Two startups join The Oxford Trust’s Wood Centre for Innovation

Start-up companies Densix and Pure Capture Innovations have joined The Oxford Trust’s Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington to bring the total number of innovative companies based at the centre to ten.

Densix and Pure Capture Innovations join eight other biotech and deeptech companies in the Linden Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation, including Bioarchitech, Helio Display Materials, and Lumai.

Company details

University of Oxford spinout Densix was founded by Anders Hakfelt, Professor Dan Rogers, Dr Kawsar Ali and Dr Aleks Ristic-Smith to develop and commercialise a new class of ultra dense power converters. Its proprietary technology enables more flexible power system designs and higher efficiency across a range of sectors, including data centres, power grids, EV charging and renewable energy.

As AI computing, electrified transport and renewable energy continue to scale globally, power density is becoming a major constraint in both digital and energy infrastructure. Densix’s efficient power conversion technology aims to address this critical infrastructure bottleneck. Earlier this year, the company raised $4 million in a seed round led by Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE) with participation from Parkwalk and the University of Oxford Innovation Fund.

Pure Capture Innovations, founded by Dr Mark Wild, MBA and Dr Usman Shoukat, has opened its first materials research and water analysis lab at the Wood Centre for Innovation. The company is developing next-generation adsorbents, advanced molecular filtration products for water and air purification. The company has support from Carbon 13 and is currently raising a pre-seed round.

Its absorbents are designed to remove modern micro-pollutants such as forever chemicals, PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), dyes, hormones, pharmaceuticals, metals and microplastics in water as well as CFCs and carbon dioxide from air. With forever chemicals in water becoming an increasing concern for governments and consumers worldwide, the company’s initial focus is on supporting the needs of the water industry.

Comments

Steve Burgess, chief executive, The Oxford Trust said: “We warmly welcome Densix and Pure Capture Innovations to the Wood Centre for Innovation. Both companies are tackling significant global challenges through cutting-edge technology and their joining the Wood Centre for Innovation further strengthens our thriving community of ambitious science and technology businesses.”

Anders Hakfelt, chief executive, Densix said: “Joining the Wood Centre for Innovation gives Densix an excellent base from which to grow our team and accelerate the development of our power conversion technology. We are excited to be part of the Centre’s thriving innovation community.”

Dr Mark Wild, chief executive, Pure Capture Innovations said: “Opening our materials research and PFAs water testing service at the Wood Centre for Innovation is an important milestone for Pure Capture Innovations. The facilities and collaborative environment will help us advance our purification technologies and deliver effective solutions for this emerging public health issue in the water industry.”