FluoretiQ

Neciah completed his PhD at the University of Bristol and then started post-doctoral research into optical readout technologies for clinical biosensors. The research focus was on quick detection of C-difficile in hospitals. “It was a great opportunity to apply my scientific knowledge to a real-world medical challenge,” says Neciah “but coming from an entrepreneurial family, I knew that I wanted to go beyond a career in research.”

“QTEC provided an opportunity to bridge my scientific career with a life-long calling,” says Neciah. He joined the programme with a business idea to use a quantum-inspired fluorometer for real-time monitoring of bacteria in potable water supply which also had applications in healthcare. “One of the first major decisions was choosing the right application and market; that took spreadsheets, customer conversations and introspection.” Through Andy Collins at QTEC, he was introduced to researchers at Bristol University who were “sticking” molecules to bacteria and searching for them using a microscope. This chance encounter led to a long-term collaboration from which the first E.coli probe for NANOPLEX emerged.

At QTEC’s investor showcase, Neciah met Deepbridge Capital. A combination of an Innovate UK grant and Deepbridge’s investment provided the resources to build a prototype analyser to identify E.coli in urine. Neciah secured larger funding and the company now has 11 full- and part-time staff.