No goose (feathers) this Christmas and spin in to win

News you can use from Imperial's enterprising ecosystem.

Planet-positive textiles in time for Christmas

Former Venture Catalyst Challenge (VCC) Finalists SaltyCo are on a mission to reduce the environmental footprint of clothing and textiles – replacing bird feathers with engineered plant fibres. Their latest success is another step towards their goal.

After winning the inaugural Vogue YOOX Challenge last year, the company has partnered with the clothing brand YOOX to develop the ‘8 by YOOX’ line in time for Christmas, so if you’re looking for a sustainable present for a loved one (or yourself), or you want to start a planet-positive New Year’s resolution early, check out the YOOX website.

Funding success for RNA and edible plastics startups

Fundraising across the community has been successful over the past few months, with the investments made from the Imperial College Innovation Fund spurring on additional investments for startups throughout Imperial.

Sixfold Bioscience, an Incubator-based company that have developed RNA technology, has also raised a huge £7.8 million of seed funding, announced this month, which will enable them to enhance their Mergo RNA delivery platform, and includes investment from funds such as Y Combinator, Lombard Street and Cantos Ventures.

£10 million of Series A funding has also been secured by Notpla (formerly Skipping Rocks Lab), who participated in the Co.Create programme – the precursor to the VCC. Their seaweed-based alternative to plastic packaging, which is especially useful for catering, events and hospitality sectors, has helped a number of companies reduce single-use plastics, and their signature Ooho product continues to go from strength to strength.

Algorithm innovator awarded for seismic imaging

S-Cube, a deep tech spin out from Imperial, has won the Micro Business category at the Growing Business Awards 2021.

Based on technologies developed in the Department for Earth Sciences and Engineering, S-Cube’s patented algorithms use sound waves to identify subsurface drilling targets, and support accurate decision-making when drilling kilometres below ground.

S-Cube’s targets include potential carbon storage sites – providing a potentially significant way to reduce levels of GHGs in the atmosphere. S-Cube has also received an award from the UK Net Zero Technology Centre for its work in advancing seismic imaging.

Spin-in is a win-win

You will probably have heard about the work of Imperial’s startups and spinouts, which are turning ideas from research into commercial solutions for industry and society. But have you heard about ‘spin-ins’?

By ‘spinning-in’, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can work more closely with the College to leverage more from technology licensing as well as stronger engagement with the inventors, other partners, and the professional and technical expertise within our extensive ecosystem.

 Dr Rebeca Santamaria-Fernandez wrote about this in the 2021 State of the Relationships report by the National Centre for Universities and Business (p45-46), highlighting the additional value for all partners when discovering deeper ways to work together and maximise the development of a technology or its application in industry.