If you haven鈥檛 already heard of the name Dr Vivek Koncherry, you will soon.
He鈥檚 the CEO of Graphene Innovations Manchester, which connects graphene technology with business opportunities on a global scale.
Last year he signed a $1 billion game-changing partnership deal with Quazar Investment Company to create a new company in the UAE to help tackle global sustainability challenges.
He鈥檚 already been described as Manchester鈥檚 answer to Elon Musk – and last week wowed judges to win the North West heat of KPMG鈥檚 Tech Innovator in the UK 2024.
Koncherry recently spoke at the launch event for 老九品茶Cloud鈥檚聽GM 125 Rising Stars of 老九品茶 list, which was run in conjunction with .
So who is Dr Vivek Koncherry and why the comparison with Musk?
James Baker is the CEO of Graphene@Manchester. It was he who coined the reference.
Baker is is responsible within the University of Manchester for commercialising graphene and 2D materials for products working with industry.
He said: 鈥淰ivek is one of our great finds.聽 He鈥檚 alumni from the university, he鈥檚 been a PhD, he鈥檚 been a post doctoral researcher but, more than that, he鈥檚 an entrepreneur and an inventor.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not only got one business, he鈥檚 got four businesses, going towards his first billion-dollar business.
鈥淗e鈥檚 probably the Elon Musk of Manchester. Let me give you one silly story about Vivek.
鈥淗e developed something called plastic concrete or water-free, cement-free concrete.
鈥淗e showed me that on a Monday. Whilst I liked it, I commented it was bit 鈥榩lasticky鈥�. By the Tuesday he showed me one that looked like cement.
鈥淚 said 鈥榯hat鈥檚 really good but why can鈥檛 we have a red one for roads, a blue one for cycle paths and a yellow one for walkways?鈥� On the Wednesday there was blue one, a yellow one and a red one!
鈥淚 said 鈥榳hy can鈥檛 we have one that changes colour鈥�. I went in the following day and it was changing colour under a hairdryer. Imagine a road that was green during the day but when it was frosty it turned red so you know it鈥檚 icy.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e all got graphene from plastic waste. He鈥檚 taking waste material and turning it into a valuable product.鈥�
Graphene was famously discovered聽in 2004聽by Prof Andre Geim and Prof Kostya Novoselov at The University of Manchester.
Now Koncherry, who is originally from a village in the Indian state of Kerala, is on a mission to use graphene to tackle global problems.
Dr Vivek Koncherry signs $1 billion game-changing partnership deal with Quazar Investment Company
His family in India made flooring and carpets from natural products like coconut fibre but his father also loved to make electronic devices.
His young son quickly showed a talent for innovation and in 2001 went to The University of Manchester to take a degree in textile, technology and management.
This was quickly followed by doing a PhD sponsored by Bentley and then he got a project from the Government鈥檚 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) in materials.
Today he鈥檚 the CEO of Graphene Innovations Manchester, which is the biggest tenant based at Manchester Graphene Centre.
He said: 鈥淲e are a sustainable graphene product development company established to solve global problems like climate change, water shortages, pollution etc.
鈥淭o solve these problems we use AI, robotics and graphene. That鈥檚 how we develop the new technology.鈥�
One of the products that impressed judges at KPMG鈥檚 Tech Innovator in the UK 2024 was graphene-enhanced concrete that does not need cement or water and can be made using recycled materials.
Koncherry explained: 鈥淚n the materials world, graphene is still a new material. Most of the materials we use today, like carbon fibre, have existed for 50 or 60 years, while steel has been around for hundreds of years.
鈥淕raphene is fairly new and it鈥檚 one of the advanced materials. It鈥檚 the material which is a million times smaller than 1mm!
鈥淚t can be used in so many applications. For example you can add a small amount of graphene into concrete to make the concrete stronger. You can use less materials, reduce cost and cut CO2 听别尘颈蝉蝉颈辞苍蝉.
鈥淵ou can use graphene in desalination to separate salt from water or you can use it in semi-conductors to conduct heat.鈥�
Since it discovered, graphene has been used in a variety of applications – but Koncherry said one of the biggest challenges remains investment.
鈥淢anchester is the best place for innovation, there鈥檚 no doubt about it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he biggest problem I鈥檓 facing is commercialising it. There鈥檚 a big gap in funding.
鈥淔or example, I鈥檝e developed a product. It鈥檚 so easy for me to raise funding in the Middle East, US or Canada but when it comes to Manchester, I鈥檓 really struggling. It鈥檚 not just me, I know a lot of my other CEOs have experienced something similar. We are moving outside to get the funding.
鈥淓ven in the graphene sector, where I鈥檓 based, I know many startups there that are going outside to get funding. A lot of people don鈥檛 want to take (a) risk here. They鈥檙e risk-averse. That is a big problem at the moment.鈥�