ACTIVITY among Southampton's hi-tech start-ups is flourishing, according to SETsquared, the hi-tech support programme for early stage ventures.
One of the early success stories is Achyra, a company focused on the development of a new method of mass spectrometry.
The venture is currently raising £400,000 to enable it to move its technology from laboratory proof-of-concept to an advanced market prototype.
Based alongside the university's Centre for Enterprise and Innovation (CEI), the SETsquared centre in Southampton has attracted 11 ventures and supported more than 30 entrepreneurs.
Nick Smailes, director of SETsquared, believes that the combination of private sector commercial expertise and the research strength of the universities is key to the success to date.
He said: "By providing this support to ventures at their earliest stage and ensuring that they are truly prepared to meet investors or first customers, their chances of success considerably increased.
"These factors, combined with an awakening interest in the investor market, mean that the new ventures have a much better chance of meeting the tough demands of today's start-up market."
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