A #OnetoWatch can already be doing great things or be just about to start, but the main criteria is the potential to go on to even bigger and better things. This gives start-ups, emerging organisations and established firms a golden opportunity to be profiled in the region’s science and technology spotlight for something that is, or could be, ground-breaking.
Faye Holland, founder and director of Cofinitive, says: “We’re very excited to lead this #OnetoWatch initiative. There are so many amazing things happening across the region and we are enjoying seeking out those hidden gems and bringing them to light. #OnetoWatch has got off to a great start – we are currently sifting through 198 submissions and are continuously updating the lists to reach the top 25 for each category. But this is just the tip of the iceberg; we want people to share their Ones to Watch with us, to tell us who they think should be on the list as we facilitate the annual listing.”
While a #OnetoWatch can be almost anything, Cofinitive has mapped out three groups to classify them: companies, people, and ‘things’. Each group has its own list which is both broad and varied. Here we have selected three noteworthy contenders for each of the categories:
COMPANIES
Cydar – developing a revolutionary surgical guidance system that acts like an anatomical sat-nav for surgeons
Herdsy - presenting a world first with their ‘plug and play’ herd analytics tag and software
Telensa – a global leader in smart city street lighting leading the way to a brighter tomorrow
PEOPLE
Jack Lomas – SenSat – co-founder of SenSat and new addition to the Cambridge Wireless board of directors
Karolina Zapadka – Babraham Accelerate – leading Babraham Research Campus’ bio-incubator and life science accelerator Accelerate@Babraham
Prof John Daugman - Cambridge University – pioneer of iris recognition technology with which over one billion people have had their eyes encoded
‘THINGS’
Ooho the edible water bottle – Skipping Rocks Lab – a biodegradable and edible capsule of water being trialled at events as an alternative to plastic bottles of water
Cambridge Launchpad – Form the Future - inspiring children from 8 through to 18-years-old to tackle the gender gap in STEM careers in our area
Fingerprint drug testing - Intelligent Fingerprinting – transforming how we test for drugs that’s hygienic, fast and easy-to-use anytime and almost in any place
Each list can be viewed on the Cofinitive ‘Insights’ page of its website, compiled from researched content and also nominations through a crowd sourced initiative.
Faye continues: “As well as highlighting deserving innovators, we’re also helping the wider business network. We’re giving mentors and investors alike a shortlist of high-potential talent, making it easier to spot potential, which clearly benefits the innovators too. It’s a fantastic outcome of the #OnetoWatch lists and makes it all the more worthwhile for anyone considering putting themselves or someone else forward.”
So get your application in! Submissions for the #OnetoWatch can be anything, from a company, person, team to even a ‘thing’.Tell Cofinitive who your Ones to Watch are by emailing OnetoWatch@cofinitive.com or post on Twitter to @Cofinitive #OnetoWatch.
The first 25 listing will be published in September 2018 and the team is hopeful that most of those will also apply for the Cofinitive sponsored #OnetoWatch Cambridge Independent awards too.
