University of Southampton spinout AccelerComm has secured £5.8m in funding to supercharge 5G, satellite and other wireless communications with cutting-edge techniques for digital signal processing.

The rapidly expanding business was founded by Professor Rob Maunder in 2016, commercialising research in the field of channel coding from the Next Generation Wireless group.

The latest Series A funding round was led by IQ Capital alongside existing investors Bloc Ventures and the IP Group, building upon £2.5m that was raised in 2018.

Professor Maunder, Chief Technology Officer of AccelerComm, says: "We are really excited to have completed this investment round. Since spinning out AccelerComm, each successive investment round has been a level-up, allowing us to do more with the research that started in the School of Electronics and Computer Science. We are constantly reaching more of the telecoms market and becoming more and more strategic in our approach."

AccelerComm's channel coding IP is used to correct transmission errors in mobile, small cell and satellite communications caused by noise, interference and poor signal strength. This technology is optimised for the specific needs of cellular and satellite communications to provide market leading performance and efficiency.

Driven by a leadership team comprising executives and senior talent from ARM, Qualcomm and Ericsson, the company was recently named in the EE Times Silicon 100: Emerging Startups to Watch and continues to push the state-of-the-art in channel coding technology.

Tom Cronk, CEO of AccelerComm says: "From gaming and VR to automated robotic manufacturing lines and telemedicine, the use cases on the road to 5G appear almost limitless. But a critical roadblock remains - latency.

"For more than 15 years a research team led by Professor Maunder, first at the University of Southampton and now at AccelerComm, has been working to solve the challenge to deliver on the 5G promise of a low latency, high throughput experience.

"We are delighted to have closed our Series A funding round, which will help us further develop and deploy our already market leading technology to help improve the efficiency of networks for many years to come."

AccelerComm is based at the University of Southampton Science Park in Chilworth. The new funding will be used to expand the current team, drive US and global expansion, and develop the technology further as demand for the company's digital signal processing IP grows among mobile operators, telecoms equipment vendors, satellite operators and connected device manufacturers.

Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence Virginia Hodge has been awarded one of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) highest honours as part of the organisation’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

The Institute’s former Vice-President is one of 16 world-leading engineers and technologists to be recognised for their outstanding contributions with Honorary Fellowships.

Virginia is embedded in Electronics and Computer Science teaching and research activities at the University of Southampton, where she serves as a Resident Mentor at the on-campus Future Worlds startup accelerator. She is one of two Royal Society Entrepreneurs in Residence to join the University this year.

"I am delighted and honoured to be recognised by the IET with the award of Honorary Fellowship, especially in its 150th anniversary year," Virginia says. "It was totally unexpected and to be considered to be an equal, in the eyes of the IET, as will.i.am, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Dame Ann Dowling, Dame Judith Hackitt as well as other stalwarts of the Volunteering Community, is an incredible recognition.

"I started volunteering for the IET in 1987 when I joined the Solent Young Professionals and have held numerous positions since, including Vice-President on the Board of Trustees. I'm passionate about encouraging more young women into the engineering profession, something I have championed throughout my time volunteering and I hope this accolade helps to demonstrate to the next generation that engineering is for everyone."

The new Honorary Fellowships were officially given during Professor Danielle George's inaugural President's Address '150 years of difference makers', which took place online on 8 October.

Now serving as a Company Director and Trustee of Foothold, the IET Benevolent Fund, Virginia brings a wealth of experience in the aviation and defence industries, with particular expertise in software and systems, to her mentoring at Southampton.

Ben Clark, Future Worlds Director, says: "Virginia is a great role model for many; her dedication to our startup community and passion for mentoring the next generation of engineers and founders is immensely valuable. I am so pleased to see Virginia become an Honorary Fellow of the IET, I know I speak for all of us at Future Worlds when I say this recognition is very well-deserved."