UK fintech Yordex is making it simple for fast-growing companies to control business spend by adding company cards to its smart spend management solution, giving businesses complete visibility and authority over their current and future finances.
See full article here: https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/80221/yordex-introduces-smart-company-card
The telecommunications industry is closely watching the development of a brand-new chip by imec spin-off Pharrowtech; a chip that can provide millions of families with an ultrafast broadband connection – easily, quickly and cost-effectively.
Wim Van Thillo (CEO of Pharrowtech) and Olivier Rousseaux (senior venture development manager at imec) disclose the potential and unique features of the Pharrowtech chip and explain how the imec spin-off came about.
See full article here: https://www.imec-int.com/en/imec-magazine/imec-magazine-october-2019/fast-faster-pharrowtech
As demand for broadband internet network capacity skyrockets, DSL – the legacy phone line system – is headed straight into a brick wall. For this dilemma, the Imec spin-off Pharrowtech is proposing a new take on an old technology: fixed wireless access.s demand for broadband internet network capacity skyrockets, DSL – the legacy phone line system – is headed straight into a brick wall. For this dilemma, the Imec spin-off Pharrowtech is proposing a new take on an old technology: fixed wireless access.
See full article here: https://bits-chips.nl/artikel/pharrowtech-emits-mm-wave-fixed-wireless-for-broadband-internet/
Bloc portfolio company Crypta Labs enables large infrastructure projects to prepare for when quantum computing will quickly break classical encryption models, an event that is getting closer if Google’s claims are verified.
The Economist argues in a recent article that Google’s claim to have demonstrated quantum supremacy, if true, is a Sputnik moment. The Sputnik launch itself didn’t achieve much, but it proved a concept and gained worldwide attention.
Google’s machine has performed a task in just over three minutes that would take the world’s most powerful classical supercomputer around 10,000 years to complete.
VC investing in quantum computing is fraught with time risk as commercial quantum computers are unlikely to be available for a decade or so, heralding the “post quantum era” “PQE”. However, infrastructure projects being planned and built today that are likely to outlive the PQE will need to be future proofed from the implications of quantum computing, and the one that is top of mind is the quantum computer’s ability to break current encryption techniques very easily.
Bloc Ventures has focused on preparing for the PQE by investing earlier this year in Crypta Labs. Crypta is already working on a number of projects using its QRNG (quantum random number generator) technology to provide quantum ready security. Classical encryption is based on random number generators that are not truly random. This is good enough for preventing classical computer decryption, but quantum computers can break them very easily. Crypta has used quantum techniques to develop a true random number generator that enables PQE ready encryption.
D/SRUPTION50 Index Revealed at Disruption Summit Europe 2019: EVRYTHNG Recognized for the Digital Switch-on of the World’s Consumer Products; Disrupting the Way Brands and Consumers Interact
See full article here: https://evrythng.com/evrythng-ranked-among-europes-top-50-most-disruptive-companies/
AccelerComm are once again demonstrating commercially ready software-only IP for 5G NR in support of virtualized networks live at Mobile World Congress.
See full article here: https://www.accelercomm.com/accelercomm-introduces-improved-channel-equalisation-5g-nr-mwc-barcelona-2020
As demand for broadband internet network capacity skyrockets, DSL – the legacy phone line system – is headed straight into a brick wall. For this dilemma, the Imec spin-off Pharrowtech is proposing a new take on an old technology: fixed wireless access.
Since 2005, Imec has made big strides in the development of RF, analog and mixed-signal designs for both radar and high-speed wireless communications. In 2015, under the guidance of Wim Van Thillo, the Belgian research and development powerhouse started a number of R&D programs spanning multiple frequencies from 140 GHz, for applications in radar, down to 28 GHz for 5G wireless. By 2017, Van Thillo saw an emerging business opportunity in the field of millimeter-wave-based fixed wireless access. Together with Imec, they decided that the 60 GHz technology, used for wireless communications, was both mature and robust enough that it was ready to be spun out. The result: Pharrowtech, run by Van Thillo, the company’s co-founder and CEO.
See full article here: https://bits-chips.nl/artikel/pharrowtech-emits-mm-wave-fixed-wireless-for-broadband-internet/
Innovate Bristol – The latest publication by Global Village highlights the most innovative companies and organisations in the South-West
See full article: https://zeetta.com/2019/10/21/innovate-bristol-showcases-zeetta-networks/
20th June 2019: ENGIE has chosen Zeetta Networks as the winner of the 2019 Big Pitch competition, with the company receiving a £10,000 prize.
See full article here: https://zeetta.com/2019/06/20/zeetta-networks-wins-10000-in-engies-innovation-big-pitch/
1 April 2019, London. Bloc Ventures Limited (Bloc), the permanent venture capital company, announces Andrew “Griff” Griffin as CFO. Griff joins the executive management team alongside co-founders, Bruce Beckloff and David Leftley who started Bloc specifically to meet the unmet demand in Europe for expert-led funding of early-stage deep technology companies.
Griff spent 17 years in investment banking where he was a highly respected technology analyst, recognised as a No1 ranked semiconductor analyst in Europe, and was managing director of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s European technology research team. He went on to work with a number of technology businesses advising on and implementing their growth strategies. He has worked with both public and private technology companies to raise money and improve their operating models, assisting them in explaining their businesses to outside investors, and in many instances to themselves – a role he continues with the Bloc portfolio.
Bruce Beckloff, CEO, commented:
“We are delighted that Griff has joined Bloc at such an exciting time in the company’s lifecycle. With a deep understanding of the industry and years of experience advising technology companies, Griff’s financial expertise perfectly complements Bloc’s already robust detailed due-diligence pre-investment and hands-on post-investment capabilities.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
About Bloc Ventures
Bloc Ventures is a permanent venture capital company providing expert led funding of European deep technology which thinks differently about investing and scaling early-stage companies. Bloc is passionate about supporting and growing the next generation of European technology businesses at the forefront of telecommunications and computing. Bloc provides its shareholders exposure to the exciting, high growth early-stage European deep-technology landscape with an approach that lowers the risk of crystallising returns.
The Bloc team has a tight complementary mix of technology, commercialisation and finance expertise borne out of extensive careers in the technology industry, including many years in corporate venture capital and M&A at Vodafone and ARM. They apply expertise via detailed due diligence pre-investment, and a hands-on collaborative approach with portfolio companies to quickly scale them post-investment.
Bloc serves as the catalyst for portfolio companies moving them from early-stage to growth businesses, driving substantial value-creation. This positions Bloc as the preferred investor partner for tech businesses.
