Analog design engineer Aravind Venugopolan had been trying hard to commercialise his post-doctoral research at Edinburgh University where he was developing new applications for single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). But with little success.

A fortuitous encounter with Shahida Imani, the commercially-minded former CEO at laser developer startup Chromacity, led Aravind to invite her to lead the spin out of the startup that became Singular Photonics, where she is now CEO and he CTO.

In this BritChips podcast, Shahida explains how refocusing the business on the core IP led to the development of a range of novel optical imaging sensors that are already enjoying traction in the market.

To be honest, I could have just as easily subtitled this podcast, ‘the art of fundraising for tech startups’, as Shahida also explains the risks associated with taking early-stage equity funding without understanding the potential implications for future funding rounds. You can watch a snippet in the accompanying BritChips Extra Slice video clip.

This podcast should be required listening for any aspiring founder looking to do a university spin out, or indeed any tech entrepreneur looking to raise early-stage funding.

Also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Just search for ‘BritChips’.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anttheantidote.substack.com