Listed Manchester spinout company Nanoco is ramping up its commercial engagement as it transitions to scaled production.
Nanoco Group plc, headquartered in Runcorn, develops and manufactures cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials. These are used in monitors, TVs and infra-red sensors.
It recently has made several organisational changes as it looks to scale the commercialisation of its technology.
The firm said last year that it was cutting jobs in an attempt to preserve cash as it explores a sale via financial advisor CDX Advisors, but added that its considerable financial resources – in 2023 it won $150m in a legal dispute with Samsung – meant growth within the trading business would continue to be supported.
The company confirmed to BusinessCloud that it was still working with CDX Advisors on a sale of its operating business, which includes its intellectual property and employees, and that any potential deal would not require a shareholder vote.
The repositioning – intended to reduce the group’s annualised cash cost base by £2.6m, equivalent to 34% – followed a strategic review triggered by the end of a contract with major European customer ST Microelectronics, which had changed its strategic focus away from QD-enabled infra-red sensors. The company confirmed that this is being executed, with the focus now on ‘executing commercial growth’.
Over the coming months the company will be attending several key industry events to showcase its technology, connect with its customers and development partners, and to accelerate adoption of its solutions.
In March, Nanoco founder and CTO Dr Nigel Pickett will speak at the Society for Information Display (SID) UK Chapter meeting in London.
His presentation, ‘Molecular Seeding Technology for Display Applications and Beyond,’ will explain how Nanoco’s technology can enhance micro-LED and other displays, making them more efficient and cost-effective for mass production.
As the industry moves toward brighter, more energy-efficient screens, Nanoco is working with partners to bring its technology into commercial products.
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Later that month Nanoco will attend and sponsor Image Sensors Europe, a major industry gathering of over 250 vision technology professionals. The team will engage with potential customers and partners, highlighting how Nanoco’s quantum dot-based imaging solutions are unlocking new possibilities across several industries.
In April, Nanoco will be presenting its latest results on Image Sensors at SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing conference in Orlando, Florida.
The presentation, ‘Molecular Seeding Technology: Enabling Sensing Applications of the Future’, will highlight how Nanoco’s technology enables the production of Quantum Dots at scale making high-performance infrared image sensors more affordable and available. These sensors are in growing demand and Nanoco is positioning itself as a key player in that industry.
“Molecular seeding technology is our foundational IP for high volume quantum dot production,” said Pickett. “It allows us to manufacture high-quality materials efficiently, meeting the strict demands of the electronics industry. We believe it is the only feasible method to manufacture Quantum Dots at scale.
“This technology has already played a pivotal role in advancing display technologies, and we are now seeing the same potential in quantum dot enabled sensing applications where Nanoco has the largest product portfolio.”
Following the appointment of a new CEO in Dmitry Shashkov in October, Jai Subramanian joined as global business director in December.
Shashkov said: “We are excited to present our latest achievements to the industry and take the next steps to align the business with commercial execution. These industry events are not just about presenting technology – they are about building relationships with partners and customers who will be instrumental in bringing QD Image Sensors into mass adoption.
“We at Nanoco see the next 1-2 years as a major inflection point for the industry, as low-cost, wafer-scale production processes will bring QD Image Sensors to a wide variety of applications, including consumer, automotive, industrial and defense sectors.”
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