UNIIQ invests € 2.5 million in underwater robots, energy storage, medicinal technology and four other start-ups

The diversity of the innovation ecosystem in South Holland is apparent in the seven investments that early-stage funder UNIIQ announced at the LantarenVenster theatre in Rotterdam last Monday. Jasper Geselschap, Fund Manager, said “The seven new companies in the UNIIQ portfolio comprise a good mix of the research areas in which South Holland shines: software, hardware, and life sciences & health.” The well-known brick [JB1.1]which UNIIQ uses to make its investments officially known was handed over by Dimitrie Morrison, Innovative Economy Manager, on behalf of the Province of South Holland.

Never before had UNIIQ announced so many investments at the same time. The seven start-ups in which the early phase funder is investing € 350,000 are: Lobster Robotics, Wave Energy Collective, Ore Energy, BlueGen.ai Solutions, Councyl, IridescentBio and ExCulture. The investment for all of them together amounts to € 2,450,000. By making them all known at the same time, UNIIQ is showing the diversity of the South Holland innovation ecosystem while also simultaneously offering the young companies network opportunities.

Underwater robots and wave energy

Mapping the seabed is an expensive activity. Lobster Robotics is changing this by deploying a swarm – actually a school – of autonomous underwater robots. The technology is scalable and generates previously unknown high quality visual material.
We stay at sea with Weco (Wave Energy Collective). Waves move in two directions: vertically in rising and falling swells, and horizontally. This start-up is working on an affordably, easily applicable and storm-resistant technology that converts the horizontal wave action into energy.

Energy storage

Large-scale energy storage is needed to benefit from that wave energy as well as from wind and solar energy. Ore Energy has developed the technology for this that is not dependent on rare earths. Instead, the start-up uses materials that are available everywhere.

Simulating privacy sensitive decisions and data-driven decisions

BlueGen.ai, a TU Delft spinoff, developed a technology based on machine learning to simulate privacy sensitive data. Software producers, for example, use the data to test their products in a privacy friendly way using real information that is not related to people.
The Councyl SaaS platform helps improve decision-making processes in organizations. By letting employees do evaluations in hypothetical cases, the algorithm checks which decision-making processes are suitable for automation. At the same time, the variables and factors for consideration that underpin the decision-making are made clear.

Predicting antibodies and bio-based medicines

Recognizing and optimizing antibodies can also be done on a SaaS platform. In doing this, IridescentBio supports the development of medicines. The start-up’s platform helps researchers predict the physiochemical properties of antibodies using the molecular structure.
Every year, one billion pigs are needed to produce heparin, an anticoagulant medicine. ExCulture is using new technology to produce a bio-based, animal free blood thinner. The start-up also hopes to use this technology for other medicines.

Meindert Stolk, Economics and Innovation representative in the province of South Holland says,

“Innovation is critically important in the big issues we are facing everywhere, from digitalization to the energy and protein transition. But innovating also involves taking risks. In part thanks to the early phase financing of UNIIQ, start-ups can set themselves apart and take the risky jump from promising idea to profitable applications.”

UNIIQ-fondsmanager Jasper Geselschap:

“The seven new companies in the UNIIQ portfolio comprise a good mix of the research areas in which South Holland shines: software, hardware, and life sciences & health. The start-ups’ innovations range from underwater robots to a unique medicinal technology. They demonstrate the strength and diversity of the regional innovation ecosystem. The entrepreneurs only recently started work but already offer highly promising solutions for various societal problems. By presenting the new companies in the portfolio, we give them the opportunity to build networks straight away in this early phase. This makes this announcement even more valuable.”

UNIIQ early-stage investment fund

This article was originally published in 2023.
As part of our 10-year track record, we are revisiting key investments from our portfolio.