Overview

How do breakthroughs really happen? Why do some people, places, and organisations generate transformative ideas - while others, with the same resources, fall short? In Serendipity: It Doesn't Happen by Accident, David Cleevely - telecoms pioneer, deep tech investor, and one of the architects of the Cambridge tech cluster - offers a powerful new perspective on innovation. Far from being the product of luck or inspiration alone, he shows how breakthroughs emerge from the interplay of networks, feedback loops, and well - designed environments. Drawing on complexity science, network theory, and a career of founding and funding over 60 companies - including the billion - dollar biotech firm Abcam, sparked by a single dinner conversation - Cleevely explains how to build systems that increase the odds of discovery. From 18th - century Birmingham to Silicon Valley, from government policy to startup growth, he reveals what makes some ecosystems flourish - and why others stagnate. You'll learn why weak ties are often more valuable than strong ones, how digital platforms may inadvertently reduce serendipity, and why the most innovative systems often appear inefficient. You'll also discover how the convergence of technical capability, contextual insight, and operational know - how drives the biggest breakthroughs. This is not a book about waiting for lightning to strike. It is about understanding the structures that make lightning more likely - and becoming the kind of environment where it wants to land. Whether you're an entrepreneur, policymaker, researcher or institutional leader, Serendipity is a research - backed, practical guide to designing for discovery - when the future is uncertain, and breakthrough innovation is essential.

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9781068439216

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Reviews

""Most serendipitously, the story behind the origins of the word 'serendipity' has been a million-pound question on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? David Cleevely winningly shows that it's a million-pound question for all of us. This refreshing and reassuring book is a wonderful reminder that success and happiness don't have to come from squeezing tight and working yourself into anxiety. Sometimes, if we let them, Dame Fortune and Mistress Chance can take us by the hand..."" - Stephen Fry, actor, writer, and broadcaster ""At a time when policy makers are looking for ways to boost innovation, productivity, start-ups and growth in Britain and beyond, Cleevely's book is a powerful clarion call. It shows that serendipity is not a mere 'accident' but a set of phenomena that can and should be designed. We can all find inspiration from where this has emerged-not just in Silicon Valley, but in British stories too, from 20th-century Cambridge to the 18th-century Lunar Society. Timely, provocative and lucid, this should be required reading for educationalists, policymakers, urban planners-as well as any would-be entrepreneur."" - Gillian Tett OBE, award-winning author and Financial Times journalist ""David doesn't just write about serendipity-he creates it. This is a powerful guide to building the future through connection, curiosity, and purpose."" - Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Superagency ""How do you engineer serendipity? This might seem paradoxical, but this wonderful book explains why unexpected successes can be less surprising than they seem-and how to create the conditions that make success in any endeavour more likely."" - Dame Diane Coyle, leading economist and Bennett Professor of Public Policy, Cambridge ""As someone immersed in exponential technologies and systemic change, I found this book a revelation. Cleevely doesn't just talk about innovation-he shows how we can design for it. Essential reading for anyone trying to build resilient institutions or shape the future."" - Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View and author of The Exponential Age ""David is bang on the money. Most institutional decision-making tries to minimise the effects of chance. Yet, in a fat-tailed, probabilistic world, it's often better to do everything you can to improve your odds of good fortune."" - Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy, and author of Alchemy ""David shows, with scholarly depth and practical wisdom, that the 'accidents' behind discovery can be nurtured-just as we nurture public health. A vital guide for leaders who care about evidence-based progress and human flourishing."" - Baroness Black of Strome, DBE, FRCP, FMedSci, former Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge ""This book turns an elusive idea into practical guidance. Cleevely explains, with authority and urgency, how schools, universities, and government can engineer the 'happy accidents' that power real innovation."" - Baroness Sally Morgan, former Minister of State for Women, Chair of Ofsted ""This is an important analysis. It is also challenging and difficult. David Cleevely is right to raise these ideas, based on his extensive experience. The resulting debate will not finish quickly."" - Lord Richard Wilson, former Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office

Author Information

Dr David Cleevely CBE FREng FIET is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and adviser to government on technology and innovation policy. He has founded or helped grow over 60 companies, including Abcam (sold for $6 billion), Analysys, Raspberry Pi, Focal Point Positioning, and Chemify. A key figure in building the Cambridge tech cluster, he co-founded Cambridge Angels, Cambridge Network, the Centre for Science and Policy, and Cambridge Ahead.He has been recognised with a CBE and honorary doctorates for his services to education, technology, and innovation. He lives in Cambridge, where serendipity often strikes while cycling across town or during spontaneous conversations at college gatherings - still creating the conditions for the next great idea.

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