INSIGHTS / News

Twenty-one of the UK’s most exciting technology start-ups are set to bid for a collective £27m+ of investment in front of a live audience of over 150 investors in London this month.

Businesses providing technological solutions for everything from ethical alternatives for animal testing to a GPS-based anti-bike theft device will have just five minutes each to pitch to the likes of MMC Ventures and Eden Ventures.

The event, Accelerating Growth, is organised by SETsquared, a business incubation programme run by a partnership of the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. 2015 marks the 12th year of the showcase, which puts start-ups face-to-face with angel investors, venture capitalists, high net worth individuals and self-certified sophisticated investors.

Among the businesses pitching for investment are:

• Sherlock – which has developed a GPS-based anti-theft device that allows cyclists to precisely locate their bicycle at any moment, as well as send a theft report to the police
• BioSystems Technology – which provides low cost, ethical solutions for researchers who require alternatives to animal testing
• EZ Education – which is the inventor of DoodleMaths, a learning system that adapts to children’s evolving strengths and weaknesses and is the top grossing primary maths app in the UK
• Pelipod – which has developed an intelligent parcel box that allows the use of unique codes for safe, audited and notified delivery of products and parts for field-based staff and home-based workers

Simon Bond, Innovation Director at SETsquared, said: “We’re delighted to be holding the investor showcase in London for the 12^th year running. It’s a joy to be able to bring another round of exciting, high growth potential technology companies to pitch for investment and demonstrate what makes their business stand out.

“Every year investors are impressed with the high calibre of companies that are supported by SETsquared’s centres and 2015 will be no different. There’s a lot of awareness around the event now and we’re looking forward to growing the investment we’ve helped companies raise at Accelerating Growth events.”

This year SETsquared will also showcase five emerging technologies looking to validate their market potential from the ICURe Innovation to Commercialisation programme pioneered by SETsquared, as well as three stellar companies that previously pitched at the showcase and have experience great success and growth since.

Among the SETsquared companies to receive substantial investment in the last year is Ultrahaptics, a leading developer of technology that uses ultrasound to create tactile sensations in mid-air. The company was awarded £10.1m in an investment, led by Woodford Investment Management, which will allow it to work with manufacturers in different markets as well as reaching new markets and customers.

Of the companies that secured investment at last year’s investment showcase, Bath SETsquared member Green Running, which is made up of experts in domestic energy monitoring and analysis, secured investment of £750k from Ignite, a social enterprise investment fund backed by Centrica, owners of British Gas, as a direct result of an introduction at the event.

Over the last 13 years SETsquared has helped more than 1,000 businesses raise over £1bn in investment, as well as contributing over £3.8bn in GVA (Gross Value Added) to the UK economy with £15bn GVA estimated over the next 10 years – figures that have contributed to it being named by UBI Gobal as the top university business incubator in Europe for the third year running.

Read summaries of the 21 companies who will be showcasing