Technology > Spin-out companies

Nutroscience (Pty) Ltd

In August 2002, Stellenbosch University invested in Nutroscience since the university believed in the future of aquaculture. This proved to be accurate since the government is developing a policy document on the new industry at this moment that gives small fish farming entrepreneurs who lacked access to capital and real business expertise more attention from financial institutions. Nutroscience together with experts from Stellenbosch University focus on developing feed formulations for fresh water fish species including trout, tilapia, catfish, koi and crocodile. Nutroscience also handles contract manufacturing on behalf of third parties in the pet food industry, including Woolworths, Lionel’s Veterinary Supplies and K9 Petfoods. Together with Stellenbosch University, Nutroscience develops feed products for the bigger aquaculture industry, specifically feed for abalone, cob and prawn. Since the aquaculture industry is becoming increasingly more scientific, the strategic partnership with Stellenbosch University gives Nutroscience a competitive advantage in this industry. Nutroscience is currently the only dedicated, specialised fish feed manufacturer in South Africa.

Contact person: Dirk van der Linde

Sunspace and Information Systems (Pty) Ltd

SunSat1, a tiny 60 kg satellite, built by then post graduate students part of Stellenbosch University’s satellite programme, was launched in 1999 by the US space agency, NASA. Very recently, the same engineers and scientists that designed and built SunSat1, launched their second satellite from the Barents Seas in Russia and a third in the United States – a significant achievement. SunSpace PTY Ltd was formed shortly after SunSat1 was launched in 1999. Stellenbosch University licensed the SunSat technology to the spin-out company in exchange for equity. SunSpace focuses on designing and developing high performance small- and medium-sized satellite systems. The two satellites launched under SunSpace PTY Ltd, an 81 kg low earth orbiting satellite, built for the SA government and a second larger one of about 160 kg built for an international client, gave SunSpace the international credibility they needed to enter this market. SunSpace is currently in the process of developing the Multi Sensor Micro Satellite Imager (MSMI) as part of an Innovation Fund project in conjunction with the Flemish government, Catholic University of Leuven and other Belgian technology developers. This technology allows capturing images on the ground with alarming clarity and SunSpace wants to be the first to launch an MSMI into space.

Contact person: Bart Cilliers 

                            Unistel Medical Laboratories (Pty) Ltd

On 1 November 2000, Unistel Medical Laboratories (UML) PTY Ltd was legally born. Today UML which is jointly owned by Stellenbosch University, Pathcare and a private investor conducts between 15 000 and 20 000 genetic diagnostic tests a year. These tests involve DNA profiling for forensic and paternity testing in humans and stud animals as well as chromosome and DNA analysis for diagnosis of single gene defects and chromosome abnormality. UML’s next focus is micro-array technology in which up to 9600 genetic abnormalities can be presented on one slide. This will help doctors to process huge volumes of information in order to reach a more precise diagnosis.

Contact person: Munro Marx

SUSPI

The Stellenbosch University Sports Performance Institute (SUSPI) was established in March 2006 in recognition of the fact that sport at Stellenbosch University plays a strategic role at the highest level. The Institute is solely owned by Stellenbosch University, and liaises with various entities closely associated with it. These include the Sports Bureau, the Department of Sports Science, and the Department of Physiological Sciences.

By offering a wide range of first-rate services to the sport, fitness and wellness industries, both locally and internationally, SUSPI endeavours to be the preferred choice of athletes, administrators and officials alike, and operates with three main objectives in mind:

Besides providing a one-stop, world-class training and support environment to satisfy the requirements of elite athletes and teams, and affording them the opportunity to prepare for international events, the Institute also offers courses in Sports Science and Sports Medicine and a comprehensive range of services to meet the requirements of athletes and teams or the specific needs of the individual. These include sports education, gym membership, the hosting and management of events, and the use of other numerous state-of the-art facilities and accommodation.

International teams and athletes, national federations, high-performance academies and various Maties sports teams as well as numerous health-conscious individuals currently make up SUSPI's ever-expanding client base. Nonetheless, the Institute wishes to stress that anyone wishing to maximise sporting potential or improve health and fitness is encouraged to make use of its services.

• to improve the performance of both local and international athletes and teams;
• to increase the intellectual capital of administrators, coaches and officials;
• to provide facilities for the improved health and well-being of the general public.

Contact person: Gustav Venter

Diacoustic Medical Devices (Pty) Ltd

The Automated Paediatric Cardiac Auscultation (APCA) system is a robust, portable hand-held device that provides health care providers with clinical decision support to distinguish between pathological and physiological heart murmurs.
The APCA enables effective diagnostic screening support to minimise unnecessary and costly cardiologist referrals. The technology is of primary interest to paediatric physicians, general practitioners, hospitals, medical clinics, nurses and mid-wives.

The solution incorporates a 3.5” hand held touch screen monitor with a fast and intuitive user interface. Together with off-the-shelf electronic stethoscopes and 3-lead ECGs, it can record and analyse paediatric heart sounds which can be downloaded easily to the PC by means of a Bluetooth interface.

The acoustic signal processing algorithm can distinguish between physiological and pathological heart murmurs. This is achieved with an artificial neural network that is trained and verified with over 1200 paediatric heart sound recordings.

The device can record, store, analyse and replay heart sound data through headphones as well as displaying data on the LCD touch-screen monitor. Bluetooth capability further eases PC integration and downloading of data to external media.

Value Proposition
Delayed recognition of congenital heart defects may have serious long-term consequences on paediatric patients. The APCA system enables effective screening that will
- provide physicians with clinical decision support and increase their confidence with which they make a diagnosis
- improve interpretation of heart sounds
- minimise incorrect diagnoses
- reduce costs associated with unnecessary referral to paediatric cardiologists
- improve access to treatment through increased patient throughput

Innovation Status
Diacoustic Medical Devices (Pty) Ltd was founded in 2007. The APCA hand held device and algorithms are under production prototype development, estimated for end 2009, and is in the process of obtaining ISO-13485 certification.

Opportunities
Possible future distribution partners and agents for global markets.

Contact person: Thys Cronje

Click here for more information about Diacoustic Medical Devices (Pty) Ltd.

AFRICAN SUN MeDIA

Information of AFRICAN SUN MeDIA will follow.

Contact person: Justa Niemand