Based on campus at the University of Sussex, Sussex Innovation’s tenant businesses gain the credibility of an academic address as well as unparalleled access to a community of research expertise on their doorstep. Joseph Bradfield shares news of two of the organisation’s members which are embarking on collaborations with University partners

Two Sussex Innovation members were successful in the latest round of seed funding from the Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Partnerships programme, after submitting bids alongside the University of Sussex Innovation and Business Partnerships team to collaborate with researchers at the University.

Emotion measurement and analytics technology company Emteq is collaborating with Professor Martin Yeomans from the School of Psychology after being introduced to each other at one of Sussex Innovation’s regular community socials.

Emteq’s hardware, which incorporates biometric sensors and a range of other tools into VR headsets and smart glasses, will be used to provide proof of concept datasets for a machine learning model to automate the measurement of chewing. Ultimately, the project will lead to the development of more advanced tools for researchers, to monitor food consumption and eating behaviours.

“A chance conversation with Sussex Innovation’s Peter Lane about our glasses being able to accurately detect jaw movements led to him introducing us to Professor Yeomans, one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of eating,” said Dr Charles Nduka, founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Emteq Labs.

“This has opened a whole new market opportunity for us, and highlights one of the many benefits of working here. It’s the intersection of clinical needs identified via the medical school, scientific research at the University, and start-up innovation.”

Virtual sports gaming platform Fantasy Football Hub will work with Dr Ivor Simpson’s team at the School of Engineering and Informatics to develop an industry-first probabilistic deep learning model that will transform Fantasy Premier League points predictions. This will provide Fantasy Football Hub subscribers with superior insights, enhancing their chances of success in fantasy football through a more accurate and sophisticated experience.

“We are incredibly excited to embark on a partnership with the University of Sussex and work closely with Dr Ivor Simpson and Dr Oliver Thomas from Sussex AI,” said Will Thomas, founder of Fantasy Football Hub.

“Special thanks go to Nile Amos, Tina Perrett, and Kate Thorpe from the IBP team, whose invaluable assistance has been instrumental in getting this project off the ground. We are confident that this will mark the beginning of a long-term collaboration that will not only advance our AI capabilities but also significantly contribute to our overall business growth.”

“We are delighted to be working with Fantasy Football Hub on the challenging problem of predicting player performances in Fantasy Premier League,” said Dr Ivor Simpson, senior lecturer in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Sussex.

“This project takes advantage of our experience in developing machine learning approaches for problems that depend on a complex set of factors and intrinsically have a lot of randomness. It’s a great example of the kind of interdisciplinary and industrial collaborations that Sussex AI can do, and we hope to create many more of these across the centre in the near future.”

Does your business have an innovation challenge that you’d like to explore with the support of an academic research partner? The University of Sussex’s Innovation and Business Partnerships team is actively seeking local businesses to benefit from its Connect to Expertise programme. Access match funding to deliver mini projects such as proof of concept, feasibility studies and new product development, leveraging the University’s expertise to work on new ideas and drive longer-term ambitions for collaboration. Get in touch with Sussex Innovation to find out more.

Nhealth.ai receives double award in annual Startup Sussex competition

The annual University of Sussex entrepreneurship competition was held with a twist last month. Startup Sussex 2024 saw the first ever live pitches and awards ceremony with the judges, finalists and audience all present for an evening of entrepreneurship celebration.

Startup Sussex is underwritten by the University of Sussex as part of its commitment to support student entrepreneurship, backed by a generous private donation from a Sussex alumnus. Every year, shortlisted finalists pitch to secure funding to take their startups to the next level.

Artificial Intelligence and Adaptive Systems MSc student Dr Shuaib Karmani took home top prize in both the Business and Social Impact Awards. Karmani is the second person to win a double award and received £10,000 to move forward with his business Nhealth.Ai, a smart wearable patient health monitor that could save up to 50,000 lives a year, and save the NHS £227 million a year.

“Taking part in Startup Sussex has been an amazing journey of learning supported by the entrepreneurship team at Sussex,” said Karmani. “Winning is a validation of our idea and has opened the doors to new opportunities to help realise the goals and ambitions of our company.”

Law and Social Science BA student Lase Salu received the second prize in the Business Award for her product Satin, a unique haircare product for Black women and women of colour. Third place went to Anthropology and International Development graduate Berta Santos for her company Social Impact Newbie which helps graduates land their first social impact role. Finally, the second place prize for the Social Impact Award went to Conflict, Security and Development student Nemat Ahangosh for Stretch More, a social enterprise devoted to teaching survival skills to disabled people.

The Head of Careers and Entrepreneurship, Emily Huns, congratulated all eight finalists who all received funding, adding that “the quality of applications this year was very high, and there were a record number of applications, up 44% on last year’s number. This growth is the result of several years of strategically-led work to enable all students to develop their ideas, explore venture creation and develop their entrepreneurial skills.”