RAHU Catalytics Limited

Chance meeting at Venturefest

Back in 2004, Paul Smith and Dermott Hill stepped onto a stand at Venturefest looking for the same person. When told that he was not available they looked at one another and said, “Well maybe we should go and have a coffee together?” Prior to Venturefest, Smith and Hill hadn’t met but the discussion over coffee established that Smith had the skill set and talent that Hill was looking for. Following a later meeting with John Coombs of Unilever Ventures, Smith was employed on a consultancy basis to develop the technology. And in early 2006, Rahu Catalytics Limited (“RahuCat”) was formed as a spin-out from Unilever plc’s technology vehicle, Unilever Ventures Limited.

The business model targets applications for activators developed for retail markets. Through 2006 and 2007 the company has focussed on five key market areas: Textiles, Pulp & Paper, Industrial & Institutional Cleaning Materials, Inks & Coatings and Chemical Synthesis. It now develops and delivers green catalysts, activators and accelerants for a range of industrial applications. And this green offering includes the environmentally-attractive prospects of reduced power, water and chemical consumption and hence reduced operating costs.

As Smith says: “Venturefest’s ethos of facilitated serendipity certainly worked for Rahu Catalytics.”