Focalise Emerges: The Successful Spinout of a Pioneering AI Company
TRY AI-SAR
February 5th

Focalise Emerges: The Successful Spinout of a Pioneering AI Company

February 5th marks a momentous occasion for innovation and academic entrepreneurship as we proudly announce the birth of Focalise. Focalise will be a globally significant, pioneering AI company. Born as a spinout from the University of the West of Scotland, Focalise embodies the spirit of collaboration, ingenuity, and determination that defines the journey from applied research to impactful enterprise creation.

 

From Conception to Creation:
Focalise is the culmination of over 5 years of research, and collaboration between visionary minds at the University of the West of Scotland, industry partners and funding organisations. It began in 2019 as a research project for human detection, using AI, in Search and Rescue situations with funding provided by Censis and Thales, and with participation from Police Scotland. The resulting AI models provided the spark of inspiration for continuous development including the ability to remain effective even in adverse weather and mixed climatic conditions. It also fuelled passionate researchers to dream beyond the confines of academic boundaries, to develop a shared commitment to address practical challenges and to harness their expertise to transform the ability of Search and Rescue teams to locate people, in real-time, at a level of accuracy previously unobtainable.

 

The Essence of Focalise:
Focalise represents more than just a company; it embodies a vision for the future. A future where the world recognises the positive contribution that AI makes to humanity.

 

Rooted in cutting-edge research and innovation, Focalise is poised to revolutionise, through its advanced and unique AI models and applications, multiple industries starting with human search and rescue and humanitarian relief missions. Starting with a mature technological foundation, Focalise will deliver tangible solutions to heroic search and rescue professionals and volunteers, equipping them to locate missing people and victims faster, and with a greater level of accuracy, even in conditions where detection is not feasible with the human eye.

 

Our Founding Passion:
The leadership of Focalise have one primary desire - to save lives! In early trials where 4 year old mission video footage was analysed by the Focalise AI models, the victims were located even although they had not been located at the time of the original mission. Had Focalise solutions been available at the time of recording the mission footage the lives of the victims would have been saved. This happened more than once and as a result, Focalise are working at a furious pace to bring solutions to market and save lives.

 

The Immediate Journey Ahead:
With the spinout from UWS complete, and with seed funding and a leadership team in place, the immediate journey for Focalise is to rapidly complete the development of market ready products and arm a community of search and rescue professionals and volunteers using Focalise solutions to save lives. As we embark on this exciting new chapter, we recognise that the road ahead will undoubtedly include challenges and obstacles. However, Focalise, driven by a shared drive to provide life saving, transformational solutions, will remain undeterred in its continuous pursuit of technology innovation and impact. With the support of our dedicated team, partners, customer community and stakeholders, we are confident that Focalise will not only thrive but also lead the way in shaping the AI and technology future of the search and rescue and other sectors and to realising the vision where the world recognises the positive contribution that AI has made to humanity.

 

Join Us in Shaping the Future:
As we celebrate this milestone, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been part of our journey to date. Whether you're a researcher, student, participant, partner, supporter or funder, your contributions have been invaluable in bringing Focalise to life. We invite you to join us as we embark on this exhilarating adventure, shaping the future together and using AI and technology to making a meaningful, positive, difference in the world.

 

Conclusion:
In the spirit of innovation and collaboration, Focalise emerges as a beacon of entrepreneurial hope and possibility, demonstrating the transformative potential of university spinouts.