University of Birmingham spinout Delta g, which is developing quantum sensors billed as “Google Maps for the underground”, has landed £1.5m.
Drawing on a decade of research from the university, Delta g’s quantum gravity gradiometry sensors can map out the Earth’s subsurface and unknown places.
Delta g’s sensors can detect changes in gravitational fields by dropping clouds of atoms to determine the density of objects.
Professor Michael Holynski, Dr Andrew Lamb, Jonathan Winch and Pete Stirling founded the spinout. Delta g will be overseen by Stirling as CEO.
Stirling said: “The UK would massively benefit from delivering major infrastructure projects on time and on budget, and through increased productivity by reducing the time it takes to bring such projects to the point of benefitting people.”
The main problem facing infrastructure projects, says Stirling, argues is knowing what lies beneath the surface. That’s why “considerable budgets” are factored in, citing HS2’s £248m unknown ground budget.
Science Creates Ventures led the £1.5m pre-seed into Delta g. Funds also came from Quantum Exponential Group, Newable Ventures, Bristol Private Equity Club, Hitesh Thakrar, Howard Covington and other angels.
In addition to the pre-seed funding, Innovate UK has given the spinout an approximately £500,00 grant. The startup will use the capital to fund trials of its technology.
Skylark Lasers, another research-inspired tech startup, is working on quantum gravity sensors and received a £2.34m grant this week from Innovate UK.