Investment in OneEighty
NewMedia SPARK PLC
10 July 2000
NewMedia SPARK Invests in Ultra-Compact Java Technology
Leading UK Computer Scientist To Lead Development Team
NewMedia SPARK plc announced today that it has invested
£666,000 for a 20% stake in OneEighty Software Ltd
('OneEighty'), a UK technology company developing an ultra-
compact Java Virtual Machine to allow the use of Java
applications in smartcards and embedded systems.
Professor Russel Winder, currently Professor and Head of
Department of Computer Science at King's College London, has
been appointed Chief Technology Officer of OneEighty.
Professor Winder is an acknowledged authority on Java and
C++ programming and is widely published.
Java has become a standard programming language of the
Internet, but a key limitation of its use has been the large
size of Java programs which prevents the use of Java
applications in small devices such as Palm pilots and mobile
phones and in older microprocessors common in industrial and
domestic appliances. ORIGIN (TM) is a radical new
technology developed by OneEighty which enables software to
be written in a fraction of the space previously required.
It underlies its ultra-compact Java Virtual Machine.
OneEighty's technology, which has already attracted interest
from a number of industry partners, overcomes this problem
and allows the use of extremely compact Java applications in
handheld devices, smartcards and embedded systems.
Professor Winder, whose recent work has included development
of UC++ and KC++, an extension of C++, joins Dr Peter Dzwig,
CEO, who has extensive commercial experience in the IT
sector having worked with companies including Digital,
Oracle and ICL.
OneEighty was originally founded by Bernard Hodson, who has
been involved in computing for over 30 years and who will
continue to contribute to the development of OneEighty's
technology from his home in Canada.
Dr Dzwig said: 'We are very pleased to have received this
funding from NewMedia SPARK. The investment will allow us
to refine our technology and develop our product offering to
take advantage of the demand from the telecoms and
electronics industry for compact Java applications. We also
believe SPARK's hands-on management approach and extensive
industry experience will add considerable value to our
business.'
Commenting on the investment Mike Whitaker, CEO of NewMedia
SPARK said: 'Our investment in OneEighty further
demonstrates SPARK expanding the core technology element of
the portfolio. Professor Russel Winder's move from academe
into the commercial arena to develop this technology clearly
demonstrates the potential for OneEighty. We share his view
that there will be considerable demand for the technology
and look forward to working with the OneEighty management
team to develop the company to its full potential.'
For further information please contact:
Fenella Copas
NewMedia SPARK 020 7851 7777
Tim Anderson/Isabel Petre
Buchanan Communications 020 7466 5000
Dr. Peter Dzwig
OneEighty Software Ltd 01483 561625
Notes to Editors:
NewMedia SPARK
NewMedia SPARK plc, listed on the London Stock Exchange's
Alternative Investment Market, is one of Europe's leading
listed technology and Internet investment companies.
SPARK is building its portfolio of investments in early-
stage companies in the UK, Scandinavia and elsewhere in
Europe. Based principally in London and Stockholm, SPARK has
one of the largest and most experienced teams in Europe,
with skills ranging from investment banking to active
involvement in the formation and running of new media
companies. SPARK's current portfolio of 46 investments
spans the following sectors: Internet transaction platforms,
Interactive entertainment, Wireless infrastructure and
applications, Web infrastructure tools, Internet content and
commerce.
OneEighty Software
OneEighty is at the cutting edge of software for ultra-
compact systems. It has developed revolutionary technologies
which enable companies to create a wide range of new
applications for any area in which space is at a premium.
This includes smartcards, control systems and mobile devices
such as personal digital assistants and other portable
devices.
OneEighty's team has a remarkable track record in computing,
having been involved in almost all areas of the industry and
made many major contributions over the years in both
hardware and software. It is this depth as well as breadth
of view that has enabled it to develop its technologies.
OneEighty Software Ltd (formerly GENETIX Software
International Ltd) was originally established in 1989.
Professor Russel Winder is currently Professor of Computing
Science and Head of the Department of Computer Science at
King's College London, he will be taking leave of absence
from King's College to join OneEighty. Prior to King's
College, he was Reader in Software Engineering in the
Department of Computer Science at University College London.
Originally, he was a theoretical physicist, gaining his BSc
at Sussex University and PhD at Liverpool University. He
became a full time academic after a period of being a UNIX
programmer and system administrator, during which he became
interested in tools and techniques for systems development.
Bernard Hodson, Founder and CRO of OneEighty Software Ltd.
Founder of OneEighty, Bernard Hodson has been involved with
computers since 1951 when he worked with Turing's colleagues
at Manchester. Since then he has been involved in the
development of various large scale computing applications
for a variety of industries including aerospace, oil,
education and GIS. Described by one authority as one of the
most innovative computer scientists and by another as simply
a pioneer of computing, Bernard Hodson's contributions to
his field are legion.
Peter Dzwig CEO of OneEighty Software Ltd
Peter Dzwig has a long history in the computing, after an
academic career he worked as a consultant with many major UK
companies, specialising in high performance computing. He
worked with Oracle on the earliest implementations of
parallel databases and is an expert in financial
applications of IT having worked with companies such as
Tandem, Reuters, Barclays, BZW and others. He also has
extensive experience working with the European Community. He
founded private venturing and research organisation Summa
Ventures Ltd., where GENETIX became a client. In 1998 he
joined the then GENETIX Software Inc as MD GENETIX Software
Europe with a position on the Board as de facto CEO. With
the re-organisation into GENETIX Software International Ltd
('GSI') in late 1998 he became CEO of GSI, later renamed
OneEighty. Peter is also Visiting Professor of Computer
Science at King's College London, is a non-executive
Director of design house Art in Technology and holds other
honorary posts.
King's College London
King's is one of the two oldest and largest colleges of the
University of London with some 12,400 undergraduate students
and over 4,100 postgraduates in ten schools of study. The
College is among the country's top four higher education
institutions for the number of highest-rated subject-areas
for research quality, and in the top group of five for
research earnings.
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