On Thursday 26^th April Jonathan Gold of Rivers Capital gave an excellent presentation on the North East Angel Fund  at the Wilton Centre, Redcar.

The seminar was free for North East entrepreneurs looking to apply to the North East Angel Fund and learn more about the investment process. Jonathan gave information on the other funds available. The North East Angel Fund is most appropriate for start-ups and spin-out businesses looking for early stage investment. 

The seminar provided key information on the aspects of venture capital involved in the fund, the application process and how to work with Rivers Capital and other investors. Details on what Rivers Capital look for in a business plan with lots of tips on how to make the plan more interesting to the venture capital industry generally.

A long question and answer session  produced some interesting information. Jonathan did say that VC funding was not for every business and he was willing to discuss the pros and ons with any NE based business looking at various funding options.

Another very successful and well received workshop by Winning Pitch’s Tim Smith was completed at The Bewick Hall, Newcastle City Library, NE1 8AX on Wednesday 25^th April  

The workshop, the final in a series given by Winning Pitch, a high growth specialist consultancy that has enhanced the growth of 2,026 entrepreneurial companies in the last 3 years.

It was attended by several company directors and senior managers of high growth / potentially high growth SMEs operating in the Process and IT Industries.

As Winning Pitch informed its audience it is vital for high growth entrepreneurs to analyse the competition, generate and communicate new differentiators and implement strategies to exploit new opportunities. 

The day will comprised 4 sessions:

Your Success Factor – Forming the mindset that every successful entrepreneur needs.  

Your Battleground – Analysing your competitive market place.  Where is the gap?

Your Vision – Building a long-term strategy to exploit the gap.  

Your Difference – Communicating your expertise, your difference.

Anyone wnting to more about the event or how to set up a Winning Pitch event should contact the Innovation Accelerator to see how they can rapidly grow their business.

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has hosted students from Middlesbrough College during a knowledge-sharing event designed to educate students as to the importance of innovation and the development of good ideas into commercial products.

Seventy-five Computing, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering students attended the Innovation and Entrepreneurial Workshop and benefited from tutorials and mentoring from CPI’s industry experts. They were taught about the varied routes to market for successful and innovative ideas, why technology innovation needs to be focussed on problem-solving and the basic elements required to pitch ideas to potential investors.

With tutorials given by proven business managers on the importance of successful and concise communication of key points when seeking investors for innovative, problem solving ideas, the student’s were then asked to work on, develop and deliver a Dragon’s Den-style pitch to the panel of experts and full auditorium.

Innovation Accelerator’s continuing “Entrepreneur Programme” was a great success on 1st February 2012.

Around 20 regional SMEs attended, developing new skills for business development, strategic planning and communication.

All those who attended found it useful and a follow up event is planned for April.

The workshop was delivered by Tim Smith of Winning Pitch, a high growth specialist consultancy that has enhanced the growth of 2,026 entreprenurial companies in the past 3 years.

The North East Chamber of Commerce has a £5m Government grant to help North East companies Train & Develop their Staff via Apprenticeship Courses. This amounts to FREE apprenticeship recruitment and training for your Staff.

Download Information

Wednesday 1st February, 10.00-16.00 at The Wilton Centre, Redcar 

Who Should Attend?

Company directors and senior managers of high growth / potentially high growth SMEs operating in the Process Industry

It is vital for high growth entrepreneurs to analyse the competition, generate and communicate new differentiators and implement strategies to exploit new opportunities. The day will comprise 4 sessions:

1. Your Success Factor. Forming the mindset that every successful entrepreneur needs.

2. Your Battleground. Analysing your competitive market place. Where is the gap?

3. Your Vision. Building a long-term strategy to exploit the gap. 

4. Your Difference. Communicating your expertise, your difference.

FREE to qualifying SMEs, Register early as places are limited.

To Reigster contact steven.bagshaw@uk-cpi.com

Innovation Accelerator’s client Primary Dispersions Ltd gave a presentation of their work to The Oil and Colour Chemists Association (OCCA). An audience from major paint and ink manufacturers and suppliers attended.  

Dr Stephen Devine gave an excellent presentation entitled “Nanomaterials – the future is smaller than you think.” He initially explained the dramatic changes in properties of materials when reduced below 50nm. The subsequent rise in surface area and forces required to separate nano-particles are calculated to be enormous.  

Steve went on to describe the operation of the ConCor mill developed by Primary Dispersions where an inner spinning rod is moved close to the wall of an outer spinning chamber. The gap between the two rapidly spinning elements can be adjusted to micron levels and thus huge energies can be focussed on a very narrow area of dispersion. Particle breakdown is achieved without beads or other abrasive media as most of the interactions are particle to particle.

The shear forces produced are over 10 times more than conventional bead-milling, but as the forces are concentrated in a very precise gap it means less heat build up, less aggressive milling, faster through puts and an overall large saving in energy. The technology is powerful enough to separate TiO2 nano-particles but controllable enough to grind heat sensitive active pharmaceutical ingredients.

It was demonstrated this process was able to take dispersions previously heavily bead-milled and quickly further reduce particles to nano-scale with a much improved size distribution range. Impressive results were demonstrated on a range of nano pigments (ZnO, TiO2 etc) and minerals (clays) suitable for surface coatings such as inkjet inks. Intriguingly some discussion of fully stable water in oil emulsions had been achieved in early trials without the need for surfactants, giving potential applications in the food industry.

Dr Devine admitted this was just the start of determining what the technology could do and Primary Dispersions are actively looking for partners to develop products and processes further. He urged any interested parties to contact him. Mailto Steve Devine

Innovation Accelerator’s client DRD Power Ltd gave a presentation on their work in developing a demonstrator unit which produces electricity from waste heat. The unit can extract energy from low grade heat sources (90-130oC) typically found on many chemical processing plants. This heat has up until now been uneconomic to process, however, DRD Power’s excellent work means a robust capability now exists in which electricity can be extracted from low pressure steam or waste water streams, even those containing contaminants.

The presentation at Teesside University on 24th November was hosted by the Institute of Measurement and Control, and was well received by the audience prompting a long discussion section. Roger Mallinson of DRD Power explained the processes, some of the problems which were overcome and the technical specification of the plant.

The demonstrator unit is presently undergoing testing at Hunstman Tioxide in Greatham, and a full technical feasibility assessment will be concluded at the end of 2011. Early results have been very encouraging, with electricity produced from waste heat at temperatures as low as 78oC. Energy is converted from heat to electricity through the Organic Rankine Cycle which, although it is a well known process, operating efficiently at these temperature levels is a major achievement.

A 200kW rated ORC unit is able to produce electricity worth £100,000, equivalent to CO2 savings of 700T per annum. Part sponsored by The Carbon Trust and ONE, DRD Power have recently being given an IChemE – Highly Commended award for innovation and excellence. DRD Power intend to build and develop similar units based on the knowledge gained from this demonstrator.

Many industries are potential clients, so anyone with a waste heat stream between 90-130oC on part of their process should contact DRD Power and visit the demonstrator.

A presentation on The Innovation Accelerator was given to a Biosciences KTN meeting for the Technology Strategy Board’s competition “Technology-inspired innovation.”

The workshop at the University of Stirling on 4th November was run by the Biosciences KTN and Scottish Enterprise.

CPI were promoting their National Industrial Biotechnology Facility (NIBF) and the Anaerobic Digestion Development Centre (ADDC) as well as the Innovation Accelerator. The presentation was well received with a lot of interest in the NIBF’s scale up capacity as well as AD potential collaborations.

The workshop discussed how companies could apply for TSB competitions and how to find partners for collaborative projects.

Innovation Accelerator staff will assist any company looking to bid for TSB grants or competitions. www.innovateuk.org

Pitching for Management™ in Newcastle – 7^th Nov

Sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial and in association with Intramezzo and UKBI

Connecting local businesses with top-level senior talent (huge salaries not expected)

 You are invited to present at Pitching for Management free of charge!

AngelNews, a relevant news service for entrepreneurs and investors is launching Pitching for Management in Newcastleon Mon 7^th November at Ward Hadaway’s offices and you are invited to take part.  These events enable fast-growing businesses to pitch for talented people to join their teams for sweat equity, commission and/or salary.  Audiences are typically made up of senior executives with various skills in roles ranging from sales, marketing and finance directors, to mentors, NEDs and CEOs. 

This is a beneficial opportunity for you to find great people to work with, to build a strong management team, hone pitching skills, become investor ready, network with senior business people and raise the profile of your business.

To reserve your free pitching slot call 01761 452248 or book online at http://pitchingformanagementinnewcastle.eventbrite.com/

For further information about the concept, including testimonials visit: www.pitching4management.com