Serendipity: It Doesn't Happen by Accident

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.

Author: David Cleevely
Publisher: C&p
Published: 06/25/2025
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.86lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.75d
ISBN: 9781068439216

About the Author
Cleevely, David: - "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."