Five Imperial startups with ideas to solve global challenges pitched alongside their peers at London Demo Day.
Can a new app revolutionise navigation for people with vision impairment? Could a flat packed water tank solve the world's water challenges? Five startups from Imperial College London pitched their early-stage ideas to leading investors at King's College London at the fourth annual London Demo Day.
Hosted by a different university each year, London Demo Day is a showcase of the best and brightest startups from London's leading universities. Since its inception in 2019, 45 teams have collectively raised over £47 million.
Alongside their peers from King's College London, LSE and UCL, Imperial startups hoped to raise between £100,000 to £1.5 million to drive their concepts forward.
Brainwave applications - Lymbic AI
Nikolaus Wischmann and Nate Rose want to create a platform where brainwaves feed into 'neuroapplications' for education, wellness and entertainment.
For its first application, Lymbic AI has developed a technology that uses brainwaves for secure authentication.
Selling metals - Agave Networks
Agave Networks, founded by Daniel and Emmanuel Byrd, aims to provide a platform to securely buy or sell recovered metals globally to reduce waste, cost and time.
Each material advertised on the platform will be verified using computer vision technology, GPS and physical visits. Customers can also be matched with the right supplier or buyer according to their needs.
Breast cancer detection - Dotplot
Breast cancer claims the lives of 31 women every day in the UK. With early detection, women who have a breast cancer diagnosis can see a survival rate of up to 99% in the first five years. Women are encouraged to perform self-checks on a regular basis, but the DotPlot team say guidance for women is limited.
Shefali Bohra and Debra Babalola developed Dotplot - a handheld device that identifies changes in breast tissue density over time. Paired with an app, it guides users through monthly self-checks and alerts them to abnormal changes.
Ready-to-use water tanks - DEPLOY
DEPLOY's technology, founded by Paul Mendieta and Beren Kayali, is decarbonising and streamlining the implementation of water infrastructure, with the first-ever air-deployed, ready-to-use water tank.
Traditional water tanks are time-consuming to install and include the additional task of pouring concrete, according to the founders. DEPLOY's lightweight design is manufactured with a concrete-filled fabric that is flat packed and sent to its destination. Their products generate fewer emissions than plastic, steel, glass, reinforced plastic and conventional concrete tanks.
Pocket-sized digital guide dog - MakeSense
Navigating with vision impairment can be extremely challenging, and solutions such as guide dogs are often too expensive, MakeSense say.
MakeSense uses camera array and survey grade GPS to robustly pinpoint the location of the user with centimetre-level accuracy, even when outside and in most weather conditions.
It can also find objects in the home and help friends and family assist from afar.
The founders Robert Quinn and Seb Zane aim to ship the first batch of products in late 2024.
Demo day success
Previous startups that attended London Demo Day include a sugar free sweet to give patients with Alzheimer's a hydration boost, biodegradable nappies and smart bone implants.
Image credits: King's College London
