Last week, our second annual Investor Showcase Day welcomed nearly 100 founders, investors, advisors, and startup ecosystem pioneers. We were delighted to celebrate the strides our portfolio companies have taken over the past year and to unveil our new fundraising ambitions.
Why we’re here
Our chairman and co-founder, Sir Richard Olver welcomed guests in his opening address by emphasizing the UK’s unique position. Alongside the challenges of sluggish growth and slow productivity, the UK has the privilege of world-renowned universities and world-leading intellectual property with the potential to drive innovation and boost growth. At QantX, we’ve chosen to focus on the South West, moving beyond the confines of the ‘golden triangle’, to help startups grappling with pressing global challenges in sustainability and healthcare.
Reflecting on our journey
Richard Haycock, our CEO, took a moment to cast a glance back. Just a year ago, QantX was in its infancy, with investments in a handful of companies and an investment showcase audience half the size. With last week’s venue packed, it was great to see the enthusiasm for the region’s startups and the support and engagement in the room. Richard emphasised that it’s not just funds that we offer our portfolio; it’s the mentorship, commercial guidance, and an open door to the expansive networks our executive team and influential advisors bring to the table.
Spotlight on innovation
Next, we heard from the portfolio companies themselves, with quick-fire presentations and questions from the audience. Our portfolio showcased work spanning a wide spectrum – from how to reverse cellular ageing, to solving the vaccine cold storage problem, optimising battery cell designs, rapid water testing, and a sustainable solution to the disposable coffee cup problem.
We also shone the spotlight on our Blavatnik Prize for Innovation Winners, hearing how they are using AI to autonomously control urban street lighting and make significant energy savings, planning to capture carbon from seawater, and reducing NHS waiting times for eye surgery patients to mention just a few. If you’d like to join the next cohort of innovation prize winners, applications are now open – we’d love to hear from you.
In between the presentation sessions, attendees mingled, navigated the exhibit booths of our portfolio companies, and some even got hands-on, cleaning their reusable coffee cups with the water and energy-efficient Instarinse. It was great to see new connections being made as well as welcoming back familiar faces.
Scaling up for impact
The South West, undeniably, is a breeding ground for transformative startups and world-changing ideas. We’re wholeheartedly dedicated to propelling them forward and to do this, we need to attract more capital into the region. We announced the launch of our 2023 SEIS/EIS fund and have set our sights on a new £100m institutional fund to scale our impact further. Our mission remains unwavering: to empower Healthcare and Sustainability startups across the region, deliver global impact and make a lasting positive contribution to the South West.
Thanks to everyone who joined us – here’s to another year of innovation and growth!