Several innovation companies from Uppsala University on prestigious list

2022-11-17

"We are proud to be selected as one of this year’s top 33 most innovative and promising companies in
Sweden," says Dragos Dancila, researcher at Ångström Laboratory and co-founder of Percy Roc.

Each year, Sweden’s Ny Teknik magazine presents a list of the top 33 young tech companies in Sweden that are judged to be a leader of the future, and each year the innovative potential at Uppsala University is reflected in the list. This year’s top 33 list includes six innovation companies linked to research and education at the University.

The top 33 list has been around for 15 years and lists Sweden’s most innovative and promising technology start-ups. University cities tend to be well-represented, and this year’s list is no exception in terms of their ability to create companies with their own technological innovations and international potential.

"We are quite confident that this is one of the best years of the top 33 list with several companies that have the potential to completely transform their industries," writes the Ny Teknik magazine that is behind the list.

This year’s list includes six innovation companies linked to research and education at Uppsala University. One of these is Percy Roc, on the list for the first time.

Cutting-edge technology in industrial microwave heating

"We are very proud and happy to be selected as one of this year’s top 33 most innovative and promising companies in Sweden. Society is facing major climate challenges and increased energy costs, and this is where we can make a difference. The nomination is also timely in that it recognises our recent successes and supports our ongoing capital acquisition," explains Dragos Dancila, CEO and co-founder of Percy Roc.

Kristiaan Pelckmans is co-founder of Percy Roc.

The company has developed technology that significantly reduces energy use in critical industrial processes. For example, according to the company, energy consumption in the production of carbon fibre and glass fibre composites can be reduced to a tenth of that of conventional methods. The technology combines high-efficiency microwaves with an advanced ML/AI platform and derives from the research of Dragos Dancilas and Kristiaan Pelckmans at the Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University.

"There are many advantages of using microwaves to provide heat in the production of, for example, carbon and glass fibre composites. In addition to great energy efficiency, it results in better quality and higher productivity in comparison with current methods," says Dragos Dancila.

Technology that detects early signs of blood poisoning

Inger Persson is a researcher in statistics and
co-founder of AlgoDx.

AlgoDx and AirForestry join Percy Roc as new additions on this year’s top 33 list.

AlgoDx has developed an algorithm that can predict when an admitted patient is at risk of sepsis, otherwise known as blood poisoning. The CE-marked technology provides a continuous analysis of whether the patient is at risk within the subsequent three hours. The technology is being implemented at four US hospitals. Inger Persson, researcher at the Department of Statistics, is a co-founder of the company.

Airforestry has developed drones to replace heavy forest machines that cause damage to the environment. The autonomous drones thin out trees, branches and saw off trunks, and fly the tree parts to the timber trucks. Mauritz Andersson, researcher at the Department of Electrical Engineering, is one of the company’s founders.

Transparent solar cells and batteries of the future

Selected for the second year in a row are the spin-off companies Peafowl Plasmonics and Indicio Technologies.

Peafowl Plasmonics develops transparent solar cells that can power connected devices. The solar cells generate electricity through vibrating nanoparticles. The company has run several pilot projects as well as using a reactor for the production of nanoparticles. One of the founders is Jacinto Sá, professor at the Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory.

Indicio Technologies makes advanced statistical models available for the forecasting of, for example, sales volumes, commodity prices and exchange rates. This concept has had great success and now finds Toyota among its clients. The company’s founders are two alumni from Uppsala University.

Altris, a spin-off company from research carried out at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University, is on the list for the third year in a row. The company has developed cathode material for as well as the design of sodium-ion batteries that could challenge the lithium-ion batteries of today. After securing SEK 100 million in venture capital in 2022, the company is ready to significantly expand its production and is aiming to produce cathode material equivalent to 1GWh of batteries per year.

Text: Sara Gredemark

Facts: The 33 list

Each year, Ny Teknik presents the top 33 list of Sweden's most innovative and promising young technology companies.
The companies on the list must be a maximum of seven years old, not listed on any stock exchange and have a self-developed technical innovation with global potential that can contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals.
A company may be included on the list for a maximum of 3 years.