Reflections on AngioGenius and Accelerate Cambridge

By Dr Ethan Waisberg

When I first started AngioGenius, my goal was clear: to leverage artificial intelligence to revolutionize retinal disease diagnoses and provide clinicians with a useful tool. But as a medical doctor with no formal business training, I quickly realized that having a great idea was not enough to succeed. I needed to learn how to turn that idea into a scalable, impactful company. That’s where the Accelerate programme came in.

Accelerate Cambridge gave me a firm foundation in entrepreneurship and provided me with the knowledge, skills, and confidence I needed to build and grow my first startup. The programme covered everything from refining my business model to developing a clear Intellectual Property (IP) protection strategy for AngioGenius’ Artificial Technology (AI).

The accelerator experience was about more than just learning business fundamentals, it was also about inspiration and personal growth. One of my favourite aspects was the opportunity to hear from past programme participants who had launched massively successful companies. Their candid stories of navigating challenges, rapid pivoting strategies, and finding success, inspired me that no entrepreneurial journey is linear, and that adaptability and perseverance are essentials for entrepreneurs.

The mentors were another highlight of the programme. Mentors included many successful entrepreneurs from the Cambridge ecosystem, who gave personalized feedback on my venture based on their experience of the start-up world. Their collective expertise spanned every area critical to building a business—venture capital, marketing, product development, data analytics and beyond. In one-on-one sessions, they pushed me to examine every detail of my business, giving me a truly holistic view of what it takes to succeed as a founder. 

Within 12 months of joining Accelerate Cambridge, and as a result of their inspiring programme, AngioGenius hit several major milestones. We won the Unloc Verizon Young Entrepreneur Challenge; a moment that validated the work we were doing. Shortly after, I was invited to speak at the One Young World Conference in Montreal, where I addressed an audience of over 2,000 young leaders—including the Canadian Prime Minister. These experiences were incredible opportunities to share my vision for AngioGenius and gain international exposure.

Accelerate Cambridge wasn’t just about refining AngioGenius—it was about personal growth. As someone without a business background, I initially felt overwhelmed by the scope of what needed to be done. But through workshops, collaborative sessions with fellow founders, and the invaluable support of mentors, I developed the knowledge, skills and confidence to take AngioGenius forward.

Today, AngioGenius is growing steadily, and the lessons I learned from Accelerate Cambridge continue to guide my decisions and inspire me. Whether it’s scaling our AI platform or navigating regulatory frameworks, the knowledge I gained from the programme is proving to be indispensable.

For anyone considering Accelerate Cambridge, I can’t recommend the programme highly enough. It’s not just a programme—it’s a launchpad for ideas, a support network and a place to grow. For me, the name “Accelerate” couldn’t be more fitting because that’s exactly what it did for my venture.

Author Bio:

Dr. Ethan Waisberg is an Academic Foundation Doctor at the University of Cambridge, and Member of NASA’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Working Group.

AngioGenius is a generative AI platform where a simple photo of the eye can be turned into another imaging type that provides more rich data, allowing disease progression to be better monitored.