Diamond Hard Surfaces

Significant growth following Venturefest presentation

Diamond Hard Surfaces was founded in 2005 by the now Technical Director, Sergey Aleksandrov. The company has developed a thick, diamond-like carbon coating with extreme surface properties: slickness coupled with a hardness approaching that of diamond together with the toughness of carbon fibre. The unique characteristics of the material coating make it particularly applicable in sectors where engineers are pushing the boundaries of load, chemical resistance, temperature and abrasion.

Where the limits have been reached with traditional materials such as hardened steel, diamond hard surfaces can provide extended lifetime in the most arduous of applications. The company’s coating is currently used extensively in mechanical seals for the oil and gas industry and it is currently working with customers in industries as diverse as Aerospace, Defence and Formula One.

Chris Walker was appointed CEO at the beginning of 2008 and later that year, following advice from lead investor Lucius Cary of Oxford Technology VCT, presented to investors at Venturefest. This proved highly successful for the company and it closed a £570,000 funding round less than five months later. Since the presentation the company has grown significantly in size, has almost doubled its turnover and more than doubled the number of staff.