QUB spinout gets global stamp of approval

PicoPuf, a Queens University Belfast spinout developing microchip authentication, has been named Northern Ireland’s most promising startup in terms of global commercial potential.

The company, founded in 2013, was awarded the title in the Invent Awards, a well-respected award ceremony help by Northern Ireland-base science park NISP Connect. Plotbox, the 2014 winner, went on to receive backing from accelerator and investor 500 Startups.

PicoPuf’s semiconductor core is aiming to enable any device to have a high level of security, and is in the process of raising £250,000 ($381,140) to finance its next round of growth. The Belfast-based firm is hoping to bring its first product to market by early 2016.

Neil Hanley, co-founder of PicoPuf, said: “There is a perfect storm happening in IT security right now. The huge number of devices on the market, combined with the low-cost nature of these devices, makes it impossible to use heavily computationally resourced security solutions. Lightweight security will be a game changer and we are set to capitalise on that.”