Initially attracted to Daresbury SIC by the presence of the HPCx supercomputer at Daresbury Laboratory, IBM established an office to act as a hub for activities in the area. This is mainly utilised by members of the IBM Strategic Growth Business Unit. Activity ranges from algorithm development in digital media to large scale scientific computing problems. The team is also looking at new technologies coming out of IBM Research laboratories and how these relate to new areas of business - one such technology being ‘Cell’ - a new processor used in the Sony Play Station 3. IBM is looking at how to deploy this in other areas such as medical scanners - a key focus of activity with other Daresbury SIC companies. Being based at Daresbury SIC also provides physical proximity to the next generation supercomputer ‘Blue Gene’, recently installed at the Laboratory.
The company is a venture capital funded start-up based in the Daresbury Innovation Centre. The two founders, Robert Wakeling and Cliff Anderson, started the company with a view to commercialising an innovative method for monitoring the performance of mobile phone networks.
Both Robert and Cliff have a career history in developing mobile phone technology either from within a phone manufacturer or in third party suppliers of technologies to those manufacturers.
To-date, Robert and Cliff have put good use to their cumulative experience and contact in the mobile phone industry to;
- Find an experienced Chairman
- Gain the support of a non-executive director with 40 years experience working for O2
- Engage support from two strategic partners, one being an offshore Software development consultancy and the other being one of the four largest global SIM card manufacturers
- Promote their solution to a select few target customers
- Raise funding to include local authority grants
Wadaro is currently busy building a proof-of-concept for trial with two EU and one India network operator.
The Business Challenge
Wadaro is promoting an innovative solution to mobile phone network monitoring that is significantly different to traditional solutions already being deployed in the market. The main challenge for the company is to establish and complete a trial of the technology and demonstrate that the Wadaro core method of monitoring produces valid results. If all goes to plan Wadaro will be in a position to take what is currently a proof-of-concept development into production and start selling. At this stage, the business challenge changes into one of promoting and supporting a product globally and managing the business to profitability.
Solution & benefits to establishing Wadaro at the Innovation Centre
(in the company’s own words)
The Daresbury Innovation Centre was an obvious location for Wadaro. We needed presentable office space at short notice with bundled-in some essential resources such as phones and access to the Internet. Coming to the Innovation Centre meant that setting up Wadaro was very quick and took little effort on the company’s part;
- The building itself offers a superb environment to work in and to receive customers and partners
- The location is very accessible via the local road network, two international airports and the rail network
- Manchester and Liverpool are a short drive away which means easy access to the Universities and businesses there
- Occupancy is flexible to the extent that we can move into larger office space at short notice
- Typical office resources such as access to the Internet and phones are standard
- The Centre actively drives business networks to help companies and individuals to meet others who need or offer support
- We are in the catchment area for the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and it was from them that Wadaro secured its R&D grant.
- Across the road from the DIC is the Daresbury Laboratory where we can make use of some practical services such as the library, the cafeteria, the gym, etc.