Former executives from TTPCom have moved in to the communications intellectual property (IP) licensing business with the creation of a new venture which will bring to market IP being created in universities.
The team, which includes former TTPCom CEO Tony Milbourn, has joined an existing licensing business called ICIPR and together created a new company called Camitri Technologies.
“We will provide industry, where R&D is under pressure, with a conduit to research in universities,” Milbourn told EW.
Camitri will make its money from licensing the IP and it will pass on royalties back to the universities, but Milbourn insists that the new business will be more than just a broker of IP. “We will need to be more value-added,” said Milbourn.
That value will come from matching IP to specific applications and pulling together IP from different sources into the one system.
According to Milbourn, by joining with an exiting business the venture already has strong links with UK-based universities and research organisations specialising in comms R&D.
“Initially we see opportunities for wireless comms IP and I expect our customer base to be principally outside the UK,” said Milbourn, who is CEO of Camitri.
It is backed by two venture capitalists including Imprimatur Capital.
The aim, said Milbourn, is to licence the IP which is being created in universities to existing companies, rather than also looking to create start-ups to exploit it.
“Universities have a problem reaching out internationally and so our proposition should be attractive to them,” said Milbourn.