8 December 2023, Bangkok, Thailand.
VISTEC and VISUP joined together in this event to show the comprehensive pathway of turning frontier science into practical innovation.
VISTEC or Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology is a private university focusing on frontier research to push the boundaries of science; this is where the core technology of Cleantech & Beyond's DTI Digital Temperature originated from. And to drive the advancement in research towards the end goal of practical implementation and utilization, VISTEC has also founded VISUP, a venture builder for deep-tech startups, for this specific purpose.
At this event held at PTT Headquarter, VISTEC showcased the variety of impactful research that students, researchers, and professors at VISTEC engage in: advanced materials, energy storage, catalysis, biotechnology, robotics, data science, and much more. However, technology development is a long, arduous journey before basic research can be turned into practical products or services. And this is where VISUP comes in. By the linking the two sides together, the industries can stay up to date on the developments at the forefront of science whereas academics can also learn about the specific needs and requirements of industry and society that help sharpen the research questions. To tackle global challenges, academics and industries have to work closer together now more than ever to bring research work into practical solutions.
VISUP has already created three spinoffs or startups from VISTEC: VISAI, SensAI, and ourselves Cleantech & Beyond, with a few more in the pipeline. First started by VISTEC and PTT Public Company Limited (Thailand's national fully integrated energy company with an expansive range of businesses, Fortune 500 company, also founder of VISTEC), VISUP also announced at the event the successful fundraising with new investors: IRPC Public Company Limited, TOP Ventures (flagship investment arm of Thai Oil Public Company Limited which operates Thailand's largest and most complex refinery), and Beacon Venture (VC fund of KBank Public Company Limited which is one of the largest banks in Thailand). This expansion will strengthen VISUP's ability to realize their vision of leading Thailand's deep-tech investment and "creating an impactful chain reaction to build up the deep-tech ecosystem among academia, industry, and strategic investors".
