PA ventures are businesses which have been incubated by PA, and which exploit our intellectual capital, technology and know-how.
We invest our own capital setting up such companies and provide the ideas, infrastructure and manpower. The ventures ensure that we continue to expand our own technology base – so preserving our ability to provide our clients with the leading-edge solutions they need – as well as providing career and financial opportunities for our staff. These two objectives help us to achieve our ultimate aim of building an ever better offering for our clients.
AditOn is a mobile advertising application service provider offering operators, advertisers and mobile content owners new revenue streams and channels to market. AditOn's mobile advertising platform is behind Squeeze - a channel delivering individually-tailored information and entertainment from content owners, pushed daily via the mobile phone's idle-screen to mobile operators' customers. www.aditon.com
Aegate is developing a next-generation approach to patient safety by providing authentication services for pharmaceutical products at the point of dispensing. Aegate received the 2005 Frost & Sullivan Award for Entrepreneurial Company in recognition of its 'unique and commercially attractive solution to combat pharmaceutical counterfeiting and fraud': www.aegate.com
PA's newest venture, Auto-txt is a vehicle telematics and infotainment design and manufacturing business which supplies stolen vehicle tracking, vehicle asset management and infotainment systems, both through automotive and aftermarket channels.
'Connected by Auto-txt' is the product behind Aston Martin Tracking, which is fitted to all Aston Martin Lagonda vehicles as standard, and is the Land Rover and Jaguar factory approved stolen vehicle tracking accessory marketed through their dealer network as Land Rover and Jaguar Watch.
Auto-txt technology is also behind The Carphone Warehouse MyMobileDrive product, a revolutionary in-vehicle device incorporating navigation, hands-free calling, vehicle tracking services, MP3 playback and Internet access all in one product.
www.auto-txt.com
PA venture ProcServe provides e-Procurement solutions through a suite of technical solutions, managed services and professional services tailored to suit individual clients and their supplier community. ProcServe Holdings comprises two core businesses: ProcServe Solutions Limited utilises e-Procurement technology solutions to offer customers hosted and non-hosted e-Procurement technology solutions; ProcServe Services Limited offers a range of e-Procurement services, including managing outsourced procurement functions on behalf of customers. The ProcServe managed service builds on our experience as the supplier of Zanzibar - the e-Marketplace solution for the UK public sector. www.procserve.com
Cubiks, the specialist HR consultancy, completed the final stage of its management buy-out from PA Consulting Group in July 2007. Established as a PA venture company in 2000, Cubiks had significantly grown its operations, with revenue rising from £6.8 million in 2004 to £11.6 million in 2006: www.cubiks.com
PA venture UbiNetics was founded in 1999, born out of the Wireless Technology Practice of PA. In six years UbiNetics developed new products for the fast-growing wireless communications market, becoming a world leader in 3G test and measurement products, and in next generation multimode 2G/3G/HSDPA cellular software and technology. It supplied many of the world's leading telecoms operators and semiconductor and handset and device manufacturers. In May 2005 the Test and Measurement division of UbiNetics was sold to Aeroflex Incorporated for $84.5m, and in July 2005 PA agreed to sell the other half of the venture - Volume Product Technology - to CSR Plc for $48m.
Meridica is a former PA venture company developing and licensing drug delivery devices and products for the pharmaceutical industry. It was established in May 2001 as part of PA’s venture programme. Following a licensing and equity deal with Pfizer Inc.for Meridica’s Dry Powder Inhaler, Xcelovair™, PA subsequently sold the remainder of the shares in this successful venture for $125 million to Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, in November 2004, in order to help Pfizer accelerate the development of allergy and respiratory drug candidates in its development pipeline.
The sale of UbiNetics and Meridica, and MBO of Cubiks, confirms PA's acknowledged ability to develop pioneering companies which generate jobs and growth in the UK economy, and become leaders in the highly competitive market for global technology.
