University spin-outs show emerging technologies’ potential
A range of emerging technologies were on show at this year’s annual SETsquared event that took place in conjunction with the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA). These included new headset designs for mobile broadband, future airline seats, odour detectors for medical diagnoses, novel architecture for reconfigurable, programmable logic and unique fuel-cell plates.
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SETsquared Partnership, a joint collaboration of the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Southampton and Surrey in the UK, established the event to showcase a select group of their respective university spin-out (USO) companies, in order to attract VC investors and strategic partners.
UK university spin-out companies and start-up companies based in university business incubators are proving to be highly successful. In the last two years seven UK university spin-out companies have been acquired for £2 billion. To date, the partnership has helped new external ventures to raise more than £38 million of funding and raised over £80 million of follow-on funding for university spin-outs.
Below is brief information about some of these companies; more detailed information about these and 19 other companies and their technologies, management team, is available to subscribers of The Chilli RED.
Exoteq is developing a handheld device with ADSL-quality, mobile broadband connection. The handset allows consumers to make VoIP calls, browse the web, send and receive emails, instant messages, watch videos and listen to music online anytime, anywhere. It also provides a mobile broadband connection to laptops.
Provision Communications has taken on the challenge of developing a product that delivers TV and video wirelessly around the home. Its key features will be video quality/reliability, wireless range, and ease of use. This ambitious product eliminates the need for inconvenient, impractical and expensive cabling.
The Key Revolution uses globally trusted ‘chip and PIN’ technology on a physical SIMkey, ensuring safer online transactions. This technology, which was spun out from Vodafone, allows secure browsing without leaving any footprint behind, making users less vulnerable to online fraud. The SIMkey also securely backs-up valuable PC files, providing full recovery of documents, photos and passwords.
Odour-Reader is at an early stage of development, developing a non-invasive, near-patient device able to rapidly diagnose multiple diseases by ‘reading’ the odour of gaseous biological samples. The proprietary technology platform has numerous applications, with initial focus on infectious diarrhoea and cancer screening for use by hospitals, GPs and other healthcare providers.
Silicon Basis has developed advanced fully-flexible programmable logic architecture, to be available as licensable IP. It offers power efficiency approaching hardwired circuitry at a much lower cost than existing programmable logic. It also brings the benefits of reconfigurability to high volume consumer and power sensitive applications such as mobile phones, wireless LANs and digital TVs for the first time.
Stratophase has developed a novel sensor system which will allow flexible, low-cost in-line control of liquid processes in the food industry. It has strong IP covering the technology, and has worked closely with industry partners to develop the first prototype and make early sales.
TriOpsis has developed a photographic image display management system based on mobile phone and web2.0 technology. Applications include remote monitoring and tracking of retail point of purchase material, enabling improved productivity and enhanced revenue.
SOMARK is developing a patented ID system based on chipless radio-frequency identification (RFID) bio-ink tattoos that can be detected, without line of sight, using hand-held or high volume chute readers. Target markets include cattle industry, other farm animals, equine and household pets, cuts of meat, skins, pelts and hides and metal parts and components.
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