Quinas Technology
- Case Studies
- Quinas Technology
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Quinas Technology is a Lancaster University spinout originating from fundamental research into advanced computer memory technologies. The company was formed after an investor expressed interest in the technology, prompting the creation of a commercial pathway for ULTRARAM™.
Quinas focuses on developing ULTRARAM™, a next-generation computer memory technology, and bringing it to market by building partnerships across manufacturing, development, and system integration. The company’s journey began when an investor approached Professor Manus Hayne— the inventor of ULTRARAM™ and now the company’s CSO—about investable opportunities. With no formal company in place, the Lancaster-based founders of Quinas were connected with the future CEO, James Ashforth-Pook.
Company formation was accelerated when Dr Peter Hodgson and his fellow co-founders took part in the Innovate UK ICURe programme, undertaking market exploration and start-up training.
While the company initially focused on digital memory, the rapid growth of AI and its environmental impact led Quinas to shift toward neuromorphic memory. This technology mimics the way biological brains store and process information, combining high-speed low-energy memory and computation into a single component.
GROWTH JOURNEY/KEY MILESTONES
- 2022: Participated in the ICURe Explore programme and were recommended for spinout after pitching at the Options Roundtable.
- 2023: Awarded £300k ICURe Exploit funding.
- Won "Most Innovative Flash Memory Startup" award at the Flash Memory Summit in California.
- 2024: Awarded Innovate UK funding for a £1M scale-up project, in partnership with IQE, the world’s largest provider of epitaxial wafers, and Lancaster and Cardiff Universities.
- Won the IC Taiwan Grand Challenge Award.
- 2025: Awarded an Innovate UK grant for a £500k ULTRARAM™-neuro feasibility study in partnership with Lancaster University and IQE.
- Won a World Intellectual Property Organisation 2025 Global Award in the ICT Start Up category.
LANCASHIRE ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT
Lancaster University provided extensive support throughout the company’s formation and growth. The university recommended the ICURe programme, offered financial support, and facilitated an exclusive patent licensing agreement that enabled Quinas to secure its intellectual property. This foundation positioned the company strongly for commercial success.
"The UK tech ecosystem is still heavily concentrated in the south – particularly around London, Cambridge and Oxford – with far fewer companies based in the north. Quinas is changing that. We’re competing in a $180-billion-a-year global memory market, and our success would give both the UK and the North West a genuine foothold in a strategically vital industry, with major implications for supply-chain resilience. Memory underpins almost all modern electronics, making it fundamental to the wider economy. Rooting the start of that supply chain in the North West would be a huge win – not just for the region, but for the UK as a whole.”
| Year Established | 2025 |
| Founder/Leadership | Dr Peter Hodgson (CTO) |
| Location | Lancaster University |
| Stage | Early-Stage |
| Sector Focus | Computer memories |
| Employees | 1 Full-time; 3 Part-time |
| Website |