Monday 10 July 2017

Rainbow Seed Fund

Okay, okay. Ha! Well, let's see. As far as I'm concerned, these people at the fund are collecting money for the seeding of rainbows. I mean, that's how it works. Sadly, everything in this world, man, costs money. Rainbows are no different. Firstly, you get the money. Then you buy the seeds. Probably from a mystical guy like me. Rainbow wizard, whatever. Ha! Christ! What a job! Then, uh ... thirdly, you plant a seed, one seed, in the sky, and a beautiful rainbow grows for everyone to enjoy. All the children, like. Eventually, it will fade, as all beautiful things fade. However, we're talking about having loads of seeds now with this fund. We can have as many rainbows as we want! That's the theory, anyway.

'Boss.' -

Oxford, UK, 7th July 2017 - Early-stage investor Rainbow Seed Fund today announces that Oxfordshire-based Cobalt Light Systems, a provider of highly differentiated Raman spectroscopic instruments, has been acquired by Agilent Technologies Inc.

Cobalt Light Systems, a spin-out from the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory which was funded from the earliest stages by Rainbow Seed Fund, produces innovative products for non-invasive, through-barrier chemical analysis, for applications in airport security, hazardous chemical ID and pharmaceutical QC, using a technologically advanced Raman spectroscopy technique.


Okay, Voice. Uh ... 'I'm sorry to bring you back to earth like this. However, you know ... it's a serious finance blog really, isn't it? And your readers are relying on you for all the latest news.' I suppose. 'I'm sorry, man.' It's okay, Voice.

PR email, dear reader(s). / Do the rest of it, son.

Cobalt Light Systems' CEO Paul Loeffen will remain with Agilent as the Director of Raman Spectroscopy. The former Cobalt Light Systems HQ, on the rapidly growing Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire UK, will become Agilent's global centre for Raman spectroscopy.

Privately held and ranked as one of the UK's fastest-growing technology companies in 2014, Cobalt Light Systems' customers include 21 of the world's 25 largest pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and more than 75 airports across Europe and Asia-Pacific, including eight of the 10 largest European airports, with over 500 devices deployed at airport checkpoints. Recently, Cobalt Light Systems has entered environmental screening markets such as law enforcement, customs and borders, and first responders its handheld platform.


Well, well. It's not quite what I imagined. 'I know.' I just saw the word "rainbow" and - 'Yes, I know.' Still it could have been worse. 'How?' Bungle. 'Oh, right. Of course. That prat.' / Well, uh ... does Ian Taylor have anything he wants to say?

Ian Taylor, Chairman of Rainbow Seed Fund, commented, "As a seed investor in innovations from the UK's science base, Rainbow enables scientists to commercialize their innovations. The acquisition of Cobalt Light Systems demonstrates our objective to leverage private capital to validate, invest and grow leading UK science. The successful sale of Cobalt Light Systems gives Rainbow additional funds to re-invest in ideas emerging from the UK's world-leading research base."

That's nice. But let's finish it, yeah? I'm actually a bit depressed now.

About Cobalt Light Systems

Cobalt Light Systems develops innovative products and technologies for non-invasive, through-barrier chemical analysis, for applications in airport security, hazardous-chemical identification and pharmaceutical QC. Cobalt Light Systems' instruments can rapidly and accurately identify materials hidden inside objects or through opaque barriers such as plastic, coloured glass, paper and skin, or can measure the concentrations of materials in mixtures, with a high degree of accuracy.

About Rainbow Seed Fund

The Rainbow Seed Fund is an early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to kick-starting technology companies from great science emerging from the National Research & Innovation Campuses. The Fund is backed by nine UK publicly-funded research organizations including STFC, BBSRC, Dstl and NERC and the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Rainbow, whose portfolio comprises more than 30 companies, holds investments in some of the UK's most innovative early-stage companies, underpinning the Government's Industrial Strategy. The Fund invests, validates and mentors companies. It has successfully leveraged from the private sector more than 20 times its own investment and created more than 550 high-value technology jobs.


Thank you, Voice. 'Are you all right, boss.' Yeah, I'm all right. I mean, I'll be all right. I've got an egg sandwich for lunch. 'Nice.' Crisps, and a yoghurt. I'll have water though, not Coke.

...

Anything else? No. No. 528 later. Laters.