Sustainability wins as bug-buster Spotta wins HCR Hewitsons Impact55 competition

The award boosts the impact of companies leading in sustainability ventures.

As  reported in a Business Weekly profile on the company last year, Spotta’s technology has many applications including monitoring and management of bed bugs in the hospitality industry.

By implementing the Spotta system, hotels have access to 24/7 monitoring of their facilities. Research has shown that Spotta is 10 times more effective at detecting bugs and allows alerts to be sent automatically to hotel staff so that action can be taken.

The technology was a solid gold champion at the Olympics in Paris last summer, for example, with Paris hotels cleaned up by the Cambridge firm’s bug detector.

Spotta is also using its technology to monitor for pine weevils, which are a leading cause of tree mortality in Europe, and red palm weevils which are causing similar issues in the Middle East and North Africa.

HCR Hewitsons says the calibre of pitches for Impact55 was extremely high, and the judging panel therefore also awarded runner-up prizes to three additional companies.

Biotryp Therapeutics has developed a class of molecules which solve the problem of biofilms. Bacteria use biofilms as a protective barrier, allowing them to thrive and become resistant to antibiotics.

Cellexcel Ltd has created a technology which allows the molecular modification of biomaterials. This enhancement means key properties of the material, such as water resistance can be improved without the need for forever chemicals.

Lambda Agri has developed a light changing spray coating for greenhouse panels. The coating works by efficiently converting UV light into red light which boosts plant growth, yield and sugar content, increasing crop yields by 20 per cent.

Spotta will receive £25,000 worth of legal support from HCR whilst Biotryp Therapeutics, Cellexcel Ltd and Lambda Agri will each receive £10,000 of support.

The Impact55 programme was created as part of HCR’s ongoing commitment to supporting businesses in the areas we work and live in. The firm has its own social and environmental targets, including becoming a net zero business by 2040.

It therefore wanted to find a way to support impact start-ups solving social or environmental problems and aligning themselves with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Inger Anson, Partner and Head of the firm’s Cambridge office, said: “Impact55 was the first competition of this kind that we’ve run, and the pitching day had a real buzz to it. Meeting the ten shortlisted businesses and hearing in person about the background to their business and their plans for the future really brought the ideas and products to life.

“The four successful businesses are truly making an impact in multiple sectors and multiple countries. From agriculture and healthcare to manufacturing and hospitality, the Impact55 cohort are creating positive change and solving issues which are directly linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“We’re really excited to start working with all four businesses over the coming months and to be able to provide the legal support they need to grow and develop as a business.”