Anacail Limited, a spin-out from the University of Glasgow’s School of Physics and Astronomy, has closed a £2 million “Series A” equity investment.  The investment consortium included new investor Sussex Place Ventures, existing investors IP Group plc and the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) as well as a small number of private individuals.

The initial target market for Anacail’s ozone technology is food processing where it has the potential to improve food safety and extend shelf life through post-packaging treatment of food. Anacail’s technology has applications in food decontamination across the supply chain - from “farm gate to plate” - in both the retail food sector and the hospitality and food service sector.

The company has created a technology platform and is also developing products for applications in high-level decontamination within healthcare settings and the sterilisation of medical devices.

Richard Gourlay, Managing Partner at Sussex Place Ventures, commented: “We were particularly attracted to Anacail because of its technology, market potential and team. They have made significant progress since the seed funding stage and we were keen to be part of this funding round, a major milestone for the company. We believe Anacail has a very exciting future.”

In the last six months, Anacail has built up its Board with the appointment of Gareth Voyle as Chairman. Gareth has over 25 years’ experience in the European FMCG industry. As Chief Operating Officer and subsequently Chief Executive Officer of Geest plc from 1998-2005, Gareth successfully took Geest plc from number three to number one position in the UK marketplace and led the company’s £500 million sale to Bakkavor Group Ltd in May 2005. Anacail has also appointed two specialist advisors, Liz Kynoch and Jonathon Lintott.  

Liz has held a number of senior technical roles in the UK food retail industry and was previously Group Technical Director at Tesco PLC.  Jonathan co-founded Andersen Caledonia Ltd, a Scottish infection control firm, and has considerable experience in the installation and operation of sterilization equipment and the manufacture of medical disposables.

In recognition of the potential of its technology in the medical sector, Anacail was recently awarded a £300,000 Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst grant, in partnership with the University of Glasgow, to develop its application of ozone in medical device sterilization and decontamination.
Anacail was supported in the fundraising process by IP Capital, a subsidiary of IP Group plc.

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For more information contact Ian Muirhead (Anacail CEO):  ian.muirhead@anacail.com

About Anacail Ltd (www.anacail.com)

Anacail specialises in creating and handling ozone in revolutionary, safe and flexible ways. Its key technology allows the generation of ozone (an activated form of oxygen), inside sealed packages, without damaging or opening the package. The ozone is generated from oxygen inside the package and is a potent germicide. After a short time all the ozone decays back to oxygen, leaving no residual chemicals, and a decontaminated or sterilised package and contents. Because this innovative approach offers rapid, safe and chemical-free sterilisation, the technology can be applied wherever there is a need to reduce microbial contamination inside sealed packaging.

About IP Group plc (www.ipgroupplc.com)

IP Group is a leading UK intellectual property commercialisation company, developing technology innovations primarily from its research intensive partner universities. The Group offers more than traditional venture capital, providing its companies with access to business building expertise, networks, recruitment and business support.

IP Group's portfolio comprises holdings in around 90 early-stage to mature businesses across the Healthcare, Biotech, Cleantech and Technology sectors. These businesses include Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the DNA sequencing development company, Revolymer, best known for its removable chewing gum, and Xeros, which has received many accolades for its revolutionary clothes washing techniques with a much reduced requirement for water.

About the Scottish Investment Bank

The Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) is the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, operating Scotland-wide in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise.  It manages a suite of funds including the Scottish Seed Fund, the Scottish Co-investment Fund and the Scottish Venture Fund, which are partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Scottish Plastics Loan Fund and the Renewable Energy Investment Fund.

SIB is also the cornerstone investor in the privately-managed Scottish Loan Fund and a Limited Partner in Epidarex Capital.  These Funds support Scotland’s SME funding market to ensure businesses with growth and export potential have adequate access to capital.  SIB also provides a team of financial readiness specialists to help companies prepare for new investment and more easily access finance.

About the Sussex Place Ventures (www.spventures.com)

Sussex Place Ventures invests at an early stage in software companies, in businesses developing technology with strong patent-protectable intellectual property and in digital businesses.  Sussex Place Ventures was formed in 1998 in support of London Business School’s entrepreneurship programmes - primarily at that time teaching and research focused. It has subsequently widened its remit and invests anywhere in the UK with the single goal of achieving a commercial return for investors.

First published: 20 April 2015