Teesside graduate enterprise at the Palace of Westminster

11.30am to 2.30pm, Wednesday 22 October 2003
Terrace Marquee Room, House of Commons,
Sponsored by Kerry Pollard MP.

Two young companies set up by graduates from the University of Teesside will be showcasing their entrepreneurial activities along with the University’s Virtual Reality spin-out company to an audience of politicians and VIPs at a reception in the House of Commons tomorrow (Wed Oct 22) afternoon.

The event is organised by SET for Britain, which promotes science, engineering and technology to the general public.

The graduate start-ups from Teesside are both based on the campus in Middlesbrough, North East England, and have been given free space for the first year and grants from regeneration funding bodies to help get them off the ground.

The graduate companies are: Onisoft: Set up by two Canadians, Paul Dolhai and Doug Wolff, who came to Teesside to study on the University’s MSc Computer Aided Graphical Technology Applications (CAGTA) course. They planned to return home after graduating last year and set-up a video game development company in Canada, but instead returned to Middlesbrough and with the help of the University’s Upgrade2 Graduate Enterprise scheme are now busy making the next generation of Japanese-style fantasy role-playing video games. Onisoft became a Limited Company in November last year and currently has three full-time employees, four part-time and ten commission-based employees. Onisoft’s successes include acceptance into the Xbox Incubator Program, which provides further support towards the goal of getting their game published. Paul says: “The University gave us a head start with access to skilled and talented people on all levels. From lecturers, to students, to staff and mentors, the University allows us to find the people we need whenever we need them.” Doug added: “Throw in a place to live and computers to use, and it has been the bedrock of our successes.”

Yuzu Ltd: Specialises in visual communication and creative technical solutions, combining design creativity and technical excellence. Yuzu's Directors, Liam Dawson and John Corner are both graduates and the company has developed an impressive portfolio of clients. The firm operates from a graduate business incubation unit at the University of Teesside and is hoping to relocate to bigger premises later this year. They have recently recruited another graduate to join their team as Marketing Manager and expect to recruit more in the near future.

The Virtual Reality Centre at Teesside Ltd: The VR Centre, established in 1997, is the University’s major spin-out. It has a worldwide reputation as a leading provider of virtual reality and interactive 3D technology. The company has 32 staff, and is a leading employer of highly-skilled computer programmers, enabling the Tees Valley to retain many of its talented computing graduates. Among its developments are virtual reality hardware and software solutions for the offshore and subsea industries as well as defence, rail, heritage, visitor attractions, regeneration and urban planning, and the environment.

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