Local tech firm Angoka has been selected to join Seraphim Capital's Space Camp investment accelerator to launch its secure communication tech for IoT devices to new heights.
Not every tech start-up in Northern Ireland can say that its inventions will one day be used in space, but for Belfast-based start-up Angoka that dream is fast becoming a reality. Angoka has developed a new technology that can secure communication between devices over untrusted networks, which the firm predicts will play a key role in future of machine-to-machine communication both on earth and in the rapidly growing global satellite network.
The company is one of just seven to be selected for this year's Seraphim Space Camp, an accelerator programme for space technologies run by major space tech venture capital investor Seraphim Capital. The nine-week long programme will involve a series of workshops and mentoring sessions from investors, advisors, and industry experts to help Angoka capitalise on their new tech.
The London-based programme is being delivered online for the first time due to the coronavirus outbreak, making it more accessible to Northern Ireland this year. With partners including Airbus and European Space Agency Business Applications, the programme will help prepare Angoka for a potential significant investment.
A total of 28 companies have been members of previous Seraphim Space Camp cohorts, and they've collevtively gone on to raise £24 million in private investment and secure £10 million in grants since completing the programme. Several have also been recognised with industry awards from events such as SmallSat Symposium 2020 and Paris Space Week.
This year's cohort is a heady group, with seven early-stage companies working in fields such as quantum computing, artifical intelligence, IoT and edge computing, and machine vision. Their solutions range from Angoka's cyber-security communications tech for IoT devices to solutions for problems in agriculture, environmental monitoring, and even autonomous vehicle tech.
Seraphim Space Fund Partner and Space Camp CEO Rob Desborough commented on the announcement: "Following the success of the previous four cohorts, we’re incredibly excited to welcome seven new startups for Mission 5. Space Camp alumni have raised or had offers of £24 million, which is a testament to the success of the accelerator programme and the commercial relationships forged during the nine-week period."
Source: Written based on press release
