As part of our support for #EarthDay, we spoke to the founders of our cleantech portfolio companies to get their perspectives on what it means to innovate in this space, and their thoughts about the future.
SyndicateRoom: In a few sentences, tell us what Sorex Sensors does.
Mario de Miguel Ramos: Sorex has developed a range of sensors to help monitor indoor air quality. These sensors are small enough to be used in a mobile phone or similar application, consume microwatts of energy and are based on our proprietary film bulk acoustic resonant (FBAR) technology.
SR: Tell us more about why developing cleantech is important and what other businesses can learn from what you’re doing?
MdMR: As the population grows and we all continue to become more mobile it is essential that we build a sustainable economy where we can all share equally in the livable spaces on this planet in safe and healthy environments. As we have seen with this latest pandemic early detection of airborne contaminants could prevent future epidemics from spreading.
SR: What trends or developments in the cleantech space are you most excited about and why?
MdMR: Cleaner outdoor air from zero emission vehicles with the potential for autonomous controls will drive the single biggest technology shift since the invention of the wheel. This should lead to shared ownership of vehicles and modern transportation modes could dramatically change as a result. Once again air quality moniroting will remain key and part of this exciting shift and Sorex intends to participate.
SR: What do you think we’ll see in the next 5-10 years within these sectors?
MdMR: Electrification across a range of transportation modes will continue to come forward including air and sea transportation lowering further harmful emissions.
SR: What do you consider the main impediments to widespread advances in clean technologies globally, and what steps can businesses and ordinary people take to mitigate them?
MdMR: Cleantech solutions must be affordable for countries to implement and for consumers to use. Disheartening to see coal fired power generation systems still on line, but for some countries coal supports cheap manufactured goods which we in the developed west continue to buy.
SR: What differences do you feel your business specifically will make to the larger landscape of environmental responsibility, renewable energy or sustainability?
MdMR: As we become more aware of the quality of air that we breathe in our homes and at work that will lead us to making better choices for the emissions we create whilst travelling.
SR: What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs looking to start businesses in the cleantech space?
MdMR: A very competitive, busy and becoming in some parts a mature marketplace. Having creative innovative solutions that solve problems that everyone recognises as problems are key to having a successful business.
SR: How important is investment to the success of cleantech businesses, and what single argument would you make to encourage investors to consider investment in this area?
MdMR: Typically cleantech is capital intensive hard tech and in manufacturing … without government support and investor backing the types of solutions that will change our behaviours and literally save our planet would not be possible.
Dr Mario de Miguel Ramos is the co-founder, director and CEO of Sorex Sensors Ltd, a spin out of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 2017, the company focuses on the development of highly sensitive mass sensors based on film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs). Dr de Miguel Ramos has been working in the field of FBARs for a decade. Prior to founding Sorex Sensors, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge. He holds a master’s in Telecommunications Engineering and a Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering Systems, both from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
Find out more about Sorex Sensors here.
Find out more about SyndicateRoom's fund, Access EIS, here.
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The information on this page does not constitute financial advice and is provided on an information basis only, based on research using the following sources:
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