Co-Founder and CEO, INSPHERE

INSPHERE develops new measurement technologies for use in advanced manufacturing. Its solutions enable precision measurement and control so that companies can optimise and improve manufacturing performance. This leads to improvements in quality and consistency, greater efficiency and increased profitability.

INSPHERE technologies can be used in environments such as car production lines where failures can lead to costs of up to £10,000 per minute while issues are resolved. The company aims to become a global leader for advanced monitoring and control technologies and already has high-profile customers including Rolls-Royce and the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

Ben Adeline, CEO, is developing a strategy to increase sales of existing products and services while developing new solutions and services. This includes a new product due for launch in late 2020 that will enable continuous monitoring and control of industrial automation systems.

With support and training through the SME Leaders Programme, Ben aims to strengthen his leadership skills in areas such as corporate finance and strategy. This will also help with managing a growing team as the company extends its product range and scales rapidly. 

Visit INSPHERE's website here.

Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Sixfold Bioscience

Sixfold Bioscience has developed a patented technology for the safe and effective drug delivery of cell and gene therapeutics. Its programmable oligonucleotide delivery system (PODS) provides a cost-effective way to deliver a diverse range of therapeutic cargo with high targeting specificity.

There is currently a lack of safe, efficient in vivo delivery systems for cell and gene therapeutics. Many cell and gene therapies show great potential for achieving this, but their wide implementation has been limited by both complex and expensive manufacturing processes, and an inefficiency in reaching their targets. PODS is an efficient, non-viral, RNA-based drug delivery technology that has shown promising early in vitro and in vivo results.

Based at the Translation and Innovation Hub at Imperial College London, Sixfold Bioscience has  been awarded funding by Innovate UK to support two projects that will help in accelerating the pre-clinical development of the PODS platform.

Anna Perdix Rosell, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, leads Sixfold Bioscience’s R&D team and is helping to devise its long and short-term strategy for preclinical research. Supported by the SME Leaders Programme, she aims to strengthen skills in strategic product development to support Sixfold’s goal of revenue generation through pharmaceutical collaboration. This will help the company make an impact on the global drug delivery systems market which is currently valued at £/$3.2 billion and is projected to rapidly grow.

Visit Sixfold Bioscience's website here.

CEO, Kalium Health

Kalium Health aims to make it quicker and easier for patients to monitor and manage unstable blood electrolyte levels that can become life-threatening, especially for those with kidney disease. Its first product is a handheld test device for monitoring blood potassium level with clinical accuracy.

The University of Cambridge spin-out is developing the device in response to patients’ request for an alternative to current methods,  which involve hospital-based tests requiring a venous blood sample. These are often considered inconvenient, expensive and can lead to delays with treatment. In contrast, Kalium’s device will provide users with real-time results in any setting.

Tom Collings, CEO, is responsible for setting the company’s overall strategy and overseeing operational activities. Supported by the SME Leaders Programme, Tom aims to gain skills in areas such as recruitment, effective leadership and financial management to build a motivated team and drive efficiency as Kalium’s operations rapidly expand.

Networking with peers and support from a mentor will help Tom as he seeks to raise the company’s profile and develop the right commercial partnerships to help Kalium towards its goal to launch its first device in Europe and the US in the next five years.

Visit Kalium Health's website here.

CEO, AssetCool

AssetCool aims to improve the efficiency of power networks, and reduce power losses by up to 30%, with a photonic coating for power lines that helps them to manage temperature more effectively.

As electricity lines operate, their heat increases because of incoming solar radiation and the current running through them. This increased heat makes power lines less efficient. AssetCool’s solution is an easy-to-use durable coating for overhead power lines that improves their ability to reflect solar radiation while also allowing infrared heat to escape more easily. This creates extra network capacity by improving conductive efficiency resulting in up to 40% more power down the line and reduced carbon emissions.

Niall Coogan, SME Leader and CEO, is responsible for overseeing developments with the technology, while also focusing on industrial scale up, IP portfolio development and gaining commercial traction in key markets. He aims to use support from the SME Leaders Programme to develop leadership skills that will help with setting a clear strategic vision for a global business.

Training and support in effective management and communication skills will also help Niall to grow his team while directing technological and operational developments as AssetCool scales up to meet service market demand.

Visit AssetCool's website here.

CEO, Spotta

Spotta’s technology tracks and monitors insect pest populations for industries where they can be an issue. Insect pests are estimated to cause up to £320 billion of damage globally every year, impacting industries such as agriculture, forestry and the domestic and residential sectors.

As insect populations grow exponentially in the right conditions, early warning is essential to minimise damage. Using ultra-low power imaging and image processing, Spotta’s solutions allow their customers to detect insect pests at the earliest stage so that they can efficiently intervene to reduce treatment costs and the impact of lost revenue.

Spotta’s first product, the Bed Pod is currently being used in hotels, hospitals and rented accommodation to detect bed bugs. It has been on the market since 2018 and has a 95% success rate for customers. Further products are in the pipeline to support other industries in tackling insect pest issues.

Robert Fryers, CEO, was awarded a place on the SME Leaders Programme as Spotta aims to increase its commercial focus. This will involve strengthening its existing customer base while also expanding into new markets with new products. Support from the programme will help Robert meet the challenge of leading a team of mixed commercial and technical talent that is expected to rapidly increase in size as Spotta moves into European and North American markets.

Visit Spotta's website here.

The problem

Open surgery is the current standard for preparing patients for dialysis and bypassing blocked peripheral arteries. High failure rates (approximately 50%) in both cases present a serious danger to life and require repeat procedures, for US dialysis patients alone this adds up to $4.6 billion per year.

The solution

Sorin Popa, founder of Pathfinder Medical, developed an electronic catheter guidance system that enables clinicians to connect blood vessels in a minimally invasive way, eliminating the need for open surgery and improving outcomes for vascular procedures. This technology has the potential to reduce the cost and trauma associated with procedures to treat those with renal failure and peripheral arterial disease.

Worldwide 3.4 million patients have end stage kidney disease and require their blood to be routinely filtered externally through haemodialysis.

This requires surgery to open up the arm and prepare patients’ blood vessels by forming a connection between an artery and a vein (known as a fistula or vascular access site). Pathfinder Medical’s catheter system can be used to connect blood vessels using a small covered tube known as a ‘stent graft’.  

This technology enables patients to receive kidney dialysis without surgery. It can also be used to bypass blocked vessels for those with peripheral arterial disease which affects over 200 million patients globally.

The technology improves outcomes for patients by reducing stress, discomfort and the risk of vascular access problems. It brings cost saving to healthcare providers by improving the efficiency of procedures and reducing the likelihood of costly repeat procedures. 

The global market for the technology is worth over £3.8 billion annually. In the UK, the solution could save the NHS an estimated £45 million per annum on kidney dialysis alone.

Traction

• 2018: Pathfinder Medical receives ISO 13485 accreditation and starts developing devices for a first in man clinical trial
• 2017: UK patent GB2536362 (B) is granted to Pathfinder Medical for the catheter guidance system
  
• 2016: Sorin's technology awarded the James Dyson Award International Top 20
• 2015: awarded a £166,000 'Smart Award’ from Innovate UK and a £1 million grant to develop the technology in partnership with Imperial College London

A 2016 Enterprise Fellowship was awarded to Sorin to support the growth of his start-up as it trials its technology in preparation for commercialisation.

Co-founder, Head of Innovation and Director, OXSIGHT

OXSIGHT develops smart glasses that enhances the residual vision of people with visual impairments. Visual impairments can be caused by a range of degenerative eye diseases including macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The glasses enable people to see their surroundings in more detail.

Over 50 million people worldwide are registered as having a visual impairment. OXSIGHT’s patented technology aims to promote independence, inclusion and opportunity by drawing on advances in machine learning and augmented reality. Its smart glasses combine style and functionality and make use of embedded cameras that can operate in a wide range of lighting conditions. These cameras collect video data that is processed using machine learning algorithms to detect faces, text and other objects.

The technology builds on research by Dr Stephen Hicks, Co-founder and Head of Innovation. Supported by the SME Leaders Programme, Dr Hicks aims to expand the company’s technical base and expertise in areas such as user-interfaces, mobile computer vision, personalised machine learning and wearable technology. He will use training and mentoring in systems such as change management to support him as he leads the company in exploring new ventures and product development at a time of rapid growth.

Visit OXSIGHT's website here.

The problem

Trade workers are at risk of long-term knee damage caused by kneeling. Existing knee pads lack flexibility, durability and sufficient support, further increasing this risk .

The solution

Victoria Hamiliton created Recoil knee pads following conversations with her father, a carpenter, about the need for trade workers to have access to better knee support. Victoria’s patented design sandwiches springs between two layers of support so that pressure is better absorbed and spread more evenly.

Developed by a team of biomechanical engineers, Recoil knee pads provide a 76% pressure reduction on the knee – a 20% improvement over existing competitors. The advanced cushioning provides trade workers with greater comfort while helping to prevent knee damage.

By incorporating a 360° pivot mechanism, Victoria has created a knee pad that moves more naturally with the knee. User-tests and feedback have helped the company to improve its design and achieve greater levels of protection and durability.

Recoil officially launched to market in 2016 and has since grown into an international business with sales in over 20 countries worldwide.

Traction

• 2016: Recoil officially launches online
• 2016: Victoria is awarded Business Women Scotland New Entrepreneur of the Year
• 2015: Scottish EDGE Fund Winner

Victoria was awarded a 2017 RAEng 1851 Royal Commission Enterprise Fellowship to further develop the business by recruiting to her team and expanding capacity for manufacturing Recoil Knee pads in Scotland, UK. 

CEO and Founder, Biorelate Ltd

Over 80% of data is unstructured, which can make it harder to access and to develop insights from. With global scientific output doubling every nine years, biomedical innovation is limited by a company’s ability to make use of the large volumes of data at its disposal. Biorelate’s solutions overcome this challenge by creating a high-performance platform for curating biomedical knowledge that can be used to accelerate innovation.

Biorelate’s platform, Galactic AI, improves access to data and information. This enables drug discovery companies to gain better insights to develop new innovations. The cloud-based computing platform they have developed can organise, analyse and connect large volumes of data to save time and resources when solving complex research problems. Its high-level processing power provides real-time insights and ensures that companies keep pace with the latest research outputs and developments.

Daniel Jamieson, CEO and Founder, has set a vision for Biorelate’s growth that includes expanding product sales in existing markets and gaining traction in the US. Support from SME Leaders Programme comes at a pivotal time as he focuses on business development, product innovation and sales. He will be able to use training through the programme to further develop leadership skills, in areas such as negotiation, as the company enters a significant phase of growth.

Visit Biorelate's website here.

David Gammon founded Rockspring in 2002 after 17 years of investment banking experience.

Rockspring provides advice and capital to disruptive technology companies from seed through scale up. His family are the benefactors of the JC Gammon Launchpad Award run by the Enterprise Hub.

David is a non-executive director at Raspberry Pi Trading Limited, Accesso Technology Group plc and Frontier Developments plc. 

Suranga has long experience as an engineer and entrepreneur. He founded Blinkx - an intelligent search engine for video and audio content - in 2004. He led Blinkx as CEO for eight years as well as taking it public in 2007. He is widely regarded as an expert on the convergence of the web, television and online advertising.

 Before his work with Blinkx, Suranga was US Chief Technology Officer of Autonomy where he was mentored by Mike Lynch and led the effort to enable Autonomy’s software to work in highly distributed environments. Suranga joined Balderton as a General Partner in 2014.

An accomplished speaker and commentator on the overlap between technology and media, Suranga has been elected by the World Economic Forum as one of its Young Global Leaders. He was also included in the Top 10 leaders in Science and Innovation by The Observer’s Future 500 list, and was a recipient of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Silver Medal in 2012. Suranga was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2012.

Anne is a prominent venture capitalist and European technology investor who has been Chief Executive of Amadeus Capital Partners from 1997. As a co-founder in the organisation, Anne’s role combines her experience as a scientist, operating manager and venture capitalist.

Anne began her career in manufacturing with Cummins Engine Company before moving into investment as a business angel. She was also Chief Operating Officer of Virtuality Group, which had been one of her investee companies.

Anne has held a number of high profile advisory positions, having served as Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association in 2004, and as a non-executive director of the UK Technology Strategy Board from 2005-2012. In 2008 Anne led the establishment of the Glover advisory committee for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, reporting on government procurement from SMEs. She is also a member of the European Research and Innovation Advisory Board. Anne was awarded a CBE for services to business in 2006 and was elected an Honourary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2008.

Chair of the Enterprise Committee and a long-standing Academy Fellow, Ian has played a prominent role in establishing the Enterprise Hub. His track record of helping businesses in the engineering and life science sectors transform their approach and improve their vision, ambition, business models and enterprise value is an invaluable resource.

Ian is currently Managing Director of contract R&D company Arcinova and is also the Managing Partner at investment and advisory firm Shott Trinova LLP. Prior to his specialist investment work at Shott Trinova, Ian was the founder and CEO of Excelsyn, which was sold to an American multinational in 2010. Earlier in his illustrious career he held numerous senior executive positions at multinational life science companies across the globe.

Ian has a wealth of experience with major industry bodies. He is currently the Chair of the UK government’s Leadership Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and a Governing Board Member of Innovate UK. Ian is also Visiting Professor at Oxford, Nottingham and Newcastle Universities.

Read Ian's blog about the Hub's new home.

Dick Whittington is a serial entrepreneur, business mentor and investor, focusing on the software industry and digital marketplaces, with over thirty years of experience in business. His experience has included co-founding a successful international software business recognised in UK through three Queen's Awards covering both Innovation and International Trade. 

In 2012 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering where he plays an active role including as a mentor for early-stage technology startups and spinouts through its highly successful Enterprise Hub. From 2015 Dick has been Visiting and Honorary Professor of Business Innovation at the University of York, where he has developed and delivered a respected course in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship for students and staff. He is also an active mentor and angel investor within several London and regional technology accelerator programmes. 

Prior to pursuing business interests, Dick lectured in Computer Science at the University of York. He managed a successful research team and published a number of research papers and books, including Database Systems Engineering (1987), which became a standard text within many universities. He also contributed to several significant texts including The Software Life Cycle (1990) and the Software Engineers' Reference Book (1991).

Phil is an active Cambridge-based angel investor where he chairs, coaches, invests in and helps communications, software and device companies. He is a frequent speaker on a broad range of entrepreneurial topics and an advisor to universities on the commercialisation of their IP.

In 1999 Phil co-founded the spin-out Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) and as managing director, helped to grow CSR plc from a startup of nine people into a highly successful FTSE 250 listed fabless semiconductor company. In 2003, CSR plc had become the largest global market supplier of Bluetooth chips. By 2015, they had shipped three billion chips, employed more than 2,000 people in 23 locations and was acquired by US-based Qualcomm for $2.5 billion.

Phil has been a research fellow at AERE, a chief research engineer at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories, UK Alvey & CEC ESPRIT project manager and a telecoms practice manager at Arthur D Little’s Cambridge Consultants, from which he spun-out CSR plc.

Phil was a recipient of the MacRobert Award in 2005 along with CSR colleagues, for the world's first high-volume single chip Bluetooth device. He was elected as a Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow in 2017 and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.

Formerly the UK Innovation Director for Atkins, Elspeth is the CEO and Founder of IAND, a digital platform that helps major enterprises manage multiple suppliers. 

Initially graduating as a chemist, Elspeth later turned her hand to transport and urban design, demonstrating business and technical leadership on over 100 transport planning projects both nationally and around the world.

Elspeth chairs the Enterprise Hub’s Innovators Network and is a judge for the Hub’s Launchpad Competition. She is also a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

In 2017, Elspeth was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to Engineering and Enterprise. 

Nigel’s career has involved working in the UK and the Netherlands for Unilever and Wellcome Research. While abroad, he built and operated the first large-scale Dutch facility for the manufacture of the genetically engineered protein alpha-galactosidase. Later, he led the process design for Wellcome’s WelGen interferon manufacturing plant in the USA.

Nigel has served as a co-founding non-executive director for two manufacturing SMEs, Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc (which was listed on AIM) and Angel Technology Ltd. The latter was awarded the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2006 and the International Sial d’Or prize for the most innovative new UK nutritional product at the Paris International Food Conference 2004. Currently he is Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge University.

Nigel was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2004.

Saeed is Technical Director at the prosthetic manufacturer Blatchford, winners of the 2016 RAEng MacRobert Award.

He has built a highly successful career based on outstanding innovation, product development and scientific research in the field of prosthetics. His work saw the company shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award in 2010.

Saeed has provided invaluable advice to emerging innovators in his field, such as negotiating with investors, creating new business cases and establishing alternative investment return strategies,  IP issues, and how to identify new needs and opportunities in the market to develop a road map of future products.

He  was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2012.