Brandtone – Carling Black Label “Be the Coach”

Barcelona, Feb 28th: Brandtone wins “Best Mobile Advertising & Marketing Campaign” at the GSMA GLOBAL MOBILE MARKETING AWARDS 2012 for the Carling Black Label “Be the Coach” campaign.

Carling Black Label “Be the Coach” is an interactive mobile campaign executed in South Africa by mobile engagement company, Brandtone, on behalf of South African Breweries. The campaign taps into South African men’s passion for soccer, allowing fans to select players for a game between the country’s two largest soccer teams – Kaizer Chiefs & Orlando Pirates. For the first time, the fans could be the coach! The campaign generated over 11 million engagements, using accessible mobile technologies – USSD, SMS and Interactive Voice Recording – to bring soccer to the fans in a brand new, personal way via their mobile phone. Visit http://www.brandtone.ie/carling-2012-innovation/ to see the campaign.

Judge’s comments “Using the entire mobile device range to leverage the fans’ emotions is key to this campaign’s success and the fans loved getting involved.”

The presentation of the awards takes place during the Mobile World Congress the world’s largest and leading mobile industry event held annually in Barcelona (27th February – 1st March 2012). Other category winners include famous and familiar names in the industry such as Google, RIM, Rovio, Apple, and HTC.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Congress.

This is the second major award for Brandtone in less than 12 months: In 2011 Brandtone also scooped the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) regional award for best Branding via Mobile with the Omo “Door to Door Challenge” in South Africa.

http://www.globalmobileawards.com/winners2012.php

http://www.brandtone.ie/carling-2012-innovation/

froosh, the leading fruit smoothie brand across Scandinavia and their design agency Pearl Fisher scooped two gold awards for froosh at the prestigious DBA (Design Business Association) Design Effectiveness Awards 2012.

froosh and Pearl Fisher won GOLD in the category of Corporate/Brand Identity with the judges marking it out as the most effective design with a budget of less than £100,000. The other GOLD was in the Export Award, showing the impact of British design on international markets.

The new graphic brand identity was rolled out across Scandinavia from May 2010, hitting the shelves in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Germany. Froosh is now the number one smoothie brand in the Nordics with 107% increase in total volume sales between January and May 2011 (compared to same period pre-launch). Following the re-launch, froosh enjoyed a wave of new listings and retail customers frequently cited the new identity as a significant factor in their purchasing decision.

Pearl Fisher won a total of five Design Effectiveness Awards across their portfolio of products and were the only agency to win three gold prizes.

http://www.effectivedesign.org.uk/corporate_brand/froosh.php

http://www.froosh.com

http://www.pearlfisher.com/press.php?pressid=0

Since its founding in 2006, Rahu Catalytics has focused on the need for solutions that incorporate more renewable materials and deliver performance at lower energy, water and waste costs in the coatings industry. Since early 2009, the company has operated under an exclusive commercial agreement with OM Group with regards to its Borchi® OXY-Coat product line, which is being utilized by the market leaders in the global coatings industry.

UV invested in the business in 2003, after spinning the technology out from the Unilever Vlaardingen R&D facility in the Netherlands. John Coombs, a Rahu Catalytics Board member from Unilever Ventures said “We want to congratulate Paul Smith and the entire Rahu team for what they have achieved. We are delighted to have invested in such a fantastic company and we wish them every success in the future”

Formed in 2002, UV is the European venture capital arm of Unilever. UV has funds under management of euro 120M and a current portfolio of 17 businesses, originating both externally and from within Unilever. Wholly-owned and funded by its parent, UV operates as an independent VC Fund, and is regulated and authorized by the UK Financial Services Authority. UV typically invests in early stage technology driven B2C or B2B facing companies across Europe, seeking investments which could; i) become strategically relevant to Unilever, ii) benefit from access to Unilever’s IP assets and capabilities, or iii) provide high-value services to Unilever.

OM Group, Inc. is a leading global solutions provider of specialty chemicals, advanced materials, electrochemical energy storage, magnetic materials and unique technologies crucial to enabling our customers to meet increasingly stringent market and application requirements. The company serves a wide variety of sectors, including rechargeable batteries, electronic devices, cutting tools, petrochemical catalysts, electronics manufacturing, industrial coatings, defense, aerospace, medical devices, alternative energy, automotive, electrical installation, and energy conversion and distribution. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, OM Group operates manufacturing facilities in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

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Last night in Los Angeles, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the leading global trade association for the mobile industry, awarded Brandtone  EMEA Regional Winner 2011 for its OMO washing powder campaign in South Africa.

Brandtone is a pioneering Irish company specialising in mobile engagement with operations in Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.

Our campaign for OMO ‘Door to Door Challenge’ engaged OMO buyers using our highly-branded voice-based mobile platform. We used one of South Africa’s best-loved celebrities, Nkanyiso Benghu, to create over 1 million one-to-one branded voice engagements with OMO customers, linked to sale.

In a category where price wins the consumer, and brands struggle for loyalty, the campaign differentiated OMO without price promotion, and engaged consumers in a new way, building brand affinity.

“We see this as a great endorsement for the Brandtone offering, and much deserved recognition for Unilever’s pioneering approach to mobile engagement in the South Africa” says Brandtone CEO Donald Fitzmaurice.

Watch the award-winning campaign summary here.

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List Recognizes the Top Private Companies in the Clean Technology Industry

Amsterdam, October 18th 2011: Voltea, a Dutch company commercializing an innovative desalination technology, today announced it was named in the prestigious 2011 Global Cleantech 100, produced by the Cleantech Group, a leading research firm focused on global cleantech innovation. The Global Cleantech 100 program is produced in collaboration with the UK’s Guardian News and Media.

“We are proud to be named in the Global Cleantech 100 list. We believe that CapDI, our desalination technology, has the potential to change the landscape of desalination” said Michiel Lensink, Voltea’s CEO.

4,274 companies from more than 45 countries were nominated for the Global Cleantech 100 list this year. These companies were weighted and scored to create a short list of 213 companies presented to the expert panel for final input. The end result was 100 companies from 16 countries. The Global Cleantech 100 list focuses on those companies which are most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years.

The 70-strong expert panel is drawn from well-respected organisations in cleantech innovation from around the world, including leading investors in global cleantech and from a wide variety of corporations across many different industries, such as ABB, BASF, BP, Coca-Cola Company, DuPont, GE, General Motors, Procter and Gamble, and Vestas.

Dr Neil Simpson to Present at WROCCA Half Day Forum 

Advances in Pigments and Nanotechnology: Innovation, Developments, New Technologies and Applications

22 November 2011 – The Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford

Branching Out in Polymer Design – Novel Pigment Dispersants, Emulsifying Agents and Resins

Abstract: Introducing a new and unique polymer design technology – branched addition polymersation. This has been developed by Hydra Polymers Ltd, UK. It is a step change in surfactant technology, producing extremely high efficiency surfactants for use in the coatings industry. The technology has been used to develop products for the pigments, resins and emulsifier markets. Case studies will be presented that showcase the technology in these specific areas.

The Forum is aiming to promote new ideas, technologies and applications in the pigments, minerals and nano-technology areas of surface coatings.  New and exciting opportunities for product development and formulation.  The following presentations will also be given at the event:

Nano Dispersions, The Future of Coatings is Smaller than you think!

Dr Stephen Devine (Primary Dispersions Ltd)

Advancing Metallic Effect Flake Pigment Performance using Nano Coating Technology

Daniel Fischer (Technical Service, Industrial Coatings, Eckart Werke)

Advances in Oxide Pigments

Mads Fjeld (Rana Gruber AS)

Complex Magnesium Calcium Carbonate, as a Titanium Dioxide Extender

Simon Bussell (Technical Sales Manager Functional Fillers, Sibelco Specialty Minerals Europe)

If you would like to attend this event you can register online:

http://www.occa.org.uk/site/modules/rgstrtns/rgstrtns_add.lasso?sctn=advances

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P2i, the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, recently triumphed at the prestigious Fast Growth Business Awards 2011, as the company was presented with the coveted ‘Best Use of Technology’ award.

The gala awards ceremony, organized by GrowingBusiness.co.uk and sponsored by NatWest, took place on Tuesday 4 October, at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London. Committed to recognizing pioneering businesses; those which demonstrate significant growth and entrepreneurial flair, the esteemed awards celebrated the UK’s most outstanding companies and the people running them.

Carl Francis, CEO, P2i comments: “This award recognizes the expertise and diversity of our liquid repellent nano-coating technology across a range of market sectors, from consumer electronics to footwear and accessories. The possibilities for nano-coatings are endless as P2i continues to build on our cutting-edge technology by moving into other functional nano-coatings.”

 The company has gone from strength to strength in 2011, successfully winning a number of awards, including:

• ‘Most Innovative Company in Europe’ by the International Business Awards,
• ‘Borderless Business’ by the Management Today Business Hero Awards, and
• ‘Best of Show’ for the P2i booth at the AudiologyNOW! 2011 trade fair

Ian Wallis, editorial director of Growing Business said: “The company is already world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, which basically means you could make your shoes, laptop or hearing aid water or moisture-repellent. The huge scope and potential, plus its turnover growth and strong profit margin, won all of the judges over.”

He continued, “The Fast Growth Business Awards never disappoint in terms of the ingenuity, ambition and hard graft of the companies that enter. The awards have a fantastic track record of picking out brands on the cusp of great things.”

Working with the world’s leading brands, P2i’s patented technology is applied uniquely to finished products as well as components, invisibly protecting them from the effects of water and all other liquids – offering specific benefits for both consumer and industrial applications, as well as adding significant value for manufacturers.

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We are delighted to announce that IOTA NanoSolutions was the recipient of “The Chemistry Innovation KTN Award for Knowledge Transfer in Formulation” at the Formulation Awards 2011.

The Formulation Awards were held on 13th September at The Wonderful World of Formulation, an event that formed part of this year’s British Science Festival, hosted by the University of Bradford.

The Knowledge Transfer Award category, recognizing “excellent examples of ideas coming out of academia into private sector spin-out companies or partnerships”, was judged by Darren Ragheb (Chemistry Innovation KTN), Julie McDonald (Syngenta), David Higgins (RSC Formulation Science and Technology Group) and Jim Bullock (Intelligent Formulation).

Originating from a collaboration between Unilever and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool, IOTA NanoSolutions Limited is actively exploiting ContraSol™, a technology for the formulation of poorly soluble organic compounds.

Poor solubility of active ingredients can pose formulation constraints, impair the performance of product ingredients and restrict the wide use of commercial materials. ContraSol™ allows the transformation of poorly soluble organic active ingredients into dry solid formats (e.g. powders, tablets or granules) that rapidly form nanodispersions on contact with liquids. This can be achieved with hydrophobic actives in water or hydrophilic actives in hydrophobic liquids. The nanodispersions aid the delivery and lead to performance enhancement of poorly soluble active ingredients. ContraSol™ offers the potential for lifecycle management of existing products, progression of new chemical entities through R&D pipelines and to revive candidates that have been previously overlooked due to solubility issues.

The early concepts of the technology were created by scientists at the University of Liverpool in 2002 but were expanded in a joint development with Unilever. It was soon realized the technology had substantial commercial prospects beyond their application in Unilever products alone and in 2005, IOTA NanoSolutions was spun out of Unilever (with funding from Unilever Ventures) with a mission to exploit the nanoparticle technology in broader market sectors.

Since the spin out, IOTA NanoSolutions has considerably developed and advanced the original technology concepts and has now 22 patent filings (with >80 grants across different territories), with more being drafted. IOTA NanoSolutions has applied its technology to over 270 compounds and has an active pipeline of external development partners, comprising leading agrochemical and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, the company has ongoing internal development programmes and collaborations with UK universities, e.g. the Department of Chemistry and Department of Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Liverpool, have been awarded an RCUK Grand Challenge Nanotechnology – Healthcare grant with IOTA NanoSolutions to research organic nanoparticle technology for benefits for HIV/AIDS therapies.

The company has also recently secured further funding from Unilever Ventures and from new investor QIB UK Plc to support the continued development of the ContraSol™ technology and the business.

Judge, Jim Bullock, commented “The award winner for Knowledge Transfer in Formulation, IOTA NanoSolutions, demonstrated how a collaboration between industry and academia has led to a successful spin-out company which has maintained its commitment to knowledge transfer. At the same time the company has remaining focused on delivering innovative formulation solutions across a range of industries. The ContraSol™ technology is particularly impressive in that it enables formulators to derive additional performance and efficacy from known ingredients. At a time when development of new ingredients is severely constrained, the market is looking increasingly at such innovative formulation technology to deliver novel effects, benefits and commercial value.”

Darren Ragheb of the CIKTN, which sponsored the award category, added “IOTA’s ContraSol™ technology stood out as an excellent example of clever chemistry being applied to a deliver a well defined effect exploitable in several market applications.  This is also a solution that delivers value in the real world of constrained costs and manufacturing assets, and as such it is exciting to see a hi-tech UK spin-out developing many successful partnerships across the formulation supply chain.”

On receiving the award, Andrew Elphick, CEO IOTA NanoSolutions, commented “ContraSol™ is highly innovative and offers many possibilities within the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and related industries. We are delighted to have received the Knowledge Transfer Award, which recognizes our continued engagement with industry and academia, both nationally and internationally, for the ongoing exploitation and commercialization of ContraSol™”.

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Poor solubility of active ingredients can pose formulation constraints, impair the performance of product ingredients and restrict the wide use of commercial materials. ContraSolTM allows the transformation of poorly soluble organic active ingredients into dry solid formats (e.g. powders, tablets or granules) that rapidly form nanodispersions on contact with liquids. This can be achieved with hydrophobic actives in water or hydrophilic actives in hydrophobic liquids. The nanodispersions  aid the delivery and lead to performance enhancement of poorly soluble active ingredients.

IOTA NanoSolutions is actively exploiting its technology and expertise in collaboration with multi-national companies including but not limited to the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors.

On completing the transaction Andrew Elphick, CEO, IOTA NanoSolutions commented, “ContraSol™ is highly innovative and offers many possibilities within the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and related industries. It offers the potential for lifecycle management of existing products, progression of new chemical entities through R&D pipelines and to revive candidates that have been previously overlooked due to solubility issues. We thoroughly look forward to working with QIB and UV to further drive the company’s growth and accelerate development within these key strategic sectors.”

Akbar Ahsan, Head of Corporate Finance at QIB(UK), commented “We are delighted to join Unilever Ventures in supporting IOTA NanoSolutions in their development and commercialisation of ContraSol™. Our involvement is driven by our investment thesis of backing highly regarded management teams and partnering with leading names. IOTA’s leading scientific team and Unilever Venture’s pivotal role in the company’s development and success makes this a unique opportunity for us.

In time we will work with IOTA to expand its research activities in Qatar through establishing a presence there and participating in the knowledge based economy which is being developed by Qatar Foundation and the QSTP.”

John Coombs Managing Director, Unilever Ventures added “We are extremely pleased with the development of the ContraSol™ technology to date and are delighted to offer continued support with QIB(UK) to IOTA NanoSolutions. ContraSol™ has generated significant interest from multiple leading global players in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors and we remain confident the technology and company will continue to excel in these fields”.

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Notes for Editors

Corporate Finance Advisors to IOTA NanoSolutions- Icon Corporate Finance – James Thomas
Legal Advisors to IOTA NanoSolutions – DWF LLP (Liverpool) -  Gareth McIntegart/Lewis Hough
Legal Advisors to QIB- Burges Salmon LLP – Mark Shepherd/Dave Sherwin
Legal Advisors to UV – Mayer Brown International LLP – David Bates/Megan Paul

About IOTA NanoSolutions Limited

IOTA NanoSolutions Limited was registered as a spin-out company from Unilever in 2005 with funding from Unilever Ventures and a mission to develop and commercially exploit its novel proprietary nanodispersion technology, ContraSolTM. The company was co-founded by Prof. Steve Rannard, Dr. Alison Foster, Dr. Dave Duncalf and Prof. Andy Cooper.

Since 2005, IOTA NanoSolutions occupies a suite of purpose-built laboratories in the MerseyBIO incubator in Liverpool, UK, from where it serves its growing portfolio of international clients.

About ContraSolTM

ContraSolTM enables the processing of poorly soluble compounds into nanoparticulate dispersions without the inherent difficulties associated with conventional techniques such as milling, emulsion-evaporation or precipitation.

The ContraSolTM process generates a dry, solid composite of poorly soluble active compound particles within a soluble matrix with loadings of up to 85% (w/w) of active component. When added to liquids, the soluble matrix releases the particles to form a nanoparticulate dispersion with a typical Z average particle diameter in the range of 100-300nm. Particles up to 900nm are possible and sizes may be tuned depending on a number of parameters. The resulting nanodispersions are often at concentrations unobtainable through traditional solubilisation techniques.

Application of ContraSolTM has successfully generated nanodispersions of >250 organic compounds with varying physical properties; (amorphous and crystalline, low and high melting point, solids and soft solids, temperature and water-sensitive materials).

Commercially available soluble matrix materials are specifically tailored for each application. Excipients present in FDA-approved products are used routinely. GMP processes are readily available.

ContraSolTM formulations have shown enhanced activity and efficacy in a range of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models when compared to equivalent solvent solutions and can be used in tablet, gel, powder and liquid formats for multiple administration/application routes. Active ingredients including Pharmaceuticals (OTC and Rx pharmaceuticals e.g. analgesics, lipid therapeutic agents, antihypertensives, hormones) and Agrochemicals (Fungicides, Herbicides and Insecticides) have been successfully formulated using ContraSolTM  to form aqueous dispersions.

For further information on IOTA NanoSolutions or ContraSolTM please call +44 (0)151 795 4219 or visit www.iotanano.com

About QIB (UK)

QIB (UK) is the UK subsidiary of Qatar Islamic Bank, which headquartered in Doha, Qatar, is one of the largest independent Islamic banks in the world. QIB (UK) received its authorisation from the Financial Services Authority in January 2008. QIB (UK) offers investment banking products and solutions to a wide range of clients in the UK and plays a major role in attracting investment from Qatar and the Middle East into the UK and Europe. QIB (UK) also supports UK and European institutions looking to expand and invest in Qatar and the Middle Eastern markets.

For further information on Qatar Islamic Bank please call +44 (0)20 7268 7200 or visit www.qib-uk.com