Satalia aims to become the iTunes of algorithms

UK start-up's ambition is to connect academia with industry through online marketplace for cutting-edge algorithms The algorithm – a set of instructions that perform a particular mathematical operation – is the workhorse of computer-aided analysis. For decades, algorithms have been applied to complex industrial problems as diverse as chip design and delivery route planning.

But according to Daniel Hulme, CEO of UK-based start-up Satalia, businesses are well behind the times when it comes to algorithmic analysis. He says the pace is set by academia, but adds that most cutting-edge algorithms developed by computer scientists never make the jump into industry.

“It’s very difficult for academics to commercialise their algorithms because they've got such short shelf lives – six months after they’re published someone will write a better one,” he explains. “And businesses don't want to go through the processes of negotiating with academia for the same reason.”

It is this gap that Hulme hopes to bridge with Satalia. Spun out from University College London in 2008 and based largely on Hulme’s own academic work, the company aims to become “the iTunes for algorithms” – an online marketplace for the very latest algorithms.

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