Welcome to our Hothouse competition spotlight series, where we shine a light on the finalists of our 3rd Innovation HotHouse competition. On Tuesday 25th November, the 3rd Innovation HotHouse competition will be held as part of Norwich Research Park’s Enterprise Tuesday event. Eight fledgling businesses have made it to the final, where they will deliver a five-minute pitch to the judges to try to persuade them that their idea is the most attractive proposition for investors.
Through this series, we’ll bring to life their unique visions and passion for making a difference. Their stories showcase the creativity and resilience at the heart of innovation. Join us as we explore the inspiration, ambition and breakthroughs behind these remarkable businesses.
The founders of the three top-rated business ideas will receive a 12-month virtual tenancy at Norwich Research Park (if they are already a virtual tenant, they will receive a marketing support package) to enable them to further develop their propositions. Each of the finalists have also benefited from a programme of mentorship and pitch training in the lead up to the event. The finalists are:
- Frthst – founded by Frank Walker from the University of East Anglia (UEA) it has designed a functional assistive AI tool called ‘Crit’ to remove language barriers for individuals with dyslexia using an AI engine that simplifies complex sentences, rephrases metaphors and converts text into one of five reading levels.
- RhosynBio – founded by Dannielle Cox-Pridmore from a collaboration between the UEA, the Quadram Institute and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) it is pioneering a novel antimicrobial surface modification designed to prevent biofilm formation. Bacterial biofilms are resilient communities that adhere to surfaces and create serious problems including infection, contamination, corrosion and equipment fouling across sectors such as healthcare, water systems and the food industry.
- BeanTastic Hummus – founded by Rudy Maor it offers clean label, tasty and nutritious hummus made in Norfolk. It is developing ‘MenoTastic Hummus’, a functional hummus dip formulated with evidence-backed ingredients to support women’s health and potentially reduce menopause symptoms.
- WeAreHistoryHub – founded by Rosa Legeno-Bell, it is a bold, new, innovative education platform that aims to transform how history is taught in UK schools offering inclusive support to teachers with ready-to-use, academically-rigorous schemes of learning that align with national standards while actively decolonising the curriculum.
- Agseer – founded by Joshua Williams of the John Innes Centre, it is developing an app for framers that will use image datasets and AI computer vision models that can be used by autonomous robots to understand mixed-species agricultural environments. It populates digitally simulated fields with 3D models of real plants to develop training datasets that have diversity far exceeding that of real fields.
- Zyvex® Antimicrobial – co-founded by Yan Fen Lee, it has developed an antimicrobial formulation that is a breakthrough in food safety. Created entirely from Food Standards Agency (FSA)-approved materials, it is 100% organic, completely food-safe and edible, yet it significantly reduces the presence of all FSA-listed food-borne bacteria including Listeria.
- Vertebral Fragility Fractures – founded by Kate Lucas, who works at NNUH it effectively provides a warning flag for osteoporosis by re-auditing the identification of vertebral fragility fractures, via radiology imaging to identify which patients require a review of their bone health evaluation and osteoporosis treatment. This will create real impact for better service delivery for patients, creating stronger links with primary care and cost benefits to the NHS.
- Quadlytics – founded by Hannah Morelli, who works at the Quadram Institute, is developing technology that identifies combinations of bacteriophages, commonly called phages, which are helpful viruses that can be used as alternatives to antibiotics to kill bacteria in humans, animals and in the environment as well as contributing to the effort in eradicating antimicrobial resistant bacteria.
Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management company for Norwich Research Park, said, “Our Innovation HotHouse events, in November each year, are a fantastic platform for showcasing new spinout potential from Norwich Research Park. We are already nurturing over 40 start-ups in our campus-wide enterprise programme. AIP is helping them to develop their business and achieve seed funding. The companies pitching on the 25th November are the latest eight to make that first step into commercialising their research. With a unique breadth and depth of scientific activity, on one campus, from agri-food, to health-nutrition and the environment, there is huge potential for new spinouts with ideas that can change the world. I am really looking forward to hearing from the 2025 Hothouse cohort.”
Quotes from the finalists about why they entered the competition
Frank Walker, Frthst: “The competition arrived at the perfect time, as I had just finished building the proof of concept and wanted to pressure-test my idea and get real-world feedback.”
Danielle Cox-Pridmore, RhosynBio: “It’s a great chance to get honest feedback, which really helps refine pitching and strengthening the business model.”
Rudy Maor, BeanTastic Hummus: “I’ve been in the audience for the previous two HotHouse competitions and really enjoyed the atmosphere. I spoke to last year’s winner, John Farley of iBOXiT, and he recommended taking part. I am excited about the exposure and the chance to interact with stakeholders at and after the event.”
Rosa Legeno-Bell, WeAreHistoryHub: “I want the tough questions and push-back that make a business stronger. Most of all, I entered to prove that a radical idea born in a living room in Norwich can change the national stage.”
Joshua Williams, Agseer: “The timing of the Hothouse competition is ideal for us to build the strategic connections needed to secure this pilot. It provides an opportunity to present our work to a large, expert audience and find partners for our crucial next phase.”
Yan Fen Lee, Zyvex® Antimicrobial: “I wanted to present our formulation to a wider audience with an aim to attract potential investors and collaborators who share their vision for reducing food waste and improving food accessibility.”
Kate Lucas, Vertebral Fragility Fractures: “I entered the competition because I have a great team who are all passionate about improving the care pathways for patients and have the skills to help develop the idea into practice. I believe that this will help to prevent unnecessary fractures, save the NHS money and improve the quality of lives for countless patients.”
Hannah Morelli, Quadlytics: “Entering the HotHouse competition has been great for the learning opportunities and 1:1 pitching support it has provided. And, of course, the opportunity to pitch in front of a diverse audience, including investors is really valuable. You never know who might be in the audience and what conversations might come from it.”
Stay tuned for our next edition, where we’ll dive deeper into the journeys of our finalists and reveal exclusive insights from behind the scenes. Don’t miss the chance to discover which innovative ideas are shaping the future.
Register your ticket now and be among the first to witness the pitches from our finalists. Register here: https://bit.ly/496L3X2
