Anna-Lisa Wesley: Founder folklore and fairytales – tech desperately needs new material

Anna-Lisa Wesley wearing blue top in front of grey background

Anna-Lisa Wesley, Entrepreneur in Residence at SETsquared Bristol, reflects on the power of storytelling and needing new founder stories for our time. “Working in tech right now, we need some new heroes, heroines, new plots, new tools, new lessons. We desperately need new material.” Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn… these business stories, the founders that sit behind them and…

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Light Trace secures £600k to revolutionise photonic chip design

Four members of Light Trace Photonics' team

Light Trace Photonics, a leading innovator in the integrated photonics industry, has announced the close of its first investment round of £600,000. The company was co-founded by University of Bristol PhD researcher Dr Jake Biele who joined our incubation programme in May 2024 to commercialise and grow the company. This capital injection, led by QantX…

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Welcome to Rosie Bennett as our new Innovation Lead for Bristol Innovations

Rosie Bennett, Innovation Lead at Bristol Innovations

We are delighted to announce that Rosie Bennett joins the Bristol Innovations team as Innovation Lead. Rosie Bennett’s brief is across Bristol Innovations’ portfolio of incubators, innovation hubs and networks; SETsquared Bristol, Engine Shed, the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre, Quantum Frontier, and the University of Bristol’s joint venture with Science Creates.  As Innovation Lead, Rosie…

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Healthtech spotlight: SoleSense

Caz Icke, CEO and Founder of SoleSense - wiinner of Tech-Xpo 2023

A year on from SoleSense’s Best Elevator Pitch award at our flagship Tech-Xpo showcase, we had a chat with Founder and CEO, Caz Icke, to hear her story. SoleSense at a glance: Market sector: Healthtech Location: Bristol Number of employees: 3 Company growth status: Pre-seed Let’s start with SoleSense’s elevator pitch SoleSense is a wearable digital system…

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FluoretiQ patent granted to enable fast and accurate antibiotic testing

FluoretiQ founders smiling with technology on PC

Bristol-based biotech company, FluoretiQ, who is developing fast and accurate point-of-care testing for Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), has taken a significant step forward after having a key patent granted. The University of Bristol spinout joined our incubation programme in 2021 with the vision of enabling more targeted antibiotic use and mitigating…

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GenomeKey awarded $11.4M to transform sepsis diagnosis and treatment

GenomeKey blood sample in lab

GenomeKey has been awarded a major grant from Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) to build a functioning, automated prototype of their desktop diagnostic device. The Bristol-based company joined our incubation programme in 2020 with a vision to build an in vitro diagnostic device that would completely transform the way we diagnose and treat sepsis…

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Climatetech innovators develop solution to combat wildfires

Optect's fire-extinguishing robo-dog zapping flames with sound waves

Wildfires pose significant threats worldwide, impacting ecosystems and communities and exacerbating climate change. The combination of climate change, dry conditions and human actions has led to more frequent and intense fire seasons, with 2024 seeing wildfires spread across Southern Europe, the US and South America. To address this challenge, our alumnus, fire detection company Optect,…

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SETsquared Bristol companies shine at The SPARKies 2024

John Terry of Neuronostics with award at The SPARKies awards 2024

The recent SPARKies Awards night, hosted at Central Warehouse in the heart of Bristol, brought together the region’s tech and digital leaders to celebrate excellence in the West. SETsquared member companies from across the South West were recognised for their achievements in various sectors, including biotech, createch, sustainability, and cyber. Out of 14 award categories,…

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