Success
Commercialisation & Venture Support
Commercialisation is the process of translating university-born ingenuity into real-world impact.
It is the bridge that carries a breakthrough from the laboratory to the marketplace, transforming intellectual property into licensed technologies and scalable spin-out companies.
Commercialisation and Venture Support facilitates the commercialisation of Wits research and innovation outputs through the translation of IP into real-world solutions. This is achieved through commercial deal structuring (IP licensing) and the establishment of spinout companies. The formation and development of spinout companies is supported through a collaborative effort between CVS, Wits researchers, and the Innovation Support team at the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC) as ideas evolve from research outputs into viable, investable ventures.
Venture
Support offered to spinout companies
New-venture support - We provide the structural backbone for spin-out, ensuring your business is legally sound, professionally presented, and ready to operate.
Business registration - We handle the formal process of bringing your company to life. This includes registering your venture as a legal entity with the relevant authorities (CIPC, etc), ensuring you have a professional starting point for all future contracts and funding.
Memorandum of Incorporation and Shareholders' Agreement drafting - We assist by drafting the essential documents that define how the company is governed, how decisions are made, and how ownership is split between the university, the founders, and future investors.
Finance/accounting services - To keep your venture financially healthy, we assist with setting up essential money management systems. This includes guidance on bookkeeping, financial reporting, and ensuring your company remains compliant with tax and audit requirements.
Legal/contracting support - We protect your interests by drafting and reviewing the vital contracts your business needs to survive, from employment contracts for your first hires to non-disclosure agreements that keep your secrets safe.
Supplier development - We help you build your supply chain. This involves identifying and vetting the right vendors and partners needed to produce your product or deliver your service, ensuring you get the quality and reliability your business requires.
Marketing and branding support - We focuses on creating a professional identity for your venture, including logos, pitch decks, and digital presence, so that your innovation resonates with customers and stands out to investors.
Commercialisation
Support offered to commercialisation companies
Commercialisation support - Our role is to guide Wits' research and development outputs through the journey from the lab to the market, providing the strategy and support necessary to turn you Wits' research outputs into a thriving commercial reality.
Business plan development - We help you turn your technical research into a professional business blueprint. This involves mapping out how the company will make money, who your customers are, and what resources you need to stay sustainable in the long run.
Commercialisation strategy - Every innovation has a different path to market. We help you decide whether it's better how to extract the most value from your technology. We are guided by the Wits' intellectual property and commercialisation guideline.
Investor readiness and fundraising - When you are ready to scale, we help you prepare pitch-perfect documents, refine your presentation, and connect you with the right investors who are looking for high-potential Wits' innovations.
Strategic partnership development - We identify and open doors to key industry players, research institutions, or corporate partners who can provide the technical expertise, distribution networks, or credibility you need to grow.
Market access and go-to market support - Transitioning from a finalised product to successful market entry will require a strategic approach. We provide guidance on navigating industry specific regulatory landscapes and develop robust launch plans to ensure sustainable commercial adoption.
Governance and oversight - We provide ongoing guidance to ensure your newly found business stays aligned with its goals, follows ethical business practices, and maintains a healthy relationship with the University.
Governance provided by the Commercialisation Forum
The Commercialisation Forum provides strategic growth and oversight of the outputs of the WIC and CVS through the following functions
To advise on pre-commercial opportunities which include including idea registrations, IP filings and preliminary business cases and advise on a route-to-market strategy.
To review and provide advise on commercialisation deals which including spinout proposals, license agreements, and partnership agreements.
To provide an interface for the activities of the Wits innovation ecosystem and other key Wits' stakeholders.
To monitor commercialisation performance and provide recommendations on process and policy improvements.
To promote collaboration between the internal and the external Wits innovation and commercialisation ecosystem.
To support the development of a commercialisation mindset among Wits researchers and other stakeholders.
Commercialisation Catalyst Network
The CVS portfolio is backed by the Commercialisation Catalyst Network (C²Network), a prestigious network of seasoned industry leaders, investors, and technical experts. The network provides access to experts who assist as a strategic bridge between research and development and global markets and ensures that each spin-out has access to project-specific guidance and strategic foresight.
Wits Innovation Ecosystem
Spin-out Portfolio
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SmartSpot Quality
+SmartSpot provides verification and ongoing evaluation and quality assurance products and services for molecular diagnostic devices for governments and non-governmental organisation's in various countries.Principal Investigator/s Bradford Cunningham, Lesley Scott, Bavesh Kana TRL 8 Focus Area Molecular Diagnostics Quality Assurance Verification Technology Primary Sector Medical Technology Secondary Sector Public Health Policy and Laboratory Infrastructure -
Peco Power
+Peco Power researches and develops renewable energy products. It provides afforadable and sustainable access to energy through its smart energy solutions including the PowerBrick which is a modular unit for intergration of solar powerPrincipal Investigator/s Dorian Wrigley TRL 7 Focus Area Modular, off-grid renewable energy and electrification. Primary Sector Renewable Energy & Utilities Secondary Sector Infrastructure Development and Consumer Electronics. -
Button Optics
+Button Optics develops and commercialises laser diagnostic and similar technology developed at Wits University to disrupt the conventional many-device measurement approaches market with an all-in-one, all-digital offering.Principal Investigator/s Andrew Forbes TRL 7 Focus Area Digital Laser Diagnostic Technology Primary Sector Photonics Advanced Manufacturing Secondary Sector Medical Sensing -
Rhisotope Project
+The Rhisotope Project is a technology used to insert measured quantities if radioisotopes into the horns of live rhinos. The aim is to radically reduce the demand from end users of rhino horn.Principal Investigator/s James Larkin TRL 7 Focus Area Wildlife Conservation through Nuclear Technology Primary Sector Wildlife Conservation Secondary Sector Nuclear Science and Technology
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AIrSynQ (DataConvergence)
+DataConvergence is an environmental-intelligence venture. Its flagship AI_r platform combines ultra-low-cost sensor nodes with advanced graph- and recurrent-neural-network models to detect and forecast air-pollution hotspots in real time. The core value proposition is data-driven optimization of workforce health and operational efficiency. By identifying and mitigating elevated concentrations of CO₂, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds, AIrSynQ helps employers reduce downtime, enhance cognitive performance, and improve labor productivity. The system also supports occupational-health compliance and exposure-tracking requirements for regulated industries.Principal Investigator/s Bruce Mellado TRL 6 Focus Area AI-driven Air Quality Monitoring and Environmental Intelligence Primary Sector Environmental Technology Secondary Sector Smart Cities Infrastructure and Occupational Health -
GreenX
+Green Ex Pty Ltd specialises in providing a Moringa liquid concentrate Extraction uses water using a patented extraction technology. The liquid concentrate is rich in nutritional and herbal compounds. The Moringa liquid concentrate is used to fortify beverages and dairy products making herbal Moringa energy drinks, herbal Moringa vitamin water, Moringa ice tea, Moringa drinking and normal yoghurt and Moringa mageu. Green Ex Pty Ltd is owned by community reps and researchers.Principal Investigator/s Luke Chimuka TRL 7 Focus Area Moringa liquid concentrate extraction Primary Sector Agriculture / Food & Beverage. Secondary Sector Nutrition, Wellness, and Agribusines -
KoldData
+KoldData is an AI-powered IoT and Digital Twin platform that optimises the monitoring of temperature-sensitive goods in South Africa’s cold chain through real-time visibility, predictive analytics, and automated regulatory compliance.Principal Investigator/s Wisdom Mokasi TRL 5 Focus Area AI-driven cold chain monitoring & predictive analytics for logistics. Primary Sector Pharmaceutical, food & beverage and 3PL industries Secondary Sector Logistics and Transportation -
Nanoband
+A patented locally manufactured, multifunctional skin tissue scaffold that simultaneously prevents bacterial infection and accelerates tissue regeneration for the superior management of chronic and acute wounds.Principal Investigator/s Ndivhuwo Shumbula, Pumza Mente, Zakhele Ndala, Siyabonga Nkabinde, Thapelo Mofokeng TRL 5 Focus Area Healthcare Primary Sector Healthcare (hospitals & clinics, home healthcare providers, long-term care facilities, specialty wound care centers)