Case Study: VLSI Vision Ltd / VISION Group plc / Peter Denyer
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Professor Peter Denyer, Dr David Renshaw, Professor Wang Guoyu and Dr Lu Mingying played a key role in the development of the mobile phone camera. The four researchers at the University of Edinburgh began by producing simple black and white cameras, before moving on to more complex devices. By 1993, they had taken the steps necessary to generate colour images from a tiny electronic sensor produced in CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology.
Having acquired an RSE Fellowship, the researchers went on to form VLSI Vision Ltd, an early Scottish university spin-out business, which subsequently became the first such spin-out to become a public company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. ST Microelectronics acquired the business in 1999, and today hundreds of millions of CMOS cameras are in everyday use, in mobile phones and optical computer mice.
Peter Denyer & VISION Group Plc
Peter Denyer then became the CEO of VISION Group plc, a company he founded, took to IPO and to profitability over a 9-year period from 1990 to 1999. To date, VISION and its successor have shipped over 300 million CMOS devices, and the annual figure continues to accelerate with the widespread adoption of this low-power camera technology in mobile phones.
For his work on the technology and its commercialisation, Peter received the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal, the IEEE Millennium Award, and the Queen’s Award for Technology.
Where They Are Now
Since the sale of VISION Peter has become an active angel investor, founding five new businesses, and leading two further IPOs. He serves as a non-executive Director on a range of public and private company boards, and retains an honorary Chair at the University of Edinburgh where he assists with commercialisation policy.
Dr Renshaw is still based at the University of Edinburgh's School of Engineering and Electronics, where Professor Denyer holds an honorary chair, complementing his external roles as an angel investor and serial entrepreneur. Professor Wang and Dr Lu also pursue both academic and entrepreneurial careers in China and Britain.
