EnterpriseWorks

EnterpriseWorks, Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

Forbes: The University of Illinois profiled as an AI powerhouse

In a recent Forbes article, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was highlighted as the artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse of the Midwest. Research Park propels AI innovation through its many AI startups, corporate innovation sites supporting AI projects, community groups, and more. Nancy Amato, Interim Director of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, said that the U of I is “a place where industry comes to do cutting-edge research,” a capability that is made easier by the Research Park.  “[The University of Illinois] [is] the bridge between foundational research and corporate breakthroughs.” Many Research Park corporate offices work on projects related to AI: NVIDIA, Capital One, Synchrony, and others hire interns and full-time staff dedicated to this emerging technology. The Research Park’s incubator, EnterpriseWorks, is the home to several startups specializing in AI, including AI Nexus Healthcare, ClimeCast, Identomat, Kocree, Maxflow Technology, and Zite AI. The Research Park also fosters community around AI topics. The “Working with AI” User Group meets monthly to discuss new applications and implications of AI. This group provides a platform for learning, networking, and collaboration among individuals and organizations working with AI or looking to get started in this field. The Forbes article featured EnterpriseWorks startup and graduate Reconstruct and Prenosis as AI entrepreneurs. Reconstruct, a company that uses AI tools to analyze construction data, currently has an engineering office in EnterpriseWorks. Startup graduate Prenosis, now located in Chicago, uses AI to tailor health care to an individual’s biology. Read the entire article on the Forbes website.

Forbes: The University of Illinois profiled as an AI powerhouse Read Post »

Community, EnterpriseWorks, Features, Graduates, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

EarthSense awarded patent for the use of AI-ML-based smart applications

Research Park agtech startup EarthSense was awarded a patent from the United States Trade and Patent Office (USTPO) for the use of AI-ML-based smart application of treatments in plantations, orchards, vineyards, and other permanent cropping systems. This patent builds on EarthSense’s other patented innovations in robust autonomous navigation, multi-robot deployments, machine vision in challenging agricultural environments, and more. EarthSense is creating dramatic new possibilities for crop breeders, plant protection product developers, crop scientists, and field agronomists. The company joined EnterpriseWorks in 2016, where it operated until opening an office in the Atkins Building in 2021. EarthSense’s robots can work tirelessly and precisely around the clock in challenging environments. With edge-optimized AI, they will be deployed anywhere in the world without expensive communication infrastructure. This AI-enabled precise and intelligent application of fertilizers and chemicals will drive yield improvements and reduce environmental harm, leading to significant financial savings. For more information, visit the EarthSense website or connect with the company on LinkedIn.

EarthSense awarded patent for the use of AI-ML-based smart applications Read Post »

EnterpriseWorks, Features, Media Mentions

Zite AI featured on WCIA News in how its technology is helping the medical industry

EnterpriseWorks startup Zite AI was featured in a recent WCIA news story about how artificial intelligence is helping the medical industry. Founded by brothers Joshua and Jacob Love in 2022, Zite AI uses artificial intelligence to empower informed decision-making for healthcare organizations. While the company was initially founded to revolutionize location consulting, it pivoted to create a suite of tools that empowers heathcare organizations in marketing outreach, operational planning, and facilities planning. Zite AI is well integrated into the EnterpriseWorks and University of Illinois ecosystem, with co-founder Joshua Love currently studying as a PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Zite AI is changing healthcare systems which have traditionally relied on more old-fashioned forms of technology. “We’ve kind of come across this huge problem where a lot of the back office, the sort of strategic side of medicine, making sure people get access to care at all, is something that can really improve with more data and more understanding of what’s going on in the communities,” Jacob said in the interview with WCIA. The company’s programming can analyze medical images, identifying early signs of conditions like cancer and heart disease well before they are visible to the human eye. Read more or watch the news story on the WCIA website.

Zite AI featured on WCIA News in how its technology is helping the medical industry Read Post »

EnterpriseWorks, Events, Research Park

Capital One, COUNTRY Financial Capture Top Prizes in Research Park Summer Hackathon

Twelve teams of 69 total student interns competed in the second annual Research Park Hackathon on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. This 15-hour hackathon encouraged students to form cross-functional teams, build solutions, and showcase their projects. Winners for six awards were announced at the “Fire At Five” Happy Hour on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Hackathon:  The winning project, “Class Connect,” is a browser extension that enhances learning by providing questions and answers for students watching lecture videos. “We wanted to create a project that was both applicable and useful to us as college students,” said team member Ishaan Bhandari during Capital One’s presentation on Thursday. Watch Capital One demonstrate “Class Connect” below. This year’s Hackathon prompt was “Bring Your Own Data,” requiring participants to leverage data from the source of their choice to create data-centric projects, including websites, applications, and extensions. “This prompt is accessible to students from all majors and academic backgrounds,” said Hackathon organizer James Kabbes. “I am always impressed with what the students build in such a short amount of time!” Twelve companies participated in the Hackathon: AbbVie, AGCO Corporation, Ameren, Brunswick, Capital One, COUNTRY Financial, FrostDefense Envirotech, John Deere Technology Innovation Center, Kohler, Rivian, SeriesFarm, and State Farm. Individuals from these companies formed twelve teams, six of which were named finalists and presented to a panel of judges on Thursday, June 27. Finalists included Kohler‘s “Refugee Haven Search,” COUNTRY Financial‘s “GeoGroove,” AGCO+Ameren‘s “OccuPi,” Capital One‘s “Class Connect,” Rivian‘s “EV Charger Location Optimization,” and UIRP/EW‘s “Wandertunes.” Thank you to everyone who helped to organize and those who participated in this event, including judges Matt Ahrens (NVIDIA), Bryan Goode (Research Park), Dustin Mayfield-Jones (Research Park), and Jarai Carter (John Deere). A special thanks to John Deere software engineer James Kabbes for creating the event structure and developing the prompt. View photos from the event on this media gallery, or learn more about past and future Research Park Hackathons on this website page.

Capital One, COUNTRY Financial Capture Top Prizes in Research Park Summer Hackathon Read Post »

Community, EnterpriseWorks, Features, Research Park

Cache Energy Secures $8.5 Million in Seed Funding

EnterpriseWorks startup Cache Energy (Cache) has successfully secured a new investment, boosting its early funding to an impressive $8.5 million. Cache specializes in developing long-duration energy storage (LDES) technology utilizing low-cost materials capable of withstanding high temperatures. The recent investment was led by Voyager Ventures, a venture capital firm that “invests in early-stage climate technology companies, creating the foundation of a decarbonized global economy and livable future for all.” The funding supports the development and scaling of Cache’s thermal storage system. “The energy capacity cost is an order of magnitude cheaper than what we have seen anywhere in the market. The next alternative is at least 8-10 X more expensive,” said Arpit Dwivedi, founder and CEO of Cache Energy.Voyage Ventures believes Cache will revolutionize industries like manufacturing and chemicals, which rely on large amounts of heat energy and need affordable storage options. “With strong customer traction already from major utilities and industrial players, we are thrilled to support Arpit Dwivedi and his talented team as they scale this transformative technology to dramatically reduce emissions while saving customers money in these critical sectors,” said Leonardo Banchik of Voyager. Over the past year, Cache has also worked with Halliburton to speed up its scaling and operations. Cache has earned acknowledgment from the Department of Energy and won two awards: the DOE Energy Innovation Prize and a pitch competition at the White House.

Cache Energy Secures $8.5 Million in Seed Funding Read Post »

Community, EnterpriseWorks, Events, Investments, Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards

Nine Cozad New Venture Challenge Teams Receive Awards from EnterpriseWorks

EnterpriseWorks and Research Park awarded the Student Startup Tenancy Prize to nine teams that competed in the 2024 Cozad New Venture Challenge. This prize, which was awarded to Pathlit, AVEA Robotics, Radiant Looms, AminoSense, ClimeCast, Provenance Security, SeriesFarm, Terravate Energy, and Med Terms, includes access to co-working space, conference rooms, common areas, support services, and entrepreneur assistance. Provenance Security and SeriesFarm received the Catapult Award of $5,000 to be used for startup professional services. ClimeCast, which joined EnterpriseWorks as a tenant earlier in the year, also won third place with a $25,000 investment. ClimeCast uses AI to optimize decarbonization strategy for commercial real estate. ClimeCast also won the Dr. Paul Magelli Innovation Award, Best Pitch at Finals, as well as the Student Startup Tenancy Prize. Cozad New Venture Challenge (CNVC) is a campus-wide program run by the Technology Entrepreneur Center that provides mentoring to teams through the phases of venture creation, and resources in idea validation, pitching skills, and customer development. Between the 200 registered teams, 11 campus colleges and 85 majors were represented. The 2024 CNVC kicked off with registration and kickoff events in January and continued throughout the spring semester with workshops, mentorship opportunities, and training for over 500 undergraduate and graduate students. Between the 200 registered teams, 11 campus colleges and 85 majors were represented. The Demo Day on Thursday, April 11, was held at the Illinois Conference Center and featured several members of EnterpriseWorks and Research Park judging student work. The program concluded on Wednesday, April 24, with a Year-End Celebration and Awards Ceremony at the Campus Instructional Facility. Past participants of the program include EnterpriseWorks graduates Cast21, DeepWalk, Mesh++, Prenosis, Psyonic, and Serionix, in addition to EnterpriseWorks startups Natrion and ZiteAI.

Nine Cozad New Venture Challenge Teams Receive Awards from EnterpriseWorks Read Post »

Habiterre
EnterpriseWorks, Media Mentions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

HabiTerre Achieves Third Party Model Validation with Climate Action Reserve

EnterpriseWorks startup HabiTerre‘s model for quantification of agricultural greenhouse gas sinks and sources was approved by the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) under their Soil Enrichment Protocol (SEP). This model is used as part of HabiTerre‘s advanced system-of-systems modeling approach. It comprehensively models the interplay of energy, water, carbon, and nutrient cycles in aboveground and belowground environments. HabiTerre has adapted and maintained a scalable version of ecosys to support the quantification of greenhouse gas and soil carbon outcomes from agricultural practices. The Climate Action Reserve is the most trusted, efficient and experienced offset registry for global carbon markets. CAR establishes rigorous standards to support and promote climate change solutions that benefit economies, ecosystems and society. “This milestone is just one of many more to come from the team at HabiTerre, where we are fully dedicated to supporting scalable and efficient solutions to drive maximum impact and value to farmers, paving the way for high-quality environmental market opportunities,” said Nick Reinke, CEO of HabiTerre. HabiTerre is a farming financial risk modeling company. The HabiTerre team is dedicated to making the world a better and more habitable place by advancing sustainable agriculture and land stewardship with a holistic systems approach to farm productivity and resource use efficiency. Learn more about CAR and this milestone on the HabiTerre website.

HabiTerre Achieves Third Party Model Validation with Climate Action Reserve Read Post »

Logo
Agricultural Science, EnterpriseWorks

ForgeBee

ForgeBee ForgeBee has developed a system to allow the manufacture of single-use units of highly efficient honey bees for pollination in place of full sized colonies. This is more cost effective and resource efficient than the current model, which relies upon the use of whole colonies that are reused until colony failure.

ForgeBee Read Post »

Ferritiva
EnterpriseWorks, Medical, Healthcare

Ferritiva

Ferritiva jeffrey@ferritiva.com 4087173010 60 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign Ferritiva develops accessible devices that screen for iron deficiency so that everyone can live a healthy life. Ferritiva at Research Park Cozad 2022 Winners Showcase Success on “Innovations” Podcast Ferritiva Wins Second Place and Several Other Prizes at the Cozad New Venture Challenge

Ferritiva Read Post »