CEPS CDT alumnus Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano wins King's Entrepreneurship Prize 2026 for Polytecks innovation
We're delighted to share that CEPS CDT alumnus and Polytecks founder, Dr Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano, has been awarded the King's Entrepreneurship Prize 2026. The award recognises Ruben's innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurial achievement in developing cutting-edge bioelectronic technologies through his Cambridge-based startup, Polytecks.
King's Entrepreneurship Prize 2026
Established in 2014 through a gift from Stuart Lyons CBE (KC 1962), the Entrepreneurship Prize encourages members of King's College, Cambridge, past and present, to develop entrepreneurial ideas that deliver sustainable commercial and social impact.
The competition culminates each year in the Lyons Den, where finalists present their business plans to an expert judging panel.
This year's top prize, worth £20,000, was awarded to Polytecks in recognition of its innovative approach to advancing diagnostic healthcare technologies.
Polytecks: making the skin a window into the body
Polytecks is developing a new generation of flexible bioelectronic sensors capable of capturing the body's electrical signatures at unprecedented resolution.
Built on novel conducting materials, advanced engineering techniques, and machine learning, the company's technology aims to make sophisticated diagnostic tools as accessible and easy to use as a stethoscope. Its long-term vision is to establish bioelectrical mapping as a mainstream diagnostic category across healthcare.
The company is entering the market through veterinary cardiology, enabling clinicians to assess cardiovascular disease more accurately at the point of care. Looking ahead, the platform has the potential to support mapping of the brain, muscles, nervous system, gastrointestinal system, and other electrically active biological systems.
During the competition, the team presented Mosaic, Polytecks' platform for high-resolution bioelectrical mapping that operates without the need for gels, wires, or specialist operators.
Reflecting on the award, Ruben said:
"The competition was tough, with many exceptional ventures entering, and several rounds of challenging questions to answer. Thanks to the judging panel for the enjoyable discussions.
I am very proud to be part of the Polytecks team and to receive this recognition from King's College. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us from the beginning. This is an exciting milestone, and there is much more to come."
Congratulations to Ruben and the entire Polytecks team on this well-deserved achievement.
Further Information
About Dr Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano
Ruben is Founder and CEO of Polytecks Ltd, a Cambridge-based bioelectronics company developing non-invasive bioelectrical mapping technologies for healthcare and diagnostics.
He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge through the Centre for Doctoral Training in Connected Electronic and Photonic Systems (CEPS CDT), supervised by Professor George Malliaras and supported by the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training grant EP/S022139/1.
Ruben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-ruiz-mateos-serrano-96ba271b2/
Ruben's doctoral research focused on the development of a wearable cardiac activity mapping system: link to PhD research abstract
Polytecks Ltd
King's Entrepreneurship Prize 2026
Winners of the 2026 Entrepreneurship Prize: link
Published: August 2026
Main photo: Callan MacDonald, Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano and Phil Clements
Image credit: © 2026 King's College, Cambridge
Additional photo: Ruben Ruiz-Mateos Serrano presenting the Polytecks pitch
Image credit: Max Ge