The ten start-ups selected to participate in the OGTC TechX Pioneer Accelerator Programme will now receive £25,000 of seed funding to support them in developing their businesses and technology. They join an intense 16-week accelerator programme, commencing in June. The programme will be based at the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), a not-for-profit, industry-led, technology research and development organisation based in Aberdeen.

During the accelerator programme additional funding of up to £75,000 will be available to the pioneers. Upon graduation, they will be transferred into a 12-month incubator called TechX +. For the two most promising companies there will be the opportunity for a further £100,000 in funding from BP Ventures. For companies that go on to base their operations in the North East of Scotland, there will be additional funding on offer.

David Gilmour, Vice President, BP Ventures said of the programme: “The ideas presented to us by the first wave of TechX Pioneers have been testament to the quality of talent taking part in the programme. Accelerating innovative thinking and developing new technologies and solutions is a key objective at BP to allow us to maintain and develop our business both in the North Sea and beyond.

“We are incredibly proud to be associated and connected with the initiative and we look forward to working with the Pioneers to help develop and scale their ideas and technologies further.”

Meet the Pioneers

This first cohort of  Pioneers are tech start-ups with potentially game-changing solutions for the oil and gas industry. Each firm was selected following a pitch to a panel of industry experts and academia. From an entire laboratory shrunk onto a microchip to greener cheaper alternatives to liquified gas, the companies are creating technology that could drastically transform the future of oil and gas. The TechX programme will facilitate the development of these concepts and could soon bring them to the North Sea.

Ivan Starostin Founder of Tenzor Geo told DIGIT: “The Tech X accelerator will help us to fast-track an innovative solution to the North Sea oil and gas sector. As a start-up, our biggest challenge is to prove ourselves with the big operators and we are keen to have our first North Sea trial later this year, even as a pilot.”

Gerold Tischler, the Geoscience Director of Sensalytx, told DIGIT: “TechX has delivered on the promises it set out at Offshore Europe last year. The professionalism of the staff and the clear processes we have gone through in competition for these final places, are a credit to the organisation. The Sensalytx team are actively looking forward to the next twelve months and the challenges that we face, we know that the TechX delivery team will be with us throughout the journey.”

Eleanor Mitchell, Entrepreneurial Growth and Grant Appraisal & Management Director, Scottish Enterprise, said: “It is encouraging to see the success of some of these companies. It’s fantastic there is such strong demand for the Pioneer programme, especially from entrepreneurs in the North East, and we look forward to working with these companies to help them meet their growth ambitions.”

The First Cohort of Pioneers and Their Ideas

• Blue Gentoo: Helping to mitigate and manage the formation of gas hydrates and ensure the efficient dosing of ‘anti-freeze’ chemicals, saving millions of pounds.
• Envio: Adapting its technology from the retail sector to track and verify equipment offshore. Intelligent equipment cases can remotely verify contents, location and usage.
• Immaterial: Manufacturing super-adsorbent nanomaterials which can dramatically reduce the cost of separating, storing, and transporting gas.
• Paragon Inspection Limited: Developing an integrated digital inspection technology which will transform the inspection of small bore tubing and reduce hydrocarbon leaks.
• RAB Microfluidics: Pioneering ‘lab-on-a-chip’ technology to provide real-time condition monitoring and predictive failure analysis for rotating equipment.
• Sensalytx: Artificially intelligent software platform that analyses and visualises fluid movement across multiple elements of an oil and gas well.
  Specialist Safety Systems: Developing intelligent offshore solutions for safer and more efficient crane operation. This solution will help prevent incidents and fatalities.
• Tenzor Geo: Using unique interpretation software and autonomous Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) to deliver an unprecedented accuracy in oil & gas deposit location.
• test 1 srl: Developing a sponge-like material that can soak up spilled oil in the ocean, be reused multiple times and allows for the oil to be recovered for processing.
• Tubular Sciences: Sealing technology that ‘zips’ pipelines together, which can be used for the full range of pipe-lay environments including challenging and deep water.

DIGIT Speaks David Millar, TechX Director, the Oil & Gas Technology Centre

Why did OGTC launch the Tech X programme?

DM: “We need new thinking, new ideas, new technology and new companies if we want the UK oil and gas industry and the North East of Scotland to thrive, and not just survive. This is why the Oil & Gas Technology was set up and what TechX is designed to deliver. Our mission is to find new technology companies that can help unlock the full potential of the oil and gas industry – helping them take their solutions to market – faster. We’re offering a new generation of entrepreneurs unrivalled funding and support to accelerate innovation.”

How does it help the oil and gas sector?

DM: “TechX will help develop new business and technology that maximise economic recovery from the UK North Sea, extend the life of the basin and anchor a new technology supply chain in the region for generations to come. This will also open up significant global export opportunities for the companies going through TechX, who can transfer their technology to other regions.”

What was the response to the accelerator like?

DM: “We received 220 applications for the Pioneer and Market Entry programmes from 24 countries with an incredible breadth of potential technologies and solutions. 125 applications were for the Pioneer programme. 50 volunteers, comprising OGTC leadership and members and TechX mentors and partners, spent a week reviewing and scoring the applications, and 16 start-ups were selected to pitch. 10 start-ups were then selected for the first Pioneer cohort.”

How is the accelerator linked to industry?

DM: “We have strong industry backing and support for TechX. We have 130 individual mentors with a wealth of experience from inside and outside the industry who will provide expert advice, guidance, support and brokering connections with their network. We have 30 individual partner companies who will support the Pioneers development providing them with access to facilities and networks, as well as facilitating and co-funding field trials.”

“We’re delighted to have BP Ventures as a strategic partner in our Pioneers programme. In addition to the core funding and support from TechX, BP Ventures will offer a small, exclusive group of Pioneers a further £100,000 of funding each, as well as dedicated access to BP’s facilities and expertise. The panel for the Pioneer programme comprised an eclectic mix of 13 industry experts and academia to decide on the final 10 Pioneer for our first cohort.”

Anything else you’d like to say about the accelerator or the first cohort of companies?

DM: “We were blown away by the technology ideas presented and now have 10 ambitious start-ups with us that want to change the world! I’m sure these first Pioneers will set a benchmark in technology development that positions TechX as the leading accelerator for companies hoping to break into the oil and gas industry. We are delighted to have our first Pioneers on board and look forward to working with them to help develop their business and exciting new solutions for the industry.”