Oxford Investment Opportunity Network

The following five companies are seeking investment via the Network as a result of the 26 May 2009 OION investment meeting at The Said Business School in Oxford. The descriptions available summarise the investment proposal made by the company. The information is provided by the company and has not been vetted in any way by OION.

If you are interested in receiving further information on any of the companies then please contact us.

Company A was set up to develop and commercialise patented technology based on the research of one of the Professors' at the University of Warwick.

The technology involves novel methods for selecting bacteriophages for use in phage therapy and the initial target is nasal decolonisation, a key requirement in the fight against hospital-acquired MRSA infections. The company is fast-tracking the development of its first product and plans to complete phase I and IIa clinical trials by the middle of 2010. In support of this objective, a preliminary meeting has been held with the UK regulator (MHRA), a GMP manufacturer has been selected and a major UK hospital with appropriate clinical trial experience has agreed to be the trial site.

To date the company has received funding of £1.65 million from a mixture of business angels and government-backed grants for SMEs.

The company now is seeking £200,000 to complete the current funding round. This funding will enable the company to complete the pre-clinical development of its first product and to complete phase I of the clinical trial programme.

The company, founded in January 2002, has developed a novel and highly sensitive, patented sensor technology platform, which characterises human breath profiles that enables detection and differentiation of a wide range of respiratory diseases.

The primary focus of the company is to bring the Respiratory Rate Counter (R8) its first product to market in April 2010. R8 will be used to monitor this important vital sign post-operatively, in casualty and by paramedics providing early warning of a patient deteriorating so the health care professionals can intervene early to improve outcomes. This addresses a very well recognised unmet patient need.

The second product to market will be for lung cancer screening (LCS1). Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. LCS1 has the potential to provide a low cost, safe screening tool for lung cancer at a primary care level potentially enabling earlier surgical intervention and improving survivability.

The company has previously raised £2.7m from 3 VCs and a number of angel investors. The company is seeking to raise £1.5m (of which £750k has been committed by existing investors) to support clinical trials, industrial scale up, and launch R8 in the UK and Europe in April 2010.

Company C is a spin-out from the University of Warwick and was incorporated in December 2008. We make solar cells using small molecule organic materials similar to those used to produce organic LED displays. A multi-million pound research programme has produced working prototypes and we are now embarking on a three-year development programme to commercialise the technology.

We will fund the £1.8M commercialisation programme through development grants and equity investments. We are looking for a total of £1.4M equity funding over the next three years.

Our path to market involves strategic partnerships with material suppliers and product manufacturers. There is a growing pattern of corporate investment in this sector as companies look to enter or stay ahead in solar power technology.

We plan to fund further expansion of the business primarily through corporate investments.

We expect to exit through a trade sale in 3-5 years.

Company D use communication technologies to deliver data-rich services to target communities. As specialists in the healthcare sector we are known and respected at all levels for our innovative solutions. We have worked closely with the Home Office and Department of Health as well as police, education and NHS.

Product X is a portable touch-screen kiosk dealing with substance misuse. As people touch the screen we gather the data. This intelligence is then available online for service managers. A recent kiosk gathered 69,000 quiz questions as it toured the UK with its charity owners.

Product X improves on this model by adding the dispensing of condoms, Chlamydia testing kits and other health products. We also offer biometric access. NHS register users to the scheme providing a 24/7 service to target communities.

Drug problems are well-known as a costly social scourge. The rise of Chlamydia is a concern as the resulting infertility threatens the NHS with a huge treatment cost.

Company D has a staff team of 6 with sales agents and national partnerships driving forward. The combination of hardware & software gave us a 33% profit this year. We own our property which we partly rent out. The investment is required to increase marketing spend and sales.

Company E have raised over £2m of equity and grants to build a 100kW grid connected tidal power generator in the Humber estuary. The team is in line to receive an €8m grant to build a commercial system and is seeking £400,000 now to get to market faster.

Tidal stream power is predictable, unlike wind & solar, making it easier to integrate into the power grid. Our device is uniquely suited to shallow water deployment, where costs and risks are lower, but is also advantaged in deep water. By building power farms first in shallow water and moving gradually deeper, Pulse Tidal can potentially offer investors the lowest risk and highest returns of any tidal stream developer.

Tidal stream power is at an ideal stage for investors; early enough that there is much value to create, and close enough to market that the value is accessible in about 5-years. We are offering investors 13.33% of the company for £400,000. Your investment is EIS approved.