Oxford Investment Opportunity Network

The following seven companies are seeking investment via the Network as a result of the 30 October OION - Isis investment meeting at Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, 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 will exploit novel technology in the field of organ repair and preservation developed by two Professors of Oxford University. The technology has been used in more than 300 pre-clinical procedures and 50 transplants. A device is being developed that can improve the quality and double the number of liver transplants per year It is believed that this novel technology platform and know-how can be adapted to other organs, to organ preconditioning and potentially to applications including targeted cancer therapy, addressing a market of greater than $2bn

Seed investment is required to complete preclinical trials and build 4 clinical grade prototype units. £1.2m is sought to meet this milestone within 18 months from investment. Follow on funds of £3m over 2.5 years will take the product to market and provide for investment to develop further products in the pipeline.

Company B supplies sophisticated bioreactors for cell culture and 3-dimensional (3-D) tissue growth. Proof of concept work shows that these 3-D tissue models are much more sensitive than the 'monolayer' systems currently used to test new drug compounds

• Business plan in place, looking for a CEO to lead first round investment.

• Seeking £750k investment to fund initial 2 years to achieve a sustainable business.

• Interest from researchers, toxicology service providers, biotech and big pharma.

• Extensive know-how in stem cells, musculoskeletal tissues, membranes, flow engineering, cryopreservation, sensors for monitoring tissue growth.

• Strong intellectual property to be licensed exclusively to the company including a granted European patent on bioreactors for implantable tissue and further a international patent application.

• Company B is based on technology developed with £2.4M research over 5 years.

Company C aims to become the world’s leading mobile TV network by providing consumers with live broadcasting, video sharing and personalised TV. Company C has launched a beta version of the service consisting of 7 live feeds from satellite, 12 made-for-mobile TV channels and a service that enables consumers to watch their videos on mobile phones. Company C aims to create a global brand image and community identity for ‘TV on your phone’ using an extreme sports image and capitalising on Company C’s first-mover advantages. Revenue is generated from adverts automatically inserted at the start and end of video streams, content licensing, premium content sales and business services.

Company C has an experienced executive team led by the team member one who set up and ran Freeview in the UK. Team member two has a strong track record in mobile content and investment banking. Team member three is a Finance Director who has taken three other companies to IPO. Team member four is an experienced production and extreme sports professional. Team member five is a database and user experience expert and team member six has 30 years licensing experience.
£500,000 is sought to market the service, accelerate content acquisition, and scale up infrastructure.

Company D has developed a novel tidal energy device that allows economically scalable electricity generation from tidal currents. The three founders are from Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science and together contribute expertise in Mechanical, Civil and Electrical engineering, with particular specialisms in fluid dynamics and offshore structures. The novel tidal turbine design is subject to a patent application and offers significant advantages over other tidal devices both in terms of manufacturing costs and operation & maintenance costs.
The tidal turbine design has been tested in the lab, and first round investment is being sought to scale-up the device for testing at the 1/10 scale, at which point further investment for will be sought to develop an open-water device.

Tidal energy is an important element in future renewable energy generation capacity, with tidal stream power having the potential to supply 6% of the UK's energy requirements, and consequently constituting a market of £1.08bn p.a.

Company E’s aim is to become the number one preferred global supplier of quantitative ultrasound solutions. The company’s technology originates in the Wolfson Medical Vision Laboratory at the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford.

Initially Company E will deliver elasticity measurement technology for breast cancer diagnosis in two products which improve the performance of breast cancer clinics reducing unnecessary invasive procedures such as surgeries or biopsies.

In the USA, alone, medical ultrasound is a $1.2bn industry growing at 5.9% annually. Company E will target the radiology market segment which itself is $0.5bn. Income will come from licensing the company’s software and technology to major medical imaging equipment manufacturers and smaller specialized providers of ultrasound imaging equipment.

Who we are: Company F is a Corporate Risk Management Consultancy that that specialises in proactive security solutions. Its ethos is based on Prepare-Protect- Prevent.

What we do: The Company and its team have a reputation of finding solutions to problems and have worked on a global basis.

What we want to do: We wish to launch Product F, a specialist database that will allow value transfer businesses to identify whether they had or are about to have a relationship with a person or entity that has been placed on one of the accredited international “Watch Lists” which would therefore place them in breach of United Nations Security Resolutions (UNCR’s) and liable for financial penalties or criminal prosecution

Why we want to do it: The product has been developed to counter a specific need post 9/11, it gives three types of income stream one of which is monthly and it has a global market

The company has already raised £20m of institutional backing (current value £25m) and is seeking a further £10m to bring its 3 novel drugs to the next milestone in their development, thereby driving a major hike in value. A significant proportion of this money will be raised from a new issue to incoming specialist life-science investors. The company is seeking to raise up to £2m from business angels in minimum tranches of £30,000.

The company’s lead product represents a totally new class of drug that could revolutionise the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Licensing discussions with multinational pharmaceutical companies about this product have already started and are expected to lead to the company’s first multi-million deal within 12 months.

Investment upside: Biotech company valuations are overly discounted currently because of attitude to ‘risk’. Company G is on the verge of publishing results (mid-2008) from it’s first Phase II clinical trial which, if successful, will pave the way to signing a multinational deal, significantly reducing risk and increasing value. Exit via an IPO or trade sale is expected within 2 years.