Triple Success

Following their successful graduation from Catalyst, Southampton Science Park’s business accelerator, three companies have been selected to benefit from continued funded business support through Catalyst Plus.

Catalyst Plus is offered to select companies that show considerable promise for high growth during their initial six months working with their mentors in the Catalyst programme. This provision enables the business founders to maintain their relationships with their expert coaches and benefit from a subsidised presence in the Science Park’s Incubation Centre.

The three companies chosen from the 2021 Catalyst cohort are:

ANAMAD which is revolutionising technology that will remove persistent organic pollutants from water without adding chemicals. Founder, Sergey Mikhalovsky, said: “Catalyst far exceeded our expectations. It provided excellent advice on how to improve all aspects of the business, from sales/marketing, IP, to finding key people. It has been more varied than expected and has come at just the right time for us to implement learnings. The standard of workshops, mentoring, networking, business panels and engagement from the other businesses has been exceptional all round and, as expected, the Science Park facilities are excellent.”

OhmSpace a spin-out from the University of Southampton, which is disrupting the satellite market with a new propulsion system. “Catalyst offered a lot of opportunities for connection and knowledge exchange. The diversity of the businesses in the cohort fitted well with the open approach of the programme which allowed me to meet exceptional peers and mentors. Regular workshops and meetings have been the key to the success of the programme which, overall, has been a great experience,” added the company’s Federico Romei.

OTB Vendors which is improving profitability and service levels in the hospitality sector with a unique self-service bar. “The Catalyst experience was fantastic. The wealth of knowledge that you have access to is extremely rare from people who have a tonne of experience. Perhaps an underrated part of Catalyst is that the businesses are together for six months and we’ve watched each other face challenges and overcome them. This is good for motivation,” remarked entrepreneur Patrick Songore.

Since it was established nine years ago, Catalyst has accelerated progress for 73 companies, secured over £28m early-stage funding for participant companies, and helped create more than 160 jobs for our region.

Robin Chave, Southampton Science Park CEO, said: “Since its inception, Catalyst has been an enormous success for early-stage businesses in our region. Time and again the feedback we have received from the founders of young companies taking part is that it has had a transformative impact on their business. Only 40% of start-ups in the UK survive the first three years whereas an impressive 80% of Catalyst businesses continue to trade and go from strength to strength.

So, if you’ve got future-focused ideas and a fledgling business that has the potential to transform society, I would encourage you to apply for Catalyst 2022. I very much look forward to meeting our new cohort of entrepreneurs in September.”

Register your interest for Catalyst here.