder, he highlighted that setbacks are often the most valuable learning moments. Rather than avoiding failure, he encouraged embracing it as part of the journey, promoting a culture that sees risk as a necessary and constructive part of scaling innovation. As he put it, “I’ve had a lot of failures and they hurt… but for whatever reason, I’m not embarrassed by them.”

Fast-forward to July, Jim work is focused on increasing international outreach, fostering an approach to risk tolerance – rather than aversion and creating the conditions for Cambridge ideas to scale up globally.