Our Vision
Building the Next Generation of Deep-Tech Startups
StartupDen Ltd is a UK-based innovation incubator dedicated to transforming cutting-edge research into scalable technology ventures. The organization focuses on supporting founders, researchers, and innovators working in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, digital twins, and intelligent infrastructure.
StartupDen provides a collaborative ecosystem where startups can access technical mentorship, strategic guidance, and global academic partnerships. By bridging the gap between research laboratories and real-world industries, StartupDen helps innovators convert breakthrough ideas into commercially viable products and services.
Our mission is to create a global platform where technology entrepreneurship, academic collaboration, and industrial innovation converge to build impactful deep-tech venture
Our Leadership
Maryam Muddesar
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Maryam Muddesar leads the strategic and operational direction of StartupDen Ltd, guiding the incubator’s mission to support emerging founders, innovators, and research-driven ventures. She oversees partnerships, startup engagement, and the development of programs that help transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses. Maryam is particularly passionate about promoting women entrepreneurship and leadership in technology and innovation ecosystems. Through her work, she strives to create opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs—especially women—to access mentorship, resources, and global collaboration networks that empower them to build impactful ventures.
Dr. Zia Qayyum
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) & Head of Digital Twin Innovation
Dr. Zia Qayyum provides the technological vision and strategic technical leadership for StartupDen’s deep-tech initiatives. Based in London, he oversees the development of advanced digital infrastructures and innovation platforms that bridge cutting-edge academic research with industrial applications. His work focuses on guiding the architecture of Digital Twin as a Service (DTaaS) platforms, developing scalable AI frameworks, and enabling robotics and intelligent systems to transition from laboratory research into commercially viable solutions. Dr. Qayyum also contributes strategic advisory to the Global Association for Academic Supervision, supporting the design of digital ecosystems that facilitate global research collaboration and mentorship networks. Through his leadership, StartupDen ensures that emerging technologies developed within its ecosystem align with international standards while progressing toward real-world industrial deployment.
Companies we empowered in collaboration with LSBU
StartupDen’s innovation activities are strengthened through the work of our Lead Mentor Dr. Muddesar Iqbal, who served as Lead Co-Principal Investigator (Lead Co-PI) at London South Bank University (LSBU) on multiple enterprise innovation programmes.Through the Simulation for Digital Health (SimDH) programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Dr. Iqbal provided applied research consultancy to 19 companies, supporting the development of new products, services, and digital solutions.Across this programme, more than 4,200 hours of innovation consultancy were delivered to startups and SMEs working in digital health, AI, IoT, and data-driven platforms.Building on this work, Dr. Iqbal also contributed as Lead Co-Principal Investigator to the BIG (Business Innovation Growth) Programme, a multi-university initiative led by London South Bank University supporting SMEs in accelerating product development and commercialization through applied research collaboration for more than 11 Startups.
