Southampton: Green light for SETsquared’s automotive technology

SETsquared, a joint business-incubator project fed into by university companies from Southampton, Exeter, Bath, Bristol and Surrey, has met with Ford and Visa Europe to discuss the next innovations in automotive technology.

At the recent meeting at the University of Bath’s Innovation Centre, representatives from 12 SETsquared companies presented their new technologies; discussed the development of apps and devices for car users and new ways of delivering mobility solutions; and received valuable insight and feedback from Ford and Visa Europe.

Simon Bond, innovation director at SETsquared, said: “This is an exciting sector which is not as prevalent as others, but is evolving rapidly. SETsquared is proud to be at the forefront of British innovation and manufacturing.”  

Scott Lyons, of business and partner development at Connected Vehicle and Services, Ford Europe, said: “Today’s new cars offer a moveable software platform which provides exciting opportunities for developers. We were pleased to see so many interesting companies from SETsquared with potential for delivering a wide range of valuable technology to the car driver.”

Ivan Glautier, software engineer at start-up Nquiringminds who attended the networking event, said: “Connective automotive will provide a huge opportunity over the coming decade or so and Ford is actively promoting innovation in the SME sector through its AppLink technology.”

Ford is hosting a mobile app challenge in Berlin on September 7 and 8 to allow people to develop car solutions for its apps. For more information visit: http://berlin.makeitdriveable.com/