Innovative companies of 2015 – the top 10

Each firm gets a ‘Lux Take’ that ranges from ‘Strong Caution’ to ‘Strong Positive’, to provide a bottom-line assessment of its prospects, with a ‘Wait and See’ rating for companies that still face too much uncertainty for a definitive call. Lux analysts selected the ten companies profiled in 2015 that are poised to make a significant impact on their target industries.

1. NeuroSky (Positive – BioElectonics; Sensors): NeuroSky develops a number of bioelectrical signal detection and processing systems, most notably its electroencephalography (EEG) sensors that have enabled mind reading brain computer interface devices like Uncle Milton’s Star Wars Force Trainer - and will also enable future diagnostic and monitoring solutions as health care shifts to digital technologies.

2. Organica Water (Positive – Water): In addition to providing significant reductions in energy consumption, sludge production, and overall footprint for wastewater treatment, Organica builds low cost greenhouses around its treatment plants to reduce odour, allowing it to locate plants closer to wastewater sources and enabling cost effective reuse within cities.

3. PFP Cybersecurity (Strong Positive – Connected Objects and Platforms): PFP uses a physics-based approach to detecting cyber threats by analysing the electrical patterns of processors, ideal for securing for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that can’t support modern security software or are limited by memory or compute constraints.

4. Norsk Titanium (Positive – Advanced Materials): 3D printing is best known for producing customised but pricey plastic pieces – Norsk’s plasma arc deposition allows it to 3D print parts from titanium that are up to 70% cheaper than those made via conventional machining methods, due to greater material utilisation.

5. Nutrigenomix (Positive – Food & Nutrition): Offering genetic testing to provide individualised recommendations on seven specific dietary components, Nutrigenomix is a step in the right direction for personalised nutrition.

6. Fulcrum BioEnergy (Positive – Alternative Fuels): Biojet fuel and renewable diesel are going to be major plays in 2016 and Fulcrum is well positioned to make both fuels from municipal solid waste (MSW) - it has strong partnerships along its entire value chain, and is the only Fischer-Tropsch biojet process developer with proven production at some scale.

7. Zerlux (Positive – Exploration and Production): The use of lasers in the oil and gas industry isn’t widely known, but Hungarian player Zerlux is a leader, with high powered lasers for well stimulation, hard scale removal and subsea pipeline remediation.

8. Hillcrest Labs (Positive – Sensors): As the number of sensors in products from cars to mobile phones continues to grow, sensor fusion - integrating the interpretation of data from different sensors - is becoming more critical. Strategic relationships with Bosch, Atmel and ARM position Hillcrest to be a dominant player in this market.

9. ENS Europe (Wait and See – Intelligent Buildings, Sustainable Building Materials): More efficient electrostatic filters from ENS Europe can help clean indoor air, much like a HEPA filter does, but the technology has the potential to scale up to clean smog and address other city-wide air quality issues.

10. AgDNA (Positive – Agro Innovation): Finding successful business models for precision agriculture has been challenging, but AgDNA has been able to get traction licensing its technology - which integrates data from existing equipment into a decision support system for growers - to OEMs like John Deere.