INSIGHTS / News

Southampton Science Park is pleased to announce the early-stage companies that succeeded in securing sought-after places on its Catalyst business acceleration programme this spring.

The Science Park’s Lucinda Lamont, said, “We are delighted to welcome ten new, outstanding companies to our Catalyst programme. While diverse in sector, technology and marketplace, they have equally powerful propositions, justifiable ambition and huge potential to generate meaningful change for their customers. Our talented and experienced mentors and workshop leaders are looking forward to helping them achieve their goals over the next eighteen weeks.”

Catalyst, in association with SETsquared, is a highly regarded, prestigious business support programme. It has benefited nearly 100 companies that have, between them, created around 260 jobs and raised investment of more than £66 million. Bucking the national trend for start-up failure, 85% of companies that participate in Catalyst continue to trade, most remaining and delivering employment opportunities in the south-central region.

The start-up and early stage businesses joining the spring 2025 Catalyst business acceleration programme are:

Blue Donut Studios – Founder Marcus Pullen.

A digital medtech company looking to grow its platform proven to improve service intelligence and safeguarding in the NHS, and its immersive approach to tackling addiction.

Delsys – Founder John Misselbrook.

An agritech company with a novel approach to enhancing the efficacy of crop protection chemicals which offers more efficient delivery and fewer environmental impacts.

Dxtrus – Founder Tim Crook.

A medtech business with an individualised, semi-immersive approach to improving access to support and enhancing rehabilitation outcomes for patients with hand injuries.

Genie – Founder Ivaylo Vassilev.

A medtech business looking to scale its app-based approach to helping people with long term conditions but who are isolated, through social prescribing, education and support.

Identimab – Founders Michael Bennett, Tom Wilkinson.

A medtech company with a revolutionary concept that enables clinicians to reliably pinpoint the most effective drug for individualised treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Kargenera – Founders Salim Khakoo, Thejas Nagaraju.

A medtech business developing natural killer cell therapeutics, designed to activate and boost the immune system during cancer treatment, and potentially, other diseases.

NuoNano – Founder Mehrdad Alibouri.

An advanced materials science company that has a patented process to address a market. need for high-quality, low-cost, sustainable graphene in lithium-ion battery production.

SOLead Energy – Founders Ewan Fraser, Richard Wills and Andy Cruden.

A University of Southampton spinout with an environmentally benign approach to energy storage, effective for integrating renewable technologies and securing energy supplies.

Soter Software – Founder Ngozi Chinye.

A process engineering company with a software platform to equip process safety engineers with advanced hazard and operability data to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Zer0 World – Founder Nasrin Khanom.

An edtech business helping companies to integrate sustainability principles and ensure regulatory compliance into their operations through accessible and effective staff training.

Southampton Science Park partners with Health Innovation Wessex, the National Oceanography Centre and the University of Southampton’s School of Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation to deliver the Catalyst business acceleration programme and is also grateful to receive funding from the UK Government via Test Valley Borough Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Southampton Science Park now welcomes online applications from early stage businesses for the next Catalyst programme, commencing September 2025.

Apply now