Member Article

New support initiative for Science Park entrepreneurs

Specialist engineer WH Partnership (WHP) and investment company NCL have joined forces to create an innovative support initiative for budding Science Park entrepreneurs.

NCL’s recently-launched Discovery Park Technology Investments LP fund will identify and select young, high quality companies working in sustainable energy and biotechnology and give them the support they require for accelerated growth and sustainability.

WHP will provide specialist engineering and design support to the Discovery Park incubator program, based in Sandwich, Kent, to help the fund’s fledgling investment companies scale up to reach successful commercialisation.

NCL and WHP bring to the market an expertise and a unique blend of engineering, commercial and financial acumen with an in depth sector focus. Because of its capability in the design and construction of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other specialised industrial projects, WHP has been working with SMEs and start-up companies since the 1980s. NCL has a solid track record of start-up financing with a proven public and private commercialization model, focused on ‘early stage’ SMEs.

John Challenger, WHP’s chairman, said: “In order to provide investor confidence there needs to be a much closer tie between the financing and the technological components of such development projects. This requires the early involvement of experienced engineering, able to recognise the potential problems and pit-falls in taking processes from the laboratory to the end product. We look forward to working with NCL to nurture new ventures in Discovery Park and beyond.”

Jerry Biggs, CEO of NCL said “This association with WHP will help to mitigate early stage investment risk by applying specialist engineering skill to the design, scale up and roll-out of our technology SMEs. Both our investors and our investment companies will benefit from an advanced, risk adjusted commercialisation process. WHP’s knowledge and experience is already adding significant value to our portfolio and helping us to differentiate as a truly unique Technology Investment Manager.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Deborah Anderson .