York Biotech Campus, a leading hub for bioscience in Yorkshire, has announced that two new tenants have joined the site, start-ups AgriSound and Oxxie.
AgriSound specialises in ecosystem management and beekeeping technology, whilst Oxxie is a lighting company that designs and produces lighting used in food manufacturing and the pharmaceutical sector. Both have taken office space onsite, with expansion plans already underway.
Welcoming these new tenants marks York Biotech Campus’s commitment to supporting bioscience organisations of all sizes across the region, including start-ups and SMEs.
Since starting the business in early 2020, AgriSound has won two Innovate UK grants, including the prestigious Young Innovator Award, and is now working with major UK retailers, national heritage groups and global agrochemical companies to bring its products to market. After a successful first year and with ambitious global plans, AgriSound has already expanded onsite into a larger, six-person office.
On joining York Biotech Campus, Casey Woodward, founder and CEO of AgriSound, said: “We wanted to establish ourselves in a dynamic environment where other tenants were equally interested in agriculture and food production and at the forefront of innovation. It’s the perfect option for us as we’re able to share learnings and have valuable discussions with like-minded businesses and other start-ups, which is ultimately helping AgriSound grow faster.
“Add on top of this the incredible facilities that we’re able to use – from the onsite apiary which supports our kit development, to meeting rooms and IT support – we couldn’t be happier with our new home. We’re now well on the way to developing our business on a global scale, with customers across 12 different countries, and growing.”
Oxxie is currently developing its first product, a luminaire for use in hygienic, washdown environments, which founder Oliver Ellis hopes to manufacture onsite later this year thanks to the additional workshop space he will be taking at York Biotech Campus before his product goes to market.
As a solo start-up, Oliver said: “Starting a business is full of unexpected challenges, but being based here on campus has definitely boosted my confidence, thanks to the support of the other tenants and the management team. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from other businesses, which makes me feel really excited about Oxxie’s future. What’s more, there is a lot of scope to expand here onsite and already the team has found solutions for me to help move my business onto its next phrase – manufacturing!”
Liz Cashon, Innovation Campus Manager at York Biotech Campus, said: “At York Biotech Campus, we support organisations of all shapes and sizes, so we’re really pleased to be welcoming both AgriSound and Oxxie to the campus. They are valuable additions to the bioscience sector here in the region and it’s great to see them already benefiting from the community we have here.”
