KVector, a University of Birmingham spin-out, has raised £3.8 million in funding from Midlands Mindforge, the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II through fund manager Mercia Ventures, the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S, managed by Future Planet Capital) and the University of Birmingham. The round includes £950,000 from Innovate UK through the Investment Partnerships programme, which provided grant funding alongside part of the equity investment.
The startup is commercialising a patented beam-steered antenna designed to match the performance of a modern active electronically steered array without the electronics that make those systems heavy, expensive and power-hungry. Today's AESAs steer a beam using thousands of individually controlled electronic components, which drives up development and build costs, draws significant power and adds weight that rules out a long list of applications. KVector's approach replaces that electronics stack with engineered metamaterial surfaces within a simple electro-mechanical architecture, improving RF transmission efficiency while cutting power draw, weight and complexity.
Designed to be manufactured at scale through UK and European supply chains, the antenna can be tuned across a wide range of frequencies, putting it in reach of any application where the antenna has until now been the limiting factor. Investors also point to the removal of a national vulnerability in the electronics supply chain. KVector is currently operating in stealth, working with selected commercial partners in the radar and satellite communications sectors.
Founded to turn long-standing UK metamaterials research into domestic manufacturing capability, KVector was set up by Executive Chair Henry Nurser, former CEO of mmWave systems company Blu Wireless, with the University of Birmingham researchers who invented the technology: Dr James Churm and Professor Alexandros Feresidis, an internationally recognised expert in metamaterials-enabled antenna design.
The funds will go towards recruitment and the development of a range of radar and communications products, built in collaboration with KVector's existing partners in the defence sector.
I'm excited to be working with Alex, James and our expanding team to realise the commercial potential of this technology, which could have a significant impact on the sensing and communications sector. We are deliberately saying little about our partners and applications at this stage due to the commercial sensitivity of the deals. What we can say is that this investment lets us accelerate development, deepen the work already under way, and build the foundations for a world-class company here in the UK.
Until now, deployment of radar and satellite communications systems has been constrained by the size and weight of equipment and its power requirements. By overcoming these barriers, KVector's technology could position the UK at the forefront of wireless sensing and communications. We are pleased to be working alongside our fellow investors to support the company's growth.
Midlands Engine Investment Fund II was established to support ambitious, innovative businesses across the Midlands, and this investment is a great example of the technology and expertise emerging from the region's universities. As a University of Birmingham spinout, the business is developing technology in satellite communications systems that enables new approaches and applications at a significantly lower cost while eliminating national vulnerabilities in the electronics supply chain. We're pleased to support the team as they take this technology towards commercialisation and the next stage of growth.
Mindforge is delighted to back the talented KVector team and their strategically important breakthrough in RF systems. KVector enables new approaches and applications at a significantly lower cost while eliminating national vulnerabilities in the electronics supply chain. The depth of interest in the company's technology from the defense industry, both in the UK and internationally, has been astounding. We look forward to helping the team build a new category leader in this field.
