EnterpriseWorks

HeyGears, an EnterpriseWorks student startup graduate, is building a 3D printing Research and Development facility in Guangdong, China. Formerly OmniEars, the company has created a range of five different in-ear products of wearable technology that operate through Bluetooth. While working at EnterpriseWorks, HeyGears was partially sponsored by the iFoundry program and graduated from the incubator in 2015. HeyGears now operates out of Guangzhou, China. To learn more about HeyGears and their new facility, click here.

Trudy Kriven, CEO of EnterpriseWorks Affiliate startup KeaneTech, talks with the News-Gazette about its Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Army Corps of Engineers, geopolymer materials, and the opportunities and challenges of having a technology transition company. Kriven’s group philosophy with her company and partners is to nurture each other in a way that encourages every individual to their fullest potential, which she has been able to foster at EnterpriseWorks. Kriven shares that EnterpriseWorks, “is a very valuable asset and resource to this community, to nurture and guide start-up companies.” To read more about Trudy Kriven and KeaneTech, click here.

Aptimmune Biologics, Inc. once again breaks through industry barriers by commercializing the first inactivated musosal vaccine for Influenza A virus in swine, administered via nasal spray. This vaccine helps provide veternarians and swine producers a new way to combat these diseases that can create costly and horrific results as they spread through swine. The vaccine is safe to use, and accurately manages these respirtatory diseases. The new vaccine is available in 250-mL and 500-mL bottles, an Aptimmune recommends the swine be vaccinated once at 7-10 days old and then again during weaning, at 3-4 weeks of age. Aptimmune Biologics is a startup located at EnterpriseWorks that specializes in developing and marketing a portfolio of revolutionary musosal vaccines that provide answers for the most costly viral diseases that impact swine industry. Read more here.

Inprentus, a recent EnterpriseWorks gradute, has announced this week that it has been selected to participate in a project by NASA. Inprentus was founded in 2012 by University of Illinois physics professor Peter Abbamonte. It was created to manufacture diffraction gratings, an advanced prism used in laboratories around the world after Abbamonte recognized the need for such prisms for research. Inprentus is able to manufacture diffraction gratings with 2,500 grooves per millimeter that separate electromagnetic waves allowing researchers to better understand what a material is made of and how that material will react in different scenarios. Ron van OS, Inprentus CEO said diffraction gratings can “actually look in real time how plastic will behave under stress.” The company has grown to 15 employees and now operate in a “state of the art” facility in Champaign. The company is pairing with NASA to create a diffraction grading that could someday make its way to space. “We’re actually making a grating for them to go up in space and to take a picture of the corona of the sun” said van Os. Read the full story on the News-Gazette. 

Illinois Farmer Today highlights an array of EnterpriseWorks startups that are creating innovative solutions in agriculture.  The talent pipeline leads to finishing projects more efficiently, which makes Research Park an ideal location to harness the agricultural tech industry. Tech has been driven by Silicon Valley, but it makes sense to have a base here where there is a strong relationship with the agricultural community, says Laura Freichs. Soil Diagnostics focuses on crops, and helps growers manage their their soil through cutting edge, low cost, high resolution monitoring services for soil nutrients and soil-dwelling pathogens to enable growers to maximize their profitability while reducing their input costs. Transitioning to livestock management, Aptimmune Biologics Inc. focuses on bringing effective prophylaxis against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virusinto the market. Another successful agtech startup is Ag-Sensus, who enable growers to retrieve their own near-real-time, high resolution images of their crops through an easy-to-operate personal remote sensing system. Earthsense utilizes robots to provide advice for farmers, ranchers, and other land managers by detecting issues up close. Intelinair delivers actionable insights using aerial imagery analysis and deep learning methodologies & algorithms focused on the agriculture industry. Graduate companies of the EnterpriseWorks Incubator also continue to thrive, such as agriculture-tech company Agrible. “They are our best success story. They have grown the fastest,” says Laura Frerichs. Research Park also hosts an annual Ag Tech Summit, where hundreds of participants from startups and large agricultural companies alike all gather in Champaign to exchange ideas. For more on EnterpriseWorks ag tech startups, read the full article on Illinois Farmer Today.    

EnterpriseWorks tenant Serionix shared their story with Crain’s Chicago Business this week. Serionix was formed by material sciences trio James Langer, Weihua Zheng, and James Economy. Beginning with creating filters for Samsung and Intel, the startup has now expanded their technology’s audience to astronauts and the typical cat owner. The article acknowledges that Serionix has received a $750,000 contract from NASA, $500,00 from Champaign venture-capital firm Serra Ventures, and a total of $3,000,000 in grants.