Cambridge triumph in HVM bootcamp
Cambridge technology teams dominated the UK’s first ever High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Bootcamp.
Omnisense won the award for ‘Best Company’ and Drop-Tech was voted ‘Most Improved Company’.The two-day intensive programme provided professional guidance and hands-on experience for six HVM and engineering companies – Omnisense, Inova Power, Zinir, Croft Engineering Services, Drop-Tech, and Vantage Power.
The objective was to help teams become more attractive to investors through Qi3 Accelerator’s rigorous investment process, working with mentors and coaches in a series of workshops.
In a joint statement, Andy Thurman and David Bartlett from Omnisense said: “The breadth of expertise on offer was exemplified in the short, sharp mentor group sessions in which different strategy elements could be tested and either discarded or refined into a more compelling whole.
“Special thanks are due to our coach Paul Anson for his enthusiastic and valued support, and patience. We very much enjoyed working with him. I believe it needed to be this intense.”
Alexander Schey and Toby Schulz from Vantage Power added: “It was quite frankly the most intense but valuable investment-related event I have been to, and the quality and knowledge of the coaches and mentors were exemplary.”
Trevor Cross, group chief technology officer of e2v technologies, delivered a mentor’s perspective.
He said: “This was about more than just improving the pitch of emerging micro companies and a shop window for angels to gaze through – I think we actually have helped some of the teams develop their strategy and approach. This approach clearly can work for HVM companies. I expect to hold exploratory follow up discussions with one of the companies.”
Qi3 Accelerator mastermind, Nathan Hill said the coaches and mentors put in an amazing level of hard work to make the venture an outstanding success and said: “It will be interesting to see which of the finalist companies will be the first to secure angel investment.”
