UCL ventures make up a third of the latest national ChipStart cohort

The ChipStart UK Semiconductor Incubator is a UK government initiative providing technical, commercial and investor support to help the most promising early-stage semiconductor companies develop and scale chip technologies. Delivered by SiliconCatalyst.UK and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the programme aims to strengthen the UK semiconductor ecosystem by translating advanced research into viable, high-growth businesses.

Spinouts from UCL represent one-third of this year’s ChipStart UK cohort and are all from the UCL Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (UCL EEE): 

• Abacqus (Professor Neil Curson, Dr Taylor Stock, Associate Professor Mark Buitelaar from UCL EEE / London Centre for Nanotechnology) is building a modular dopant-in-silicon quantum computing platform, enabling scalable qubit systems compatible with industrial fabrication processes.
• Orbicom (Dr Yilmaz Gul, Sir Professor Mike Pepper, Dr Stuart Holmes from UCL EEE / LCN) is developing a semiconductor-based spin-orbit qubit architecture offering improved coherence and control for future quantum processors. 
• Altro Photonics (Farah Comis, Dr Alfonso Ruocco from UCL EEE) is building the photonic integrated circuit platform that will power the next generation of classical and quantum data centres. 
• Nibras Communications (Dr Amany Kassem, Prof Zhixin Liu, Dr Zichuan Zhou, Alex Bennett from UCL EEE) is designing ultra-low-noise photonic signal sources for satellite and high-performance communications systems. 

As part of the twelve-month programme, the companies will receive a range of tools and guidance including; hands-on mentorship, tailored training on a range of subjects, reduced-cost access to electronic design automation tools and services, investment and fund-raising support and greater public exposure.

Co-founder of Altro Photonics Farah Comis (UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering) said: "We are incredibly excited to be part of ChipStart UK. Getting through the programme is a great validation of our vision and the progress we have made so far. The access to expertise, networks, and support will be invaluable."

Co-Founder of Nibras Communications Dr Amany Kassem (UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering) said: “This is an exciting milestone for Nibras Communications. The programme will help accelerate the transition of our photonic signal-generation technology from cutting-edge research at UCL into scalable product for satellite and high-performance communications systems. The support offered by ChipStart will be invaluable as we continue building the company and bringing our technology to market.”

The four UCL-supported companies progressed through multiple competitive rounds, drawn from around 40 submissions across the UK. Notably, all of UCL’s entries were accepted, underscoring the strength of the semiconductor research pipeline within UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering and the London Centre for Nanotechnology. 

In addition, two of the selected ventures are led by female founders, reflecting the diversity and breadth of leadership emerging from UCL’s semiconductor research community. 

The success of the four UCL spinouts reflects the university’s increasing emphasis and investment in basic semiconductor research as well as its innovation and commercialisation, from materials and device design through to real-world systems and spinouts.

Professor John Mitchell (Head of UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering) said: “This recognition is a clear signal of UCL’s role in driving innovation at the heart of the UK’s semiconductor ecosystem. These four ventures reflect the strength of our applied research and the growing impact of our academic–industry partnerships. From materials and fabrication to scalable systems, UCL EEE is helping deliver the technologies and companies that will power the UK’s future semiconductor capability.”

UCL has a long track record of developing basic semiconductor research into a range of successful commercial ventures, with previous spinouts including Intrinsic Semiconductor Technologies, Quantum Motion and Oriole Networks.

UCL Business (UCL Business) worked with the four spinout founders over two years to protect their IP, secure early-stage proof of concept awards and make introductions to founder and investor networks. All four spinouts also participated in UCLB’s ‘Ideas to Opportunities’ entrepreneurship coaching programme.

Marina Santilli, UCLB Director of Physical Sciences and Engineering said: “This success is testament to how these academics have added commercial know-how to their research excellence through the support of UCLB business managers in seeking out appropriate external programmes to complement our in-house expertise and our appointment of industry mentors. We will be alongside the teams as they progress through the ChipStart programme and move towards becoming the next generation of high-growth spinout businesses leading the UK’s semiconductor industry.”

The latest ChipStart cohort announcement comes as momentum builds across the UK semiconductor sector. The Government’s National Semiconductor Strategy recognises semiconductors as one of six key technologies for growth, with support focused on building research and development, talent and design capability.

UCL’s presence in ChipStart - with one-third of this year’s successful ventures - reflects the accelerating pace of innovation coming out of its labs, supported by a collaborative, entrepreneurial research culture and strong commercialisation partnerships. 

Links

• ChipStart
• Farah Comis’s academic profile
• Dr Amany Kassem’s academic profile
• Professor John Mitchell's academic profile
• UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering
• UCL Faculty of Engineering
• UCL Business
• London Centre for Nanotechnology

Image

• Credit: SweetBunFactory via iStock Photo

Media Contact

Michael Lucibella

E: m.lucibella [at] ucl.ac.uk