In an article headlined ‘Cambridge’s leading tech start-ups’ in The Observer on 1 December, founders and executives from 16 companies were asked about what had attracted them to the city and where their businesses are heading.

Six current ideaSpace companies, and one of the alumni, featured in the article:

• Aqdot – it has developed and patented new technology for creating microcapsules filled with a range of active ingredients that can then be released under control
• Audio Analytic – it produces software that automatically classifies sounds by means of computer analysis
• Cambridge Carbon Capture – it works with industrial and university partners using mineral carbonation process chemistry to extract value from silicate minerals and wastes
• IntelliSense.io – embracing the ‘internet of things’, it hooks up wireless-enabled sensors to  industrial equipment and processes to unlock efficiency savings
• Knowledge Transmission – it brings high-quality learning materials to students at low cost through tablets and mobiles
• Magicsolver – with its popular iPhone, iPad and Android apps, it helps smartphone users to discover the best apps every day for free
• Sparrho – it is an intelligent discovery platform for science that provides updates and recommendations tailored to your interests and enables you to share them with others.

Asked why Cambridge was attractive to the firm, Michael Priestnall, co-founder in 2010 of Cambridge Carbon Capture, said: “We work extremely closely with Cambridge University. The proximity of the Institute of Manufacturing and the Judge Business School, together with top-class students, was also a draw.”

Replying to the same question, Chris Mitchell, founder of Audio Analytic in 2009, said: “The presence of incubators such as ideaSpace gives the flexibility and support needed at this early stage of the business.”

Future plans for the ideaSpace companies featured in the article include commercialisation of technology, targeting new customers and markets, and strategic link-ups with new partners.

Members of ideaSpace come from a range of backgrounds from within and outside the University of Cambridge and they are not drawn from any particular facet of technology. They all share one common goal – solving meaningful problems.

To read the full article in The Observer click here.