Bridging the Gap between Scientific Research and Industrial Impact

Bridging the Gap between Scientific Research and Industrial Impact

From Oxford+ by Susannah de Jager

May 11, 2026 · 37 min · Season 4 · Episode 8

About this episode

In this episode, Susannah de Jager interviews Dr Holly Reeve about her journey in transforming scientific research into industrial applications through her company HydRegen.

What does it really take to turn a breakthrough in a university lab into a company that could transform how the world makes chemicals? In this episode of Oxford+, host Susannah de Jager speaks with Dr Holly Reeve, co-founder and CEO of HydRegen, an Oxford spin-out replacing precious metals in chemical manufacturing with bio-based enzyme catalysts. Holly shares her journey from a farm in rural England to leading a 15-person deep tech company now preparing for manufacturing and raising a Series A. With the global biocatalysis market projected to more than double to USD 10.2 billion by 2033 , Hydregen is positioned at the forefront of a sector gaining serious momentum. Holly discusses how she developed leadership skills during her PhD, why the shift from academic to commercial mindset is so difficult, and how she balances curiosity with execution. She also speaks candidly about the challenges of fundraising as a female founder in a sector where women-led deep tech startups still receive only 15% of seed funding . (00:00) - Welcome to Oxford+ (01:22) - Growing Up Curious on a Farm (02:36) - Finding Chemistry at Oxford (04:17) - Inside Kylie Vincent's Research Group (05:17) - Learning…

People in this episode

Host: Susannah de Jager

Guest: Dr Holly Reeve

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HydRegen

Places: Oxford, England

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