Sheffield tech company IN-PART snapped up by French firm Inova

Directors Patrick Speedie and Robin Knight have sold IN-PART, the firm they founded in 2014, to tech company Inova.

The pair will stay on as directors of the 50-strong outfit but now report to the boss of Inova.

IN-PART simplifies the initial connection between 250 universities and research institutes looking for partners to commercialise their ideas in 6,000 companies.

Following the deal, it will gain access to Inova’s software infrastructure, product and marketing teams.

Inova, which is based in Lyon and employs 120, runs a ‘partnering relationship management’ platform and supports 160 clients, including many of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

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Patrick Speedie said: “In Inova, we’ve found a great strategic fit across our technology base and close alignment in terms of company values and culture.

“It will give us access to a lot more resources and expertise for IN-PART to accelerate its growth and achieve its vision of connecting the academia-industry ecosystem, across all the research fields and sectors we work with.

“It’s a big moment for us and we're looking forward to the next part of our journey with the amazing team at Inova”.

IN-PART received seed capital of around £350,000 in 2016 and a £950,000 investment in 2019. Today it has offices in Sheffield and London.

It sends personalised alerts to research and development (R&D) teams in industry about the work of academic researchers around the world.

When a company signals interest, IN-PART organises the initial introduction.

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