• MIRICO

  Participated · Equity · Jul 2022

  Mirico develops continuous, wide‑area monitoring systems that quantify greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide across entire industrial sites using a single instrument. The company plans to accelerate rollout of its emissions monitoring solutions to meet growing demand driven by net‑zero targets. Mirico said the recent funding will enable it to scale its gas emissions monitoring business and expand deployment. The firm has collaborated with Shell for several years to validate technology and quantify emissions at Shell sites. Mirico was named one of the top emerging climate tech companies in PwC’s Future50 report. The company is based in Oxford, United Kingdom. Mirico designs, develops and manufactures gas sensing solutions that use next-generation laser techniques for applications including environmental monitoring and industrial process control. The company has developed a prototype system for remote detection of emissions for industrial facilities and scientific applications over the past two years. Mirico recently secured £3.5m in venture funding to advance its product work. It intends to use the funds to complete product development of its current system and to build a manufacturing capability to serve its worldwide customer base. Mirico was spun out of the RAL Space Division of the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council in late 2015 and is led by newly appointed CEO Dr Linda Bell. Mirico is an Oxford, UK–based developer of laser spectroscopy systems for environmental monitoring, medical diagnosis and industrial process monitoring. The company is advancing compact, field‑deployable analytical instruments for trace gas analysis that aim to deliver laboratory‑standard performance. Its initial product focus is the Laser Isotope Ratiometer (LIR), developed to measure gases in Mars’s atmosphere. Mirico also holds rights to additional laser spectroscopy technologies with applications across larger markets. The company intends to commercialize its first products using newly raised capital. Leadership includes Mohammed Belal (Business Development Director) and Damien Weidmann (Chief Scientific Officer), and the business grew out of more than 10 years of R&D at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space division.

• Freeflow Technologies

  Participated · Equity · Dec 2020

  FreeFlow Technologies develops a light power-to-weight ebike motor and a novel patented electronic transmission system (ETS) that integrates motor and battery into a bicycle frame. The ETS is compact and lightweight, designed to make ebikes look and ride like normal bikes and to be serviceable in independent bike shops, creating parts-and-labor revenue opportunities for retailers. Founded in Glasgow in 2012 and based in East Kilbride, FFT has drawn interest from over 70 cycling brands and announced its first OEM partnership with Twmpa Cycles in November 2021. The company closed a funding round of about €1.98 million supported by Equity Gap, Scottish Enterprise and many private individuals, bringing total capital raised to over €6.3 million. FFT plans to move into production from its Scottish production line in 2022 and will recruit additional electrical and software engineers, process engineers and designers. Management highlights growing demand for e-bikes post-Covid and says the plug-and-play nature of the system enables compatibility with existing battery and switch suppliers. FreeFlow Technologies develops an eBike drive system that is more lightweight, compact and has higher power density than many current products, with motor and battery assembled into the bicycle frame. The company was founded in 2012 and is chaired by Martin McCourt, former CEO of Dyson. FreeFlow says its drive system allows an eBike to look and ride like a normal bike rather than having an oversized attachment. Management plans to use new funding to relocate to a combined headquarters and R&D facility in East Kilbride and to make senior technical and engineering hires. The firm hopes to tap growing demand from large global bike and automotive brands. The company has previously raised funding, including a £1.8m round in October 2018.

No current team members are available.