Innovate UK-supported entrepreneurs make Maserati 100 list
11 companies supported by Innovate UK have been named on the Sunday Times and Maserati’s 2019 list of game-changing entrepreneurs.
11 Innovate UK-backed companies were acknowledged in the list of innovative individuals and companies, including Saturn Bioponics, pictured.
The 2019 Maserati 100, produced in partnership with the Sunday Times, celebrates 100 of the UK’s most innovative entrepreneurs, whose ideas have positively impacted the economy and society as a whole.
The focus for the 2019 list was on innovation beyond creativity, recognising organisations that have successfully converted their big ideas into successful businesses.
The list includes 11 companies that have received support through Innovate UK programmes.
The businesses
The innovations profiled in the 2019 Maserati 100 range from robotic toys to a hydrogen energy product and cannabinoid-based cancer treatment.
-
Adaptimmune was awarded £2.1 million through the Biomedical Catalyst Fund, managed by Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council, to aid the development of the company’s T-cell therapy to combat triple-negative breast cancer
-
Callaly developed the Tampliner design, which combines a tampon and pantyliner to prevent period leaks. Callaly received a £1 million loan from Innovate UK to scale up production, and the Tampliner won the Inda Hygienix conference award
Thang Vo-Ta, co-founder of Callaly, told Innovate UK:
It’s a real privilege to be recognised in the Sunday Times’ annual Maserati 100 list. I’m humbled to be included with so many other great names, all leading their teams to disrupt industries with new innovations.
For us, the recognition is extra meaningful because it helps bring attention to an industry that has suffered from a lack of worthwhile innovation for decades, in part because of the taboo around menstruation.
Our Tampliner gives people with periods a new, better choice that solves some of the problems of traditional products. It’s been 80 years since the first tampon was invented so it’s long overdue a redesign!
The Tampliner is intended to help break the taboo around menstruation.
- CellCentric was awarded £2.2 million to support the development of a prostate cancer treatment. The drug has the potential to combat the resistance cancer cells develop from treatment over time
-
GW Pharmaceuticals – in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, the firm aims to create novel combination therapies for cancer that have fewer side effects by exploring non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids
-
Interactive Scientific developed Nano Sandbox, a software platform that can create visual scientific simulations for the classroom and laboratory
Dr Rebecca Sage (front row, sixth), Managing Director of Interactive Scientific, pictured at the 2016 Women in Innovation awards.
-
Moortec has developed temperature-sensitive microchips for use in televisions and mobile phones
-
Reach Robotics created the world’s first robotic gaming system for the consumer market. The MekaMon combines robotics, augmented reality and immersive play in its design
-
Recycling Lives is working with the University of Central Lancashire to convert the residue from waste vehicles into electrical energy
-
Recycling Technologies won a grant from Innovate UK to develop the Warwick FBR, a system that recycles mixed plastics waste via pyrolysis – decomposing the waste with extremely high temperatures – into PlaxOil, a valuable, high-energy hydrogen product
-
Saturn Bioponics received support from Innovate UK to develop a prototype and commercial model of its Saturn Grower, a vertical crop growing hydroponic system
- Tech Will Save Us created a range of kits to help children develop technology skills