10 Cambridge spinouts
forging a future
for our planet
"Half the technologies we are going to need if we are to meet our net-zero goals are still in the lab," says Chris Gibbs, Investment Director at Cambridge Enterprise.
"As part of the University's net-zero commitments, we have invested over £7 million in new companies that will get those ideas out of our labs and into the real world."
The result is a portfolio of new ventures already worth more than £500 million, all based on Cambridge research and all with the potential to make a huge contribution to addressing the climate emergency.
Making a difference: support for spinouts
to invest in sustainability
new companies launched
invested since 2020
companies in the portfolio
investments
value of companies in the portfolio
Meet the spinouts
Barocal
Breakthrough sustainability technology to transform the heating and cooling industry.
Barocal is developing breakthrough technologies to decarbonise the cooling and heating sector, which accounts for 40% of global energy consumption.
Based on 15 years of research, it's 'barocaloric' material forms the basis for entirely new systems that deliver two to three times greater energy efficiency and can be used in air-conditioners, fridges and heat pumps. This minimises the fugitive emissions from an industry that contributes significantly to global warming.
Academic founder: Professor Xavier Moya, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy
“Cambridge offers an incredible ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship, especially for deep-tech ventures. The close proximity to world-leading research institutions, a vibrant network of investors, and a collaborative community of start-ups, create an environment where ideas can rapidly move from the lab to real-world applications.
It is the ideal place to develop our sustainable, climate-friendly technologies.”
Professor Xavier Moya, founder, Barocal
Cambridge Electric Cement
Making net-zero, recycled cement a possibility.
Concrete is essential to our built environment. We use over four tonnes of it every year for every person alive on the planet. However, cement, which is used to bind concrete, contributes 7.5% of global carbon emissions – triple that of aviation.
Cambridge Electric Cement (CEC) has developed a technology for recycling cement from demolition waste, making zero-carbon cement a possibility.
It does this by replacing the lime flux used in steel recycling with recovered cement paste, producing a clinker that can be used to make new cement, without affecting the steelmaking.
This cement can match the performance of Portland cement (the cement most commonly used to make concrete) without the environmental impact.
Industrial trials with CEC's experienced partners are already underway to scale the technology.
Academic founders: Professor Julian Allwood, Dr Cyrille Dunant and Dr Pippa Horton, Department of Engineering.
"Working in Cambridge provides a great base for our business. It gives us ongoing support from the University, an established local business ecosystem to be part of, and an active community of local investors, who are forward-thinking and prepared to invest in the critical transformation of heavy industry."
Dr Cyrille Dunant, co-founder and CTO, Cambridge Electric Cement
Cambridge GaN Devices
Energy-efficient power devices to make greener electronics possible.
Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) designs, develops and commercialises power transistors and computer chips using gallium nitride (GaN) instead of silicon.
GaN-powered devices offer significantly higher performance than their silicon-based counterparts, enabling radical improvements in energy efficiency and compactness in the sustainable electronics field.
CGD launched a new series of products this year to support high-power applications, including data centres and motor drives.
CGD is currently partnering with a range of companies to get its technology to market.
Academic founders: Dr Giorgia Longobardi and Professor Florin Udrea, Department of Engineering
“Cambridge is an incredible place to start a business because it combines world-class research, a culture of innovation, and a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
For businesses focused on sustainability, the city is a hub for green innovation, with a commitment to tackling global challenges like climate change.
Starting a business here means joining a community that's shaping the future for both people and the planet.”
Dr Giorgia Longobardi, co-founder and CEO, Cambridge GaN Devices
Colorifix
A revolutionary dyeing process to help the textile industry dramatically reduce its environmental impact.
Industrial textile dyeing consumes massive amounts of water and energy and has an enormous carbon footprint. Colorifix has pioneered the first entirely biological process to produce, deposit and fix pigments onto textiles.
Using a synthetic biology approach, it offers a radically different solution to conventional dyeing technologies that cut the use of harsh chemicals and leads to huge reductions in water consumption.
Colorifix is expanding internationally and trebling the size of the team.
Academic founders: Dr Jim Ajioka, David Nugent and Orr Yarkoni, Department of Pathology
"Starting Colorifix would not have happened anywhere but here at the University of Cambridge. The University has a long tradition of encouraging unorthodox research that has led to innumerable inventions over the last 800 years.
This environment incentivises researchers to take ideas out of the lab and makes the University of Cambridge a global leader in developing technology businesses."
Dr Jim Ajioka, CSO and co-founder, Colorifix
DeepForm
Eco-friendly metal forming for high-volume production.
Around 44% of metal used to make the body of a car is trimmed off and scrapped. DeepForm is pioneering production processes for car - and other manufacturers - that are more efficient and more environmentally friendly.
Suited to a wide range of steel and aluminium panels, this innovative sheet metal forming technology provides a new way to press sheet metal for car parts and other applications.
Reducing waste by up to 80%, DeepForm’s technology lowers the cost and CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process.
Academic founders: Professor Julian Allwood and Christopher Cleaver, Department of Engineering
“Cambridge is a great place to start a business. It’s a magnet for talent, a place where support is on hand and is internationally recognised, helping to attract customers and make those all-important first steps towards making an impact.”
Christopher Cleaver, co-founder and CEO, DeepForm
Echion Technologies
New materials for charging lithium-ion batteries safely and rapidly.
Echion has devised and patented new materials that enable lithium-ion batteries to charge safely in less than 10 minutes with a long cycle life, ensuring extended use.
Its niobium-based anode material, XNO®, has an important role to play in electrifying heavy duty transport and industrial applications such as rail, high-powered off-road vehicles and fleets of trucks, buses and delivery vans.
Academic founders: Jean de la Verpilliere, Dr Alexander Groombridge, Professor Michael De Volder and Professor Adam Boies, Department of Engineering.
"The position and reputation that the city has for groundbreaking science and technological innovation has made it a perfect location for Echion, allowing us to develop as a business, expanding our state-of-the-art lab operations and building our team through the recruitment of talented people, who drive our success.”
Jean de la Verpilliere, co-founder and CEO, Echion Technologies
Materials Nexus
Using AI to discover new materials for net-zero technologies.
Material extraction and processing is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. This is especially true for materials which underpin the technologies we rely on to green our economy, including electric vehicles, and wind turbines.
By harnessing the accuracy of leading material modelling techniques and the speed of machine learning models, Materials Nexus is able to rapidly design and create new materials that solve performance, cost, and environmental issues.
“Cambridge is a unique hub of scientific talent and expertise and one of the global centres of excellence, making it a top place to start a deep-tech company.”
Dr Jonathan Bean, co-founder and CEO, Materials Nexus
Nyobolt
High-power batteries eliminate 'charge anxiety' and support net-zero goals.
Built on a decade of battery research, Nyobolt has created ultra-fast charging battery solutions that drastically decrease charge time from hours to minutes, driving electrification in power-hungry industries such as heavy-duty trucking and warehouse robotics.
In electric vehicles, a recent track test demonstrated that Nyobolt’s 35kWh EV can charge up to 80% in less than five minutes. This will make a move to smaller, more efficient battery packs possible, providing the same convenience as re-fuelling an internal combustion vehicle at a petrol station and eliminating customer 'charge anxiety'.
The technology is also removing a significant barrier to the electrification of highly polluting industries such as mining.
Nyobolt’s batteries also last much longer than traditional lithium-ion under fast-charge cycles, reducing the overall demand for natural resources.
Academic founders: Prof Dame Clare Grey, Dr Sai Shivareddy and Dr Kent Griffith, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry
“Cambridge is an excellent centre of innovation, working as a catalyst to decarbonise new industries which have previously been ignored or too difficult to electrify.
With world renowned scientists, engineers, and environmental specialists working together, Nyobolt has been able to bring novel battery materials out of the lab and into customer applications which are solving real-world electrification problems, years ahead of the competition.”
Dr Sai Shivareddy, co-founder and CEO, Nyobolt
Seprify
Sustainable cellulose performance ingredients for large-scale industries.
Seprify manufactures cellulose ingredients, which provide safer, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials, resulting in fewer harmful chemicals in everyday items.
Its products include white pigments which can be used as sustainable alternatives to titanium dioxide for use in industrial applications such as paints, inks, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Seprify's products can also be used in the food industry in, for example, beverages, plant-based foods, coffee creamers and confectionary.
Its innovative technologies are used to recycle and repurpose materials, reducing waste and conserving resources.
Academic founders: Dr Lukas Schertel and Professor Silvia Vignolini, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry
“The University of Cambridge is an incredible place to start a technology business. The access to cutting-edge research, a highly skilled talent pool, and a thriving network of investors and mentors creates the perfect ecosystem for innovation.
Being part of this community enables entrepreneurs to turn bold ideas into successful ventures.”
Dr Lukas Schertel, co-founder and CEO, Seprify
Xampla
Unlocking the power of plants to create new materials that change the world.
Hidden plastics in thousands of personal and homecare products are washed into waste water systems everyday. An estimated 855 billion single-use sachets are produced globally each year and cannot be economically recycled.
Xampla creates Morro™ materials which are natural, biodegradable, recyclable and compostable materials made from plants, designed to eliminate the most polluting plastics.
Xampla’s Morro™ Coating can drop-in to existing manufacturing supply chains and is widely available through global licence partners.
Academic founders: Marc Rodriguez-Garcia and Professor Tuomas Knowles, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry
“After spinning out from University of Cambridge, we benefitted from unparalleled access to top talent and a vibrant network of investors, incubators, and collaborative spaces.
Scaling Xampla in Cambridge enabled us to attract a global team that continues to accelerate our world-first, plastic-free materials made from plants, solving one of the biggest environmental challenges of eliminating the world's most polluting plastics.”
Marc Rodriguez-Garcia, co-founder and CTO, Xampla
Published 24 October 2024
Words: Joanna Tramontin
Layout: Sarah Fell
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Photography
Banner: Getty images: credit: blackdovfx
Barocal: GettyImages credit: vchal
Credit: Cambridge Electric Cement
Credit: Cambridge GaN Devices
Credit: Colorifix
DeepForm: GettyImages credit: xia yuan
Credit: Echion Technologies
Materials Nexus: GettyImages credit: DanBrandenburg
Credit: Nyobolt
Credit: Seprify
Credit: Xampla
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