The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN) has announced details of its second Nanoentrepreneurs focus group event.
The event is intended to support the development of nanotechnology and to encourage partnerships between companies, focusing on the challenges and opportunities in southern UK regions.
NanoKTN hopes to stimulate interaction and networking between the nanotechnology community and sources of investment, partnership and funding relief.
The next challenge for the future development of nanotechnology and the successful exploitation of nanotechnology-enabled products is the development of expansive companies, according to NanoKTN.
It claims that networking and the opportunity to sell ideas and products is, therefore, necessary.
The Nanoentrepreneurs workshop will showcase the current generation of companies in this field and there will be opportunities for delegates to learn about the services of local businesses.
The one-day workshop will feature presentations from current chief executive officers of companies giving their perspective on their own company histories and outlining some of the challenges that they have faced and overcome.
There will also be an update from NanoKTN on funding opportunities in the public sector.
Highlights will include presentations from the chief executive officers of micro-nanotechnology companies Nanosight, Stratophase and Ilika Technologies.
Nigel Vaughn, chief executive officer of the Solent Innovation and Growth Team, will be delivering a presentation focusing on the importance of articulating business propositions to investors.
Delegates will be given an insight into the structure of a successful business plan that acts as a key tool for delegates to control where they are going and how they plan to get there.
Vaughn will look at practical tips in preparing a plan and highlight some of the key issues surrounding business propositions to investors.
Jeremy Warren, chief executive officer of Nanosight, a provider of instruments for the optical detection and real-time analysis of submicron particles, will look at how his company has launched practical and commercially viable tools within the industry through a combination of development in close partnership with users and applications.
Warren will offer advice on developing a company and will also look at future developments for Nanosight and ways it plans on doing this.
Richard Williams, chief executive officer of Stratophase, a Southampton University spinout, will look at some of the key successes and turning points in the history of the company, in terms of investors, markets, customers, products and technology.
In particular, Williams will outline the spinout of a new company and the opportunities the company has created.
Other speakers will include Tony Raven, director of enterprise at Southampton University and Setsquared, Prof Greg Park, professor of photonics at the university, and Don Spalinger, director of corporate relationships at the university.
The Nanoentrepreneurs focus group aims to encourage the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through improved supply-chain creation and imaginative business strategy development and through implementing ways of extracting the best possible value from existing products and services.
The focus group is claimed to bring together innovators and funders to discuss issues in establishing and growing small companies and will offer participants a networking opportunity.
