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07 Apr 2016

CW announces Speechmatics as finalist for Venturefest East Fast and Furious Pitch Off

CW (Cambridge Wireless) has announced that Speechmatics will feature as a finalist in the Fast and Furious Pitch off taking place at Venturefest East on 24 May at Newmarket Racecourse in Suffolk. The CW competition set out to identify companies based in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk with innovative technology products and services in the Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare, security or wireless and mobile communications markets.

The winner, Cambridge-based Speechmatics, impressed the judges with its cloud-based, multilingual automatic speech recognition and manual transcription solution.

The other four companies shortlisted for the pitching slot were:

  • BeanIoT™ from RFMOD is a small software configurable multi-sensor IoT device that can be worn, carried in the pocket or deployed throughout a home or factory. 
  • Herdsy, an animal herd tag capable of being used on cattle, sheep, goats, deer and even poultry that eliminates expensive agri-tech infrastructure for the small and medium farmer.
  • Rize, a multi-platform mental health app that integrates therapeutic concepts into interactive exercises to help users to understand, track and improve their mental well-being.
  • Smartbell, a wearable sensor platform for farms that can be used to track individual animals for location, signs of sickness and automated record keeping and management as well as providing alerts.

All five companies receive free entry and an exhibition table at Venturefest East and the winner obtains a place at the Pitching Training Workshop run by St John’s Innovation Centre (SJIC) and SETsquared. Speechmatics will also be entered in the Pitch Off against other finalists selected by other East of England network organisations where they will face a panel of industry experts and investors headed by David Gill, Managing Director of St John’s Innovation Centre. They will also get a two-day ticket and exhibition space for CW’s flagship event, 8th Future of Wireless International Conference in London on 21-22 June 2016 as part of London Tech Week.

The overall winner in the Pitch Off on the day will receive 1000 Guineas (just over £1,000), while the two runners up will each receive prizes of 500 Guineas. Three relevant winners of the Fast and Furious Pitch-off competition will also receive automatic entry into ENGIE’s Big Pitch to be held in London on 10 June. This will provide the victors with exposure to the ENGIE Board which has access to a €100 million investment fund.

“We were looking for innovation, inspiration and strong teams who could deliver long term viability – and we were not disappointed,” said Bob Driver, CEO of CW. “The five finalists now have a great opportunity to benefit from the exposure to investors, suppliers and entrepreneurs at Venturefest East, which we are delivering on behalf of the organisers.”

Over 400 delegates are expected at Venturefest East, designed to showcase innovation in the region. The event is jointly supported and organised by St Johns Innovation Centre (SJIC), The Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (GCGP LEP) and New Anglia LEP. Lead corporate sponsor is The University of East Anglia (UEA), along with other sponsors Taylor Vinters, Barclays, SBRI Healthcare and Adnams. National sponsors and creators of the Venturefest concept are the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), the UK’s Innovation Network.

For the overall programme, with a full list of speakers and track sessions please visit: www.venturefesteast.co.uk

About CW (Cambridge Wireless)
CW is the leading international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless and mobile, internet, semiconductor and software technologies. With 400 members from major network operators and device manufacturers to innovative start-ups and universities, CW stimulates debate and collaboration, harnesses and shares knowledge, and helps to build connections between academia and industry. CW's 19 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide its members with a dynamic forum where they can network with their peers, track the latest technology trends and business developments and position their organisations in key market sectors. CW also organises the annual Future of Wireless International Conference and Discovering Start-Ups competition along with other high-quality industry networking events and dinners. With headquarters at the heart of Cambridge, UK, CW partners with other international industry clusters and organisations to extend its reach and remain at the forefront of global developments and business opportunities.

For CW please contact Abhi Naha, CW, + 44 (0) 1223 967101 [email protected]

For press information and photographs, please contact:
Peter Rennison / Sam Morgan
PRPR + 44 (0) 1442 245030 [email protected] / [email protected]

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