From Catalyst to national finalist: ISARS reaches the Champion of Champions 2026
Ulrich Mefenya has joined our most recent Catalyst cohort to develop ISARS, an Intelligent Species-Specific Acoustic Repulsion System. The technology takes an innovative approach to mosquito protection, using AI to identify the species and sex of individual mosquitoes in real time before emitting a precision acoustic signal tailored to that individual. The result is an intelligent, adaptive and chemical-free approach to mosquito repulsion.
Before joining the current Catalyst cohort, ISARS achieved third place at ESBF Southampton. The business was subsequently selected as one of ten finalists in the national ESBF Champion of Champions Competition. Ulrich Mefenya is now taking part in our 18-week business accelerator, working from Southampton Science Park to further develop his proposition.
The Champion of Champions Competition will see ten university teams of engineering and science students and graduates pitch their innovations at the Royal Academy of Engineering on the 12th and 1th of November, competing for a share of a £16,500 prize pot.
And this is where you can help.
There is a public vote ahead of the final, with £500 awarded to the team receiving the most votes. Voting closes at 11.59pm on the 12th of November 2026, and we’d love to see our community get behind ISARS Solutions.
Find out more about ISARS and cast your vote here: https://esbf.org.uk/champion-of-champions-competition/2026/isars/
A huge congratulations to Ulrich Mefenya on this brilliant achievement. Good luck from all of us at Southampton Science Park. We’ll be cheering you on! It’s fantastic to see a business apart of our Catalyst community continue to build momentum and gain recognition for its innovation. We’re hugely proud of Ulrich Mefenya and everything he has achieved so far, and very excited to see where ISARS goes next.
of
