Cambridge CleanTech business, Nujira, is the fastest growing technology company in Cambridgeshire and the East of England according to Deloitte’s new Fast 50 rankings.

The company is No.1 in Cambridgeshire and the East and number six in the national rankings. Second locally and 39th nationally is biotech company BlueGnome. Another CleanTech company, Breathing Buildings is third in the regional table and 43rd in the UK Fast 50.

The ratings are based on five successive years of growth and Nujira has continually packed on muscle. Its growth over that period is recorded by Deloitte at 4487 per cent.

That compares to 808 per cent growth for BlueGnome and 749 per cent for Breathing Buildings.

Mobile phone masts are dotted all over the UK and together they consume a massive amount of power – making them very expensive to run. Nujira has developed a technology that can be incorporated into the transmitters, which boosts the signal strength more efficiently, reducing energy consumption by as much as 50 per cent.

Nujira’s technology is also being incorporated into mobile phones. As mobile phones become increasingly sophisticated, the power consumption increases – and battery life shortens.

With Nujira’s technology, battery life can be doubled. Nujira’s technology improves both the signal quality and battery life – the two features consistently at the top of consumer needs in a mobile device.

The company was founded in 2002 and now employs 74 people. The business has so far been funded by £60m of venture capital. Funding has been more difficult to come by in recent years, but having a mobile offering in the business has helped, and investors are also keen on ‘green tech’ opportunities, says Tim Haynes, CEO of Nujira.

Building a new hardware business is tough and finding skilled employees is a challenge, especially as a new company. “When people come through the door, our conversion rate is high, but sometimes getting them through the door is a challenge,” says Haynes.

“We are operating at the very sharp end of technology so we can’t necessarily expect graduates to be able to contribute to the right level.”

Being based in Cambridge has been a huge advantage, adds Haynes. “The management team was all local, they knew skilled people in the area and Cambridge has a buoyant economy, which has helped,” he says.

“That said, we are aware there is a finite pool of talent and so we now have offices in Bath and Scotland.”

It has taken some years to get to the point of having products ready to ship, and Haynes still describes Nujira as being “pre-revenue” more than eight years after the company was formed.

However, he is optimistic for continued growth despite a tough economy. “Regardless of what happens to the economy as a whole, consumers are still buying more and more smartphones and mobile Internet devices,” says Haynes. “We are definitely not a typical example of the industry.”

BlueGnome was founded in Cambridge in 2002 by a team of scientists who developed a novel mathematical technology for the analysis of genetic data following the sequencing of the human genome in 2000.

With the support of the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust BlueGnome went on to assemble a world class team of mathematicians, biologists and software engineers with the aim of developing a range of molecular tests which used these advances to improve human health.

In February 2006 BlueGnome released the CytoChip, a powerful new approach for the investigation of genetic abnormalities. The CytoChip is now used in over 25 countries world wide. Since 2006 over 50,000 samples have been investigated using the CytoChip, mainly associated with developmental delay or with complex leukaemia's. The CytoChip is now used in over 200 labs as a first line cytogenetic test, replacing traditional G-band karyotyping.

In 2008 BlueGnome applied its unique combination of technology and expertise to the problem of counting the chromosomes in a single human cell.  In collaboration with some of the world’s leading IVF centres  BlueGnome developed 24sure and as part of a consented study in September 2009 the first 24sure baby, Oliver, was born in the UK. 24sure is currently being used in ESHRE's preimplantation genetic screening RCT trial (June 2011).

BlueGnome is privately held, profitable and has been ranked 2nd and now 1st in the list of the UK's fastest growing biotech companies with over 85 per cent of sales going for export to major laboratories around the world.

Breathing Buildings was formed as a spin out company from the University of Cambridge in 2006, following the discovery and development of the proprietary low energy e-stack mixing ventilation system as part of a major research programme at the BP Institute, through the Cambridge-MIT Institute, with funding from BP plc.

The technology was filed for patent by the University of Cambridge and Breathing Buildings has exclusive rights to the technology.

Breathing Buildings was set up to develop and commercialise this low energy ventilation system. During 2006-07 prototypes of the system were developed and tested in the Breathing Buildings laboratories, with a team of highly qualified ventilation experts.

The value and potential of the innovation has been recognised by several awards for innovation. Furthermore, since the e-stack system was commercially introduced in 2007, the success of the product and associated consultancy has been recognised by industry via an increasing number of awards.

Already e-stack systems are operating in over 20 different schools in the UK, and there is a substantial pipeline of new school projects for which Breathing Buildings is actively engaged in supplying e-stacksystems.

The Breathing Buildings team contributes significantly to research into natural ventilation. Its links with the University of Cambridge research team at the BP Institute are very strong.

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Tim Haynes, CEO of Nujira