Cascade Technologies

Stirling based, Cascade Technologies developed and patented the world’s first real-time technology for the detection, measurement and monitoring of gas emissions and explosives through its revolutionary use of quantum cascade lasers. This is used in a range of commercial applications such as the monitoring of gas emissions in power stations, substance detection at airports and analytics in petrochemical processes On 23 December 2014, Cascade Technologies was sold to Emerson, a U.S.- headquartered global manufacturing and technology company. The sale generated a strong return on investment for Panoramic on an investment of £1.75m made in May 2011 and additional follow on commitments made in 2014. Over the period of Panoramic’s investment and under the chairmanship of Tony Lochery, one of Panoramic’s advisory board members, Cascade has seen significant growth, with revenues tripling. In 2012, Cascade was listed as one of Britain’s 100 fastest growing private companies by The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100. Panoramic invested an initial £1.75m of growth capital in mid 2011 at a time when Cascade was loss making and cash constrained. In the year following investment, sales increased by over 100% and Cascade generated £1m profit. This rate of growth continued into 2012 with Cascade achieving rate of 39.45% per year and annual revenues of over £6milion.