Sheffield University spinout laser developer Stratium raises $435,000 in seed funding from IP Group and Finance Wales.
Stratium, a compound semiconductor laser spinout from Sheffield University, has raised approximately £300,000 ($435,000) in its seed round, according to Optics.org.
The funding comes from IP Group, which invests in spinouts from UK universities, and Finance Wales, which invests in Welsh small and medium-sized businesses. Stratium is now based in Wales.
The company has developed a quantum cascade laser (QCL) for gas sensing applications. QCL is able to detect specific gases, such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide at extremely low concentrations such as the parts per trillion range.
QCL’s applications include environmental monitoring, breath diagnostics and vehicle emission monitoring.
The company was formed in July 2015 following a collaboration between the Physics and Astronomy department and the Electronic and Electrical Engineering department at Sheffield University.
Phil Cornish, commercial director for Stratium, said: “Currently we have three wavelengths available, 2.8µm, 3.3µm and 10.0µm, which are suitable for the detection of ethanol, methane and ammonia respectively.
“We are focusing on emerging original equipment manufacturer gas sensing markets by introducing the next generation of advanced QCLs, with industrial-grade performance and reliability.”
