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Case study

Do give up the day job

FeTu innovator Jon Fenton’s roticulating engine was just a childhood dream – until KTN’s expert technical support and understanding of the investor community gave him the tools he needed to take his invention to market.

Case study

Do give up the day job

FeTu innovator Jon Fenton’s roticulating engine was just a childhood dream – until KTN support gave him the tools he needed to take his invention to market.

Summary

This Yorkshire company has developed a roticulating engine – FeTu – to double the mechanical efficiency of traditional engines and drastically cut fuel consumption. Managing Director, Jon Fenton was supported by KTN’s Automotive and Access to Funding and Finance teams to find ‘angel investors’ as well as academic and commercial partners.

FeTu has huge potential – it is capable of bringing about huge savings in harmful emissions and CO2. It could generate power for industry and, if combined with solar panels, could significantly increase efficiency.

“Prior to KTN, our best efforts to attract ‘significant’ funding had led nowhere. The growth of our technology and ability to support and fund our inordinate and ambitious journey I solely attribute to KTN. Without KTN’s continued, expert and insightful support, I fear FeTu may never have seen the light of day, certainly not in a timely manner to fulfil the needs of an industry desperate for change and in immediate need of technology such as ours.”

Jon Fenton, Managing Director, FeTu

The FeTu Story

FeTu is a Yorkshire company that has designed a revolutionary ‘green’ energy device aiming to double the mechanical efficiency of traditional engines and drastically cut fuel consumption.


How did KTN help?

FeTu’s Managing Director, Jonathan Fenton, is a design and engineering manager from West Yorkshire who first conceptualised his roticulating engine as a teenager, before making a crude papier-mache version in 2015. He initially raised money for the project through friends and family – and managed to design, build and protect a succession of refined models in his spare time.

Recognising the need to scale up his activities, in August 2016 Jonathan had to hang up his ‘engineer’s cap’ and focus on funding. Progress accelerated after a meeting with Mark Matchett, Knowledge Transfer Manager, Automotive, at a Niche Vehicle Network event. Mark immediately saw the potential in Jonathan and his ground-breaking concept and introduced him to potential academic and commercial partners and to Emma Fadlon in KTN’s Access to Funding and Finance team.

Emma steered Jon to a previously unknown local funding group which, within a few months, led to a range of offers from a respected group of professional ‘angel investors’ in the Yorkshire/Humber area. This allowed Jon to set up an office and make a full-time commitment to FeTu, which now has three employees.

“The potential for the Fetu device is enormous,” said Mark Matchett. “There has never been a device that has the potential to successfully run so many closed loop combustion cycles. Jon’s invention gives the capability to do so on a large scale with apparent ease. If successfully launched, it could produce huge savings in harmful emissions and CO2, and be applied not just in automotive but in other applications, such as satellites.

“The device has the potential to generate power for industry and, if combined with solar panels, could significantly increase efficiency here too. It is even more pleasing because this is a British invention.”

“Exponential progress has been made since meeting KTN in September 2016,” said Jon. “Mark took the time to really get inside and understand our technology, and has provided invaluable advice and introductions. Emma is a resolute powerhouse of financial advice, and with seemingly little effort, totally eclipsed our long-term, best efforts in securing funding.”

Since connecting with KTN, FeTu has been invited by the Advanced Propulsion Centre at the University of Warwick onto the inaugural ‘TDAP’ (Technology Development and Acceleration Programme) scheme, aimed at supporting, upskilling and safely accelerating exceptionally promising companies such as FeTu, to be ‘industry ready’ in the shortest period.

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