A £5 million spin-out fund set up by the University of Birmingham has made its first investment.
The funding has gone to Smart Antenna Technologies, a start-up founded in 2013 to develop a new generation of antenna for smartphones and laptop computers.
Currently, mobile devices have separate antennae for GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, G4 and G5, but the company has invented a new antenna system that combines these into a single unit.
James Wilkie, chief executive of the university’s tech-transfer company Alta Innovations, said: “The technology developed by Smart Antenna Technologies has attracted substantial interest, and we believe this is an exciting time to invest.”
The latter now intends to recruit additional engineering staff.