DGAP-News: Nanostart AG invests in Singapore-based cleantech company MINT
(firmenpresse) - DGAP-News: Nanostart AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
Nanostart AG invests in Singapore-based cleantech company MINT
17.02.2011 / 06:00
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- Fully automated nanosensor systems for monitoring water quality
- Next-generation products for a growing multi-billion-dollar world
market
- Shareholding of 18 percent
Frankfurt / Singapore - February 17, 2011 - Nanostart AG, the
nanotechnology venture capital company, has taken an investment position in
Membrane Instruments and Technology (MINT) Pte Ltd, a cleantech company
based in Singapore. MINT, founded in 2009 as a spin-off from the country's
renowned Nanyang Technological University, is a producer of next-generation
technology for monitoring and controlling water quality in filtration-based
water treatment plants. The core of the new technology lies in the
proprietary, nanotech-based sensors developed by the company. These highly
sensitive sensors automatically monitor the efficiency and proper
functioning of filter membranes by continuously measuring key output
parameters. The system from MINT thus enables the ongoing performance
monitoring of water treatment plants in real time so that, in case of
filter degradation or failure, corrective measures can be immediately
introduced.
The investment was made by way of the Nanostart Singapore Early Stage
Venture Fund, which is managed by Nanostart Asia, a 100% subsidiary of
Nanostart AG. The fund now holds an 18% share in MINT.
Operators of water treatment plans are subject to stringent regulations
which aim to ensure water quality standards. Modern water treatment systems
are constructed of thousands of micro- and ultrafiltration membranes. If
even just a few of these are not functioning properly, the quality of
drinking water output can deteriorate quickly and significantly.
The fully automated sensor system from MINT enables the function of each
individual filter membrane to be directly and continuously monitored in
real time, marking an enormous step forward from conventional monitoring
methods which involve manual sampling and laboratory tests. The new
technology from MINT provides not only major savings in the cost and time
associated with water treatment monitoring but also enables immediate
reaction in case of malfunction. Until now, identifying and exchanging
defective filter membranes has been an expensive and complicated process
involving lengthy service disruptions. In contrast, the sensors from MINT
enable these membranes to be identified and exchanged with unprecedented
speed and ease. There are no other systems on the market today which enable
real-time monitoring and control while offering such efficiency and cost
effectiveness in water treatment as the new systems from MINT. Its
proprietary nanotech-based sensor technology puts the company in a uniquely
strong competitive position.
The global market for filtration membranes which MINT aims to serve is
currently estimated at roughly USD 9 billion annually. The market
specifically for water analysis and testing, currently estimated at some
USD 500 million, is expected to grow at a rate of six to eight percent per
year. This transaction marks the third investment position taken by the
Nanostart Singapore Early Stage Venture Fund.
'The breakthrough technology from MINT has already proved itself in the
first operating applications, and we see enormous market potential ahead,'
said Andreas Kröll, managing director of Nanostart Asia. 'We are delighted
about this superb addition to our investment portfolio.'
'Nanostart is exactly the right partner for us,' added Prof. A.G. Fane,
Chairman of the Board of MINT. 'It brings extensive know-how in
commercialization as well as a proven track record in cleantech. I am
confident that this experience will be of significant benefit to MINT.'
MINT is the second Nanostart portfolio company to address the world's
increasingly problematic thirst for clean water. ItN Nanovation AG, the
other of these two companies, in which Nanostart has held an investment
position since 2005, has developed a patented technology for highly
efficient and compact water filtration based on nanoceramics.
Over large areas of the planet, water is a scarce and valuable resource.
Cities and entire nations face enormous challenges not only in efficiently
using these limited resources but also in finding more affordable and
reliable ways to produce clean drinking water. Developing countries, in
particular, are investing enormous sums into water supply projects to
create the infrastructure which their populations need. At the same time,
standards for water quality are being raised in much of the world.
About Nanostart:
Nanostart AG, headquartered in the German financial capital of Frankfurt,
is the world's leading nanotechnology investment company, with portfolio
companies spanning the globe from Silicon Valley to Singapore. The company
provides venture capital financing for nanotechnology companies in various
growth phases with a focus on innovation-driven industries of the future
such as cleantech, life sciences and IT/electronics. Through its subsidiary
and venture capital fund in Singapore, Nanostart is proud to be the
investment partner of the Singaporean government. For further information
about the company, please visit www.nanostart.de.
About MINT:
Membrane Instruments and Technology Pte. Ltd. (MINT) is a spin-off from the
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore, with the aim of
becoming a leader in membrane instrumentation and optimization technology
for the water treatment industry.
Membrane processes are set to be the next standard for water and wastewater
treatment. MINT designs and develops automated control systems which
receive signals from nanotechnology-enabled sensors, predict the
performance of the plant and implement the correct control strategies,
resulting in significant cost savings. MINT's flagship product has been
validated by Singapore's national water agency. For further information
please visit www.mintmembranes.com.
Disclaimer:
This notice constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of
offers to purchase or subscribe to securities. There will be no public
offering of securities of Nanostart AG in conjunction with the existing
listing of its shares in the 'Entry Standard' segment of the regulated
unofficial market (Freiverkehr) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. This
notice does not constitute a securities prospectus. Neither this notice nor
the information contained within is intended for direct or indirect
distribution within the Canada, Australia or Japan.
Media contact:
Nanostart AG
Public Relations
Dr. Hans Joachim Dürr
Goethestrasse 26-28
D-60313 Frankfurt
Germany
phone: +49 (0)69-21 93 96 111
fax: +49 (0)69-21 93 96 122
e-mail: presse(at)nanostart.de
End of Corporate News
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112447 17.02.2011
Datum: 17.02.2011 - 06:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 33226
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