NG Studios at London Tech Week
Five spinouts from the University of Manchester and of Leeds showcased their technologies at London Tech Week 2026 as part of Northern Gritstone’s venture building NG Studios deeptech program, culminating in a key Demo Day for investors and industry partners at Olympia London on 9 June. Designed specifically for university spinouts, NG Studios supports academic founding teams to develop a clear value proposition, refine their business strategy and preparing for Seed investment, with guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and sector specialists.
The Five Spinouts that formed the 2026 Spring / Summer cohort are:
CASA - a University of Manchester spinout developing aerodynamic coatings for satellites operating in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) at altitudes below 450km. According to CASA, their core technology reduces atmospheric drag by up to 30%, extending satellite lifetimes and making VLEO commercially viable for the first time. The coatings have already been validated twice in space.
Colorilicious - a University of Manchester spinout developing natural food colourants using bio-inspired structural colour technology. By engineering the nanoscale structure of plant-based sugars to form edible liquid crystals, it offers a clean-label alternative to synthetic dyes.
Precica - a University of Manchester spinout that has developed AI-driven data compression software company. According to the company, its software reduces structured data by 100-1000x while maintaining near-zero decompression time, delivering faster, more affordable and energy-efficient storage without changes to existing data infrastructure
SpinOr - a University of Manchester spinout developing superconducting quantum computers designed to be deployed at scale. Its novel transmon qubit and supporting architecture eliminate much of the wiring that limits current systems, significantly reducing hardware costs.
Synaisis - a University of Leeds spinout developing AI software to optimise supply chains by enabling delivery carriers across a network to coordinate with each other in real time, resulting in faster decisions, reduced delays and lower compute requirements.
Source: Individual companies