UC start-up companies up for awards

university-of-canterbury

Wed May 09 2012 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

UC start-up companies up for awards

Wednesday, 9 May 2012, 8:07 pm
Press Release: University of Canterbury

Two innovative start-up companies aligned to the University of Canterbury are finalists this Thursday at the 2012 Hi-Tech Awards in Auckland.

Invert Robotics and ArcActive are both spin-outs from the University of Canterbury and were formed by the business incubation and investment group powerHouse to commercialise UC technologies.

Invert Robotics’ wall-climbing robot checks tanks for cracking and is able to film as it travels, which means the footage can be replayed for more thorough checking. The company recently completed a trial at Fonterra’s Kaikoura facility where its robot inspection of tanks generated a positive response from the dairy giant, according to James Robertson, Invert Robotics chief executive.

ArcActive is developing a lead carbon battery technology for micro hybrid cars and this month won the international award for excellence in the field of environmental technology research at the CleanEquity Monaco conference in Europe.

ArcActive chief executive Stuart McKenzie said the market for start/stop batteries is forecast to grow from 5m a year in 2011 to 39m a year by 2017, and nearly 100m by 2020. Cars using ArcActive battery technology will have a longer life and consume 10 per cent less fuel, compared to 2-4 per cent if using alternate technology AGM batteries at no extra cost, he said.

powerHouse managing partner and CEO, Dr Stephen Hampson, said the companies should be proud to be recognised as up-and-coming forces in the high-value, hi-tech arena.

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“Getting a start-up off the ground is incredibly challenging, and these young companies are taking on a vision that could see them come to the fore of high tech industry in years to come. These awards recognise what they have achieved so far on that journey,” he said.

Both Invert Robotics and ArcActive are competing for the Ministry of Science and Innovation Start-up Award.

The judges for the Hi-Tech Awards include original Facebook investor Peter Thiel, the director of engineering for Google in New York, Craig Nevill-Manning, and senior vice-president for
ends

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