Alumni entrepreneurs take over the Innovation Zone at Imperial Festival

Get to know Imperial's community of alumni innovators and entrepreneurs and explore their journeys from original idea to successful start-up.

From insoles that reduce the risk of falling for people with mobility issues, to a decision support system that helps farmers combat climate change, discover alumni innovations at Imperial Festival 2017.

Dan Warren from the Alumni Relations team caught up with some of the exhibitors to find out more about their stories, and how Imperial helped them along the way.

Climate Edge

Climate Edge combines farm-level environmental data collection with front-line research to help farmers build sustainable farming systems in the face of adversity and unpredictability caused by climate change.

James Alden (Biology 2014, MSc Environmental Technology 2015) and Paul Baranowski (Biology 2014, MSc Environmental Technology 2015) founded Climate Edge as part of their Master’s thesis. They were soon joined by Gabriel Brueckner (MSc Global Innovation Design 2016) alumnus of the joint Master’s programme between Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art.

The team regularly return to campus, making use of the Alumni Visitor Centre. They have also collaborated with Climate KIC, hosted at Imperial, which Paul describes as being vital in turning their idea into a business.

Their time at Imperial was instrumental in setting them up for success, says Paul: “Regardless of your area of interest there is always someone who shares that passion with you and is willing to help you on your way. Imperial taught me how to structure my thoughts and approach incredibly complex problems in a rational, methodical manner. This has given me the confidence to apply myself in ways that I did not think were possible before my time at the College.”

Looking to the future, Paul hopes “to establish a global environmental data collection and provision network to provide all farmers, and agricultural industries, with all the information needed to create sustainable, profitable and resilient businesses in the face of Climate Change.”

Kodama

Kodama is a learn-through-play platform, composed of physical toys and a digital content platform. The platform enables children to play together manipulating physical objects, talking to each other rather than being isolated in touch interfaces and in Virtual Reality. They take the free form fun of traditional toys and combine it with the guided fun and learning of digital games.

Kodama was founded by Charles Leclercq (MSc Innovation Design Engineering 2016) and Antoni Pakowski (MSc Innovation Design Engineering 2016), who were joined by alumna DaEun Lee (MSc Global Innovation Design 2015).

Charles says, “I always had interest in computer science and mechanical engineering so I was glad to find a place where it is believed that being creative and good at maths is compatible” and he was inspired by “the innovative vision and open mind that drives Imperial and its tutors.”

He attributes the rise of Kodama to many things but believes that “Imperial really propelled me into bringing my ideas to life, offering support, mentorship and the facilities to make it happen. It’s also a lot to do with the variety of fellow students in term of demographic and backgrounds. In fact, most people working at Kodama Ltd are Imperial graduates from South Korea, Poland, US and Spain.”

Onomo (HAIZE)

Onomo is the company behind HAIZE, a smart compass for urban bike navigation. HAIZE connects with the user’s phone, and simply points to the destination, leaving the user to decide which route and roads to take.

Onomo was founded by Javier Soto and Jeff Gough (both MSc Innovation Design Engineering 2013).

Javier’s fondest memory at Imperial was after he had finished his studies. “I came back to collaborate with the Imperial Advanced Hackspace, where I met an extremely inspiring group of people. It’s my favourite place at Imperial because I love making things and this is where the magic happened. During the first weeks of development, it was extremely helpful as I could make several prototypes per day!”

Combining his work on HAIZE with a full-time job at IDEO is demanding, but Javier says he is driven by his passion for the project, and the reward comes when people see and respond to his product.

Walk With Path

Walk With Path Ltd (Path) is an award winning company seeking to reduce the risk of falling for people with mobility issues caused by injury, ageing and serious diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Lise Pape (MSc Innovation Design Engineering 2014) is the inventor of Walk With Path’s products. James Cunningham (MSc Biomedical Engineering 2016) also works within the company.

Lise describes her time at Imperial: “Innovation Design Engineering has been integral to me founding a company upon graduation. I met some great and inspiring people in my class, some of whom I still work with. The access to leading researchers at Imperial was incredible.”

Making the decision to fully dedicate herself to her start-up, rather than keep a part time job running on the side was difficult, but now that they are in production with their first product Lise is confident in her choice, and is preparing to focus on R&D and develop further products.

From gin to tonic: an entrepreneurial revolution

Charles Rolls (Mining Engineering 1979), Co-founder of Fever-Tree, will also be in attendance, speaking at an exclusive event for the Alumni Weekend. Guests will be given an exclusive insight into the story behind Fever-Tree, and the Indian Tonic Water that revolutionised the spirit-mixing market.

Before Fever-Tree, Charles built his reputable career at Plymouth Gin. “One of the things that had annoyed me at Plymouth was that, no matter how hard we tried to make a good gin, when it was mixed with a cheap tonic, it would all taste the same.” Following a 15 month journey and five iterations of their first recipe, Charles launched Fever-Tree with luxury food marketer Tim Warrillow in 2005. Since then, Fever-Tree has had momentous success, winning numerous awards, gaining global acclaim and becoming a household name.This year alone, the company’s expected turnover is £100M.

Hear about the journey from gin to tonic and find out Fever-Tree turned mixers into a luxury product. Space is limited so don’t miss this chance to gather first-hand insight and ask your own questions to an Imperial entrepreneur who’s creating a whole new market. Please note that this event is part of the Alumni Weekend programme. Advance registrations are now closed but alumni and their guests can register on the day in the Alumni Zone.

About Imperial Festival

Imperial Festival, the College's free annual festival is back, giving the public an opportunity to go behind-the-scenes and explore the latest research. It will run on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 May at our South Kensington Campus.

The Festival has something for all ages to enjoy, from live interactive experiments, new technology demonstrations, in-depth talks, lab tours, musical and dance-based performances, and creative workshops s within zones themed around Robots, Superbugs, Health & Body, the Future, and Energy and Environment.

About the Alumni Weekend

Running alongside the Imperial Festival, the Alumni Weekend is an opportunity for Imperial graduates to rediscover the College and Campus, reunite with old classmates and be inspired by the best of Imperial.