Firstly, to invest in opportunities presented by the commercialisation of early stage life science, medical, digital and other new technologies; and secondly, to allocate the resulting profits, if any, to The Perivoli Schools Trust, a Namibian registered Trust which seeks to address the inadequacies of nursery school education in Sub Saharan Africa.
One of Perivoli Innovations’ advantages is its independence. It answers to no third party investors and so, when it comes to investment choices, can take a long term view. It does not set time lines or internal rate of return expectations upon its investee companies in the belief that “patient”, nurturing capital delivers better outcomes. Perivoli Innovations depends solely on the Perivoli Trust for its funding as well as the reinvesting of proceeds from divestments not allocated to the Perivoli Schools Trust.
Perivoli Innovations looks for early stage, innovative and highly scalable businesses that have the potential to make a big difference to people’s lives and the planet. It’s initial focus hitherto has been on the spin-out opportunities emerging from the research departments of the U.K’s leading universities and also digital businesses emerging from technology centres in Africa, both of which tend to be capital starved in their early years.
Perivoli Innovations plans its approach to capital allocation so as to be able to “follow-on” in subsequent funding rounds. In some instances it aims to add value to its investee companies by providing advice and access to experts where appropriate.
Perivoli Innovations does not charge subscription fees, legal fees, annual supervision fees or any other fees.
Perivoli Innovations has made direct investments into the following businesses and indirect investments through Funds into others.
a Kenya based start-up that uses SMS packages as incentives to people in mainly rural communities across Africa to supply personal data and preferences to sell on to market research organisations.
a start-up established by a team of clinicians, doctors and software designers based in East Africa and Europe, has created a mobile App to provide health education and personalised chronic disease management to individuals in Sub Sharan Africa.
located at Cambridge University, has developed a novel gene sequencing methodology using a long read, single molecule, micro droplet sequencing technology.
led by a team based at Oxford University, has developed software that automatically tests the code written by computer programmers as they write it with wide implications across many industries.
a spinout from the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Science, has developed a fertility monitor called OvuSense which, using a vaginal sensor, is able to predict the onset of ovulation in humans up to 24 hours in advance in each cycle and is then able to confirm the date of ovulation. The product is able to transmit the data using NFC technology to a user’s handheld device using a specially designed App.
a spin-out from the University of Bristol engineering department, has developed a breast scanning device using microwave imaging technology which is much safer, more accurate and cheaper than current X-ray technologies and which will be able to distinguish between cysts and tumours and malignant and benign tumours.
a spin-out from Oxford University, has developed a portable medical device for keeping livers “alive” for up to twenty four hours ahead of organ transplant at normal body temperature whilst generating real time data on its status. Superior to the current cold state static approach, the device will increase the quality and supply of organs available for transplantation of which there is a severe shortage.
a spin out from the University of Oxford, is commercialising the widely available mineral perovskite for use as a low cost, highly efficient, thin-film solar cell to convert sunlight into electricity in tandem with or by way of alternative to the less efficient silicon.
a spin-out from the University of Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering, is commercialising a technique which uses ultrasound to cause polymer bubbles to expand and collapse for the more effective delivery of chemotherapy drugs into solid tumours making it possible to reach cancer cells that lie farthest from blood vessels; and through a sister company is using the same technology to provide a minimally-invasive alternative to spinal fusion for those with severe back problems.
a University of Bristol spin-out, has developed a sustained release compound of the common antiseptic, Chlorhexidine, which can be used in veterinary, wound care and dental products conferring sustained antimicrobial efficacy for weeks, months or years, overcoming the major shortcoming of most current formulations of Chlorhexidine, namely their short duration of antimicrobial activity.
is a Nairobi based start up that aims to formalise the so-called “boda boda” motorcycle and trucking delivery sector in East Africa.
is a spin-out from Oxford University which develops and manufactures high power, light weight and torque density electric motors and controllers with applications in the automotive, marine and aerospace markets.
is a global peer-to-peer platform aimed at governments that consolidates and adds value to the vast acreage of information and research already available the world over on topics of interest to civil servants so as to prevent the reinvention of the proverbial wheel and resulting waste of government resources.
is a spin-out from the University of Bristol’s Ultrasonic and Non Destructive Testing group which has developed a system of monitoring corrosion or other defects in structures, such as pipes, though use of permanently attached, battery-free, wireless ultrasonic sensors, an approach that reduces inspection time and costs and industrial plant downtime.
is a Nairobi based start-up that is establishing a network of small ATM like “KOKOpoint” kiosks located inside neighbourhood stores from which individuals can refill specially designed canisters for use with KOKO’s launch product which a liquid ethanol cooking solution that is cheaper, cleaner, safer and more efficient than traditional stoves that use charcoal the production of which is contributing to deforestation across the African continent.
is a spin-out from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham which has developed a cost-effective genotyping test to detect the early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease for use, initially, in research into the illness and by pharma companies looking to secure patients for clinical trials the high cost of which hitherto has been a barrier in finding a cure for the illness.
is an App developed by a group of former parents of children from a preparatory school in Oxford to assist school parents to communicate more easily with each other.
It is a sad fact that an estimated 30% of children entering sub-Saharan African state education systems aged six or seven drop out of primary school by aged ten, a large number of girl students fall pregnant from aged thirteen and too few students complete their education.
One of the widely accepted reasons for the failure of formal education systems is simply that children have not been equipped in their nursery school years to deal with school life. The aim of The Perivoli Schools Trust is to see primary school dropout rates decline and for children to get more out of their formal education.
The Programme run by the Perivoli Schools Trust shows nursery school teachers through a course of twelve Training Modules delivered over a two year period how to manage their class rooms, how to make educational toys out of waste materials and, in doing so, the value of play which is otherwise not well understood across the region.
The Trust currently employs a corpus of Perivoli Trainers who in addition to delivering the Training Modules undertake regular class visits to the nursery school teachers to assist with the implementation of the Programme and provide on-going supervision.
The Perivoli Schools Trust, funded hitherto by the Perivoli Trust, interacts with over 2,200 nursery school teachers in Namibia and an estimated 50,000 children aged two to seven. Its goal, depending on the success of Perivoli Innovations, is to increase these numbers many-fold across Namibia and other sub-Saharan countries over time.
For further information please contact: James Alexandroff (advisor to the Trustees) at info@perivoliinnovations.com