Aetosense, a company looking to reduce air pollution inside structures with its particle monitoring technology, secured third place at the Chris Abell Postdoc Business Plan Competition 2023, with founder Molly Haugen winning £5,000 from Oxbridge Angels.
All the finalists looked confident and comfortable, delivering excellent presentations, and we were all hugely impressed. At CIC, our future is built on entrepreneurs such as the ones on stage coming through and doing great things. This competition allows us to support them now and in the future.
Chris Tapper, Senior Associate at Cambridge Innovation Capital and one of the judges
Aetosense are on a mission to revolutionise the way buildings breathe, enhancing air quality for occupants, all while optimising energy consumption. Airborne particles have an impact on health and energy efficiency, and the company's innovative solutions are designed to address these challenges.
The other finalists included XinaTec, managed by Elaheh Mostaani (Electrical Engineering, Department of Engineering), enhancing the design process of filter technology through AI. They will receive one year membership at Cambridge Enterprise’s ideaSpace,
Chris Tapper, Senior Associate at Cambridge Innovation Capital and one of the judges for the evening, said: “All the finalists looked confident and comfortable, delivering excellent presentations, and we were all hugely impressed. At CIC, our future is built on entrepreneurs such as the ones on stage coming through and doing great things. This competition allows us to support them now and in the future.”
The competition, named in honour of the late Professor Chris Abell, a former Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge and a fervent supporter of postdoctoral entrepreneurship, celebrates the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial drive of the University’s postdoctoral community.
Video credit: Tegen Amos
Are you a Cambridge postdoc working on innovative research? Do you have a great business idea?
Whatever stage your idea is at, The Chris Abell Postdoc Business Plan Competition can help you realise its full potential – and you could be in the running to win £20k investment.
Run by Cambridge Enterprise and the Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge, The Chris Abell Postdoc Business Plan Competition has become a key annual programme in the University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and has spawned a number of successful spin-out companies including Nu Quantum, Porotech, Semarion and Xampla.
Not just a pitching competition, it features a programme of activities designed to help accelerate the creation of businesses from University research. Entrants receive help to develop their idea through business modelling workshops and guidance on writing their first business plan through to presentation skills and pitch coaching, with access to mentors throughout the process.
Launch of The Chris Abell Postdoc Business Plan Competition 2023 from Cambridge Enterprise on Vimeo.
