Connect Yorkshire hosted its twelfth successful Investment Forum last week (29 Nov), with record number of attendees and a live debate.

The event, sponsored by South Yorkshire Investment Fund and Business Link South Yorkshire, was staged for the first time in Sheffield and saw the cream of the technology sector rubbing shoulders with industry leaders, regional businesses, and high profile investors.

Connect held its Autumn Investment Forum in the morning session, with nine start-up technology companies pitching their business plans to an Investment Panel and an audience of over 150 delegates including 69 investors. The panel, comprising Richard Hope of, Alliance Trust Equity Partners, Duncan Peyton of Aquarius Equity Partners and Pete Le Noury of Catapult Venture Managers, introduced each company and grilled them after their presentations to find out how sound an investment their ventures were.

Participating companies included Neotherix Limited, a company with a bioresorbable scaffold technology for the repair of wounds created following skin cancer surgery, and FeONICS, a Hull company which has developed sound and noise management systems which can be invisibly integrated into walls or ceilings.

Other companies seeking investment were SurfIntegrity Limited, who can provide web filtering without the need for a hardware device at the customer or Internet Service Provider’s site, The Hive Limited, a Sheffield based company with a technology that enables shoppers to purchase products on their mobile phones by taking camera-phone pictures and Envirocair Limited with a novel air sanitation unit that use gels and liquids to help kill colds and flu bugs in the home and office.

The Forum was followed by Connect’s live technology debate – TechTalk 2007. This afternoon session saw three leaders in the technology field debate ‘From Innovation to Commercialisation’, and was sponsored by Inspiral, Creative Sheffield and Sheffield Technology Parks.

Speakers comprised Dr Stuart Green, CEO of ZOO Digital Group, Steve Barnes, CEO of infoserve plc and Lee Strafford, former CEO of PlusNet plc. Each gave their view on how to create high-tech success through the commercialisation of innovation.

Connect’s executive director Nick Butler said: “The event ran smoothly and there has been a lot of enthusiasm from the attendees. We had record attendance numbers, seventeen innovative companies at the Forum delivering interesting business propositions, and our first major event in Sheffield was a resounding success.

It proves that Yorkshire has a flourishing technology market, and we are very proud to be part of it”.

ENDS

 

Connect Yorkshire is the fast track to growth for Yorkshire's technology and science companies. It nurtures new knowledge-based enterprises by linking them with the resources they need to succeed: investment, markets, management, partners, and support services. As part of this process, we match innovative young companies with investors looking for growth.

 

Connect offers companies access to a network of more than 30 private sector sponsors, including venture capitalists, professional service providers and well established technology companies.

 

Over four years Connect has enabled more than 160 technology companies to raise over £22m in international investment.

 

For further information about Connect and its services, visit www.connectyorkshire.org