Features

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.

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Podcast
EnterpriseWorks, Features, Research Park

New Podcast Episode: Digital Identity Verification

In the June Innovations @ Research Park podcast episode, host Tanmay Shah talked to Identomat CEO Dr. David Lomiashvili about his career journey, experience at EnterpriseWorks, identity verification, and looking ahead. Dr. David Lomiashvili is the CEO of Identomat, which has created an innovative AI-powered KYC and identity verification solution that assesses if the person in front of a camera is real or an impersonator. Before his current venture, Dr. Lomiashvili had an extensive pedigree in entrepreneurship, not to mention a PhD in Astrophysics. “A new project,  a strategically important project, we are gonna be working on … is Digital Identity Wallet. It is a way to enable SSI, self-sovereign identity. It is what we see the next inflection point in the industry is gonna be, unleashing the wallet economy,” Lomiashvili said when talking about the future of Identomat and digital identity verification. The Innovations @ Research Park podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. It is hosted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Tanmay Shah. Subscribe to The Innovations @ Research Park to catch up on the latest innovations and news on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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Podcast
EnterpriseWorks, Features, Research Park

New Podcast Episode: Perspectives on AI from an NVIDIA Leader

In the May episode of the Innovations @ Research Park podcast, host Tanmay Shah talked to NVIDIA Accelerated Big Data Platform Engineer Matt Ahrens about his career journey and the future of artificial intelligence (AI). Matt Ahrens oversees performance and tools work for the Accelerated Big Data Platforms group at NVIDIA. He’s a longtime leader in the University of Illinois Research Park community, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science in 2003 and working for Motorola and Yahoo! before transitioning to his current role at NVIDIA. Ahrens is also the co-founder and leader of the Champaign-Urbana Data Science User Group, which meets monthly at UIRP during the academic year. The podcast episode discusses using graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate data workflows. “A new frontier where we see accelerated computing really having a future is with big data processing,” Ahrens said, emphasizing how GPUs can make these processes more efficient. The Innovations @ Research Park podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. It is hosted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Tanmay Shah. Subscribe to The Innovations @ Research Park to catch up on the latest innovations and news on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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Podcast
EnterpriseWorks, Features, Research Park

New Podcast Episode: Transforming Central Illinois into a Leading Biomanufacturing Tech Hub

In a recent episode of the Innovations @ Research Park podcast, host Tanmay Shah talked to IBRL Associate Director of Business Development Beth Conerty about bioprocessing research and how the iFAB Tech Hub is transforming the Central Illinois Economy. Dr. Beth Conerty has been serving as the Regional Innovation Officer at the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Hub since it was selected as a 2023 Tech Hub Designee by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) in October 2023. Conerty is working to apply her technical background to business by working in technology commercialization with a focus on entrepreneurship. “We are trying to invest in every step- from innovation here at the University of Illinois, and supporting the earliest-stage companies at Research Park and in EnterpriseWorks all the way up to manufacturing partners with ADM and Primient in Decatur,” said Conerty. “What’s really exciting about our lab-to-line approach is that all of those resources are available in a 51-mile radius between the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and in those bioprocessing behemoths in Decatur.” The Innovations @ Research Park podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. It is hosted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Tanmay Shah. Subscribe to The Innovations @ Research Park to catch up on the latest innovations and news on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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Podcast
EnterpriseWorks, Features, Research Park

New Podcast Episode: Puzzle Labs’ Brad Miller Talks AI, Linguistics, and Knowledge Transfer

In a recent episode of the Innovations @ Research Park podcast, Puzzle Labs Co-Founder Brad Miller talked with host Tamnay Shah about artificial intelligence, linguistics, and knowledge transfer. This is a field in which Miller sees growth in the next five years: “I think that we’re going to see…some remarkable advances in more than just language models. Language models are going to spark advances in health, in science, in technology.” Dr. Brad Miller is the Co-Founder and Chief Linguistic Officer of Puzzle Labs, a software platform that uses AI to make knowledge transfer easier.  Previously, he was the Site Director for P&G’s Smart Lab in the Research Park, and he’s also spent time traveling the world from Ecuador to India studying the impact of languages. “The Research Park has been a close friend for almost ten years now. I started as an intern working at the EnterpriseWorks incubator in 2015,” said Miller. “In that time, I realized the wealth of opportunity that the Research Park provides. I wish more companies understood just how valuable something like the University of Illinois Research Park really is…it’s a space where innovation thrives.” The Innovations @ Research Park podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. It is hosted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Tanmay Shah. Subscribe to The Innovations @ Research Park to catch up on the latest innovations and news on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show or a story we should pursue? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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Brunswick
Events, Features, Recognition & Awards, Research Park

Brunswick I-Jet Lab Showcases Innovative Technology at Consumer Electronics Show

The Brunswick I-Jet Lab made significant contributions to Brunswick’s booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 9-12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, showcasing its “Marina of the Future” concept. At the conference, Brunswick Corporation delivered its vision of the future of boating, integrating technology and product experiences. “We focused more on autonomy and electrification this year,” said Brunswick CEO, David Foulkes. Brunswick’s popular boating simulator “was created largely by our team at the University of Illinois,” said Foulkes. “This year, they have made some really great enhancements. The renderings are more lifelike…The overall presentation is positively striking. Once you get to a certain scale of visual imagery, your body reacts to it viscerally…You really think you’re out there, so the simulator makes quite an impression.” UIUC Junior and Brunswick intern Charlie Du was included in the I-Jet representatives attending this event: “It’s being able to showcase all of the hard work that we put in with the simulator…and being able to be a part of something I’ve worked on since I was a small child.” Du was honored as the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern at the 2023 Intern Awards Ceremony in the Research Park. This isn’t the first time I-Jet students have helped Brunswick make a splash at CES: Brunswick interns also attended the 2020 show, and a Venture Beat article discussed I-Jet’s partnership with developing the helm of the future at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. Read more about Brunswick I-Jet Lab’s involvement in the 2024 CES show on the WCIA website or BoatTest.

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Podcast
Features, News

New Podcast Episode: Alex Kosyakov of Natrion Talks Batteries For the Future

While Natrion CEO Alex Kosaykov, 22, may not technically be a UOI graduate yet, he knows watts up. On the most recent episode of ‘The Innovations @ Research Park’ podcast, Kosaykov and podcast host Tanmay Shah discussed the young CEO’s startup journey, which stemmed from an early interest in batteries and electrical cars, and their renewable components. What started off as a hobby for Kosaykov turned into a startup that now employs 19 people and is gaining recognition worldwide, including backing from Mark Cuban. The two also detailed overcoming some of the challenges that Natrion has faced being a smaller battery startup competing with others with much deeper pockets, and what motivates the CEO to get out of bed in the morning. This is an episode not to miss. The Innovations @ Research Park podcast highlights the thriving entrepreneurial and corporate innovation culture in Champaign. It is hosted by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus Tanmay Shah. Subscribe to The Innovations @ Research Park to catch up on the latest innovations and news on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast network. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show, or a story we should pursue? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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Podcast
EnterpriseWorks, Features, News

Brandon Yates, Founder and CEO of DeepWalk featured in Latest Research Park Podcast

The newest episode of The Innovations @ Research Park podcast features Brandon Yates, Founder and CEO of DeepWalk, a company which is the product of the entrepreneurship programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the University of Chicago. Founded in 2019, the company participated in university-sponsored programs such as the Cozad New Venture Challenge NSF iCorps, iVenture Accelerator, and Polsky College New Venture Challenge.  Brandon and his team are on a mission to create AI-powered solutions for the city planners and engineers that build important public infrastructure that we rely on every day.  In this episode of Innovations at Research Park, host Tanmay Shaw speaks with Brandon Yates, about how Artificial Intelligence technology can help simplify public works compliance.  He explains how their AI platform removes the need for manual input, reduces the number of data points, and automates compliance with multiple standards. He also shares examples of how the technology has been successfully employed by different sectors, including transportation and energy.  Brandon provides insight into the future of DeepWalk as they continue to create innovative solutions for customers. This episode provides a great overview of the company’s AI platform and how it can help public works compliance processes. To listen to more of the conversation that Tanmay Shaw had with Brandon Yates about his journey Simplifying Public Works Compliance with AI, tune in to the latest edition of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast. To listen to the podcast, visit Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to download your podcasts. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show, or a story we should pursue? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

Brandon Yates, Founder and CEO of DeepWalk featured in Latest Research Park Podcast Read Post »

Podcast
EnterpriseWorks, Features, News

Paul Miller, EnterpriseWorks Entrepreneur-in-Residence, highlighted in latest Research Park podcast

The newest episode of The Innovations @ Research Park podcast features Paul Miller, an EnterpriseWorks Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and Co-Founder of Agrible, a company that provides real-time agronomic information and sustainable solutions through long-term, scalable sustainability programs for growers, ag-retailers, and consumer packaged goods companies to take action. Miller, who started his career as a software engineer, has since founded numerous companies. He has found success in the technology industry, first with his startup, Motivote, and then with Flats or Spikes.  In the podcast, Miller discussed the importance of having a team of diverse people from different backgrounds and perspectives. He also spoke about the need to be resilient and take risks to achieve success.  “I’m a huge believer in taking risks and learning from failure,” said Miller. “If something doesn’t work, you have to find a different way to get the job done. Don’t be afraid to take risks and think outside the box.”  Miller also emphasized the need to listen to customers and understand their needs. He explained that customer feedback can provide valuable insights into how to improve products and services.  “It’s important to really listen to your customers and understand their needs,” said Miller. “You have to take their feedback into account and use it to make your products and services better. That’s how you create a better product that people want to use.” Miller’s podcast is the latest in a series of podcasts from Innovations at Research Park, which seeks to highlight the success stories of entrepreneurs and innovators in the research park and beyond. To listen to more of the conversation that Tanmay Shaw had with Paul Miller about his journey as a serial entrepreneur and learn more details about his company, tune in to the latest edition of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast. To listen to the podcast, visit Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to download your podcasts. Is there something you want to know about Research Park? Do you have an idea for a guest for the show, or a story we should pursue? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

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Caterpillar
Features, Research Park

Crain’s Chicago Business Shows How Cat and Deere Leverage UIUC, Research Park for Talent

At the University of Illinois Research Park, it’s said (a bit tongue-in-cheek) that companies there receive every unfair recruiting advantage possible when it comes to access to the strong tech talent at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This week John Pletz of Crain’s Chicago Business explores how this ecosystem is delivering computing talent to two UIRP companies, Caterpillar and John Deere. The premise? That a corporate presence in both Chicago and Champaign is keeping talent in the state. “Caterpillar and Deere are setting foot on campus more often and making jobs more appealing by setting up shop in Chicago. As a result, they’re having more success in meeting their own hiring needs while giving students with high-demand skills more reasons to stay in Illinois instead of leaving for the coasts,” Pletz writes. Companies are also going beyond the traditional mechanisms to engage with students, campus colleagues told Pletz. “While traditional recruiting strategies—such as attending career fairs or participating in hackathons—are great for keeping brands in front of the broad CS audience, we have noticed companies are also adding much more targeted activities to their recruiting arsenal,” says Cynthia Coleman, director of external relations for U of I’s computer-science department. Read the entire Crain’s Chicago Business story about Deere and Cat online HERE (access may be restricted by a paywall).

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