Z21 Projects | Latest news

Web-based startups are changing the world. Online innovations have revolutionised the way we all shop, travel and socialise, with tech savvy entrepreneurs ready to pounce on the ground-breaking opportunities of next generation wireless and Internet of Things advances to shape a near-limitless future.

The Z21 Innovation Fund was founded by the Web Science Institute (WSI) in 2017. Working with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) a funding programme was set up fund proof of concept projects which had the potential to be accelerated into new businesses and create new jobs in the Solent region. The initiative offered University entrepreneurs access to funding to develop their digital ideas and benefit from a package of support to accelerate the startup towards success.

Funded projects received acceleration support from Future Worlds and included entrepreneurial mentoring, startup video production and access to the Future Worlds Accelerator Space.

Following the five funding calls, 14 projects received funding. Here are are some of the project successes:

Aura Vision

Alumnus Daniel Martinho-Corbishley co-founded Aura Vision while completing his PhD in Computer Vision at the University of Southampton to use deep learning AI to help global brands and retailers improve their in-store experiences through insights gained from existing security cameras.

They are currently offering an app which ‘offers a covid-secure solution to help stores stay open’, using security cameras and AI to ensure customer safety.

TopMD

TopMD was created by a team of University scientists and mathematicians to dramatically improve precision and accuracy of disease diagnosis. They have recently secured €600,000 funding to lead molecular phenotyping in "DRAGON", a €14m EU-funded international consortium design and building an advanced diagnosis and prognosis system for COVID-19.

BOON

Founders, Dylan John Grey and Mike Oakley created BOON to deliver a personalised online shopping experience and in 2019 closed an initial one-year deal with the retailer Ann Summers and authorisation to reference the project in marketing campaigns. The tool has demonstrated outstanding results, including 50% revenue increase from users engaged with the BOON tool.

Avian

Created by Joerg Fliege and Venezia Georgieva, Avian is a cooperative multiplayer game with conservation, collaboration, and altruism at its core. Engage in multiple modes of play such as a negotiation puzzler and a fast-paced race as you help your community thrive.