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 to Lead through Delegation
(07:16) - Going beyond the Lab to Find Industry
(09:00) - Knowing Your Strengths and Building around Them
(12:13) - Building Industry Relationships during a PhD
(13:43) - Learning to Listen before You Pitch
(18:06) - Founding HydRegen
(23:57) - Replacing Precious Metals with Bio-based Catalysts
(31:19) - Exploration versus Exploitation in Deep Tech

Dr Holly Reeve: Holly Reeve is the co-founder and CEO of Hydregen, an Oxford University spin-out developing bio-based catalysts to replace precious metals in chemical manufacturing. She holds a MChem and DPhil in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, where she worked on the HydRegen technologies from inception in Professor Kylie Vincent's research group. Holly has raised over £1.3 million in early-stage funding from Innovate UK and investors, secured a further £2.6 million led by Clean Growth Fund, and grown the company to 15 people. She is a Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technology prize winner and a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub's Shott Scale Up Accelerator. In June 2025, HydRegen announced a strategic collaboration with James Robinson Speciality Ingredients to implement its Bio2Amine™ biocatalyst technology in commercial manufacturing.

Connect with Holly on LinkedIn

Susannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.

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Oxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya, HSBC Innovation Banking, and James Cowper Kreston.

Produced and Edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.