Investments

EnterpriseWorks startup Natrion recently secured contracts from the United States Airforce to bring its high-performance battery materials to the Department of Defense. The company was selected for two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the US Air Force, a Phase I from Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), and a Phase II from AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm. This funding will enable Natrion’s technology to continue gaining traction in the industry and build on the company’s longstanding collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD). Natrion is developing new batteries and battery components that eliminate fire risk while diminishing material costs. Natrion’s Lithium Solid Ionic Conductor (LISIC) combines a proprietary high-performance ceramic made from a clay mineral that is already used in cosmetics and paper with a type of plastic that’s typically found in building fire insulation. Learn more about Natrion’s accomplishment on TechNexus.EnterpriseWorks startup Natrion recently secured contracts from the United States Airforce to bring its high-performance battery materials to the Department of Defense. The company was selected for two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the US Air Force, a Phase I from Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), and a Phase II from AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm. This funding will enable Natrion’s technology to continue gaining traction in the industry and build on the company’s longstanding collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD). Natrion is developing new batteries and battery components that eliminate fire risk while diminishing material costs. Natrion’s Lithium Solid Ionic Conductor (LISIC) combines a proprietary high-performance ceramic made from a clay mineral that is already used in cosmetics and paper with a type of plastic that’s typically found in building fire insulation. Learn more about Natrion’s accomplishment on TechNexus.

Research Park will be hosting the Illinois stop of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 16-state America’s Seed Fund Road Tour on July 17, 2024. The event features programming, and 1:1 meetings between innovators and Federal Agency Representatives, to help attendees navigate over $4 billion in early-stage funding opportunities through America’s Seed Fund. If you’re an innovator, entrepreneur, researcher, or small technology startup, don’t miss this opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of federal agency technology funding priorities, meet one-on-one with program managers, and connect with local support resources. This is an outreach effort that connects entrepreneurs to technology funding opportunities provided through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, known as “America’s Seed Fund.” The FAST Center at the Research Park is one of the reasons the tour is coming to Champaign-Urbana. Led by EnterpriseWorks, the FAST Center provides free resources, support, and expertise necessary to submit a highly competitive proposal to help startups and companies bridge the gap between research and commercialization. More information, including a detailed agenda and registration, will be released soon on the Research Park Calendar. AMERICA’S SEED FUND 2024 ROAD TOUR SCHEDULE 2024: The Great Lakes Tour will run from July 15-19, with stops in East Lansing, Michigan, Indianapolis, Indiana, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Madison, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Coastal Tour will run from February 7-9, with stops in Orlando, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The South Tour will run from April 2-5, with stops in Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Houston, Texas. Finally, the Southeast Tour will run from May 13-17, with stops in Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Knoxville, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; and Huntington, West Virginia. If you would like more information on the America’s Seed Fund Road Tour, including a schedule of stops and participating agencies, visit: americasseedfund.us/road-tour. For more information about SBIR/STTR programs, please visit https://www.sbir.gov/ or follow America’s Seed Fund on Twitter. About SBIR/STTRSBA coordinates the SBIR/STTR programs, also known as America’s Seed Fund, which each year provides more than $3.7 billion in early-stage seed capital totaling over 5,000 awards to small businesses. Eleven participating federal government agencies announce funding opportunities as either grants or contracts to address their research and development needs. Companies supported by the SBIR/STTR programs often generate some of the most important breakthroughs each year in the U.S.  Additional information about the programs, as well as past and current topics can be found at www.sbir.gov. About the U.S. Small Business AdministrationThe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and is a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist, and protect the interests of small business concerns, preserve free competitive enterprise, and maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.  The SBA helps Americans start, build, and grow businesses, and recover from disasters.  Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. To learn more about SBA, visit www.sba.gov.

Illini Angels Announces First Investment to Natrion The University of Illinois’ new angel group, Illini Angels, has selected EnterpriseWorks startup Natrion for their first investment. Illini Angels, launched in February 2023, is managed by Research Park’s Illinois Ventures. The angel network supports early-stage companies that have founders or leadership who are connected to the U of I System family – faculty, alumni, or students from any of the three universities, as well as companies that license university technology with seed funding, advice, and mentorship. “Natrion is an exceptionally promising company and Alex is a very impressive founder,” Illinois Ventures Senior Director Tom Parkinson said. Natrion, a solid-state EV battery pioneer, develops components for automotive and battery manufacturers that can be rapidly utilized to deploy safe, high-performance all-solid-state rechargeable batteries. Eliminating liquid-state components, these batteries improve electric vehicle fire safety, driving range, charge time, and overall lifespan. “Solid-state battery technology will be a critical enabler of the energy transition, and Natrion provides a compelling solution in the space, strong early traction with marquee customers and a commercially oriented leadership team with a bold vision for the company’s growth.” said Manas Gosavi, an Illini Angels founding member and venture capital investor with Mubadala Capital. Natrion was founded in 2018 by Alex Kosyakov, a University of Illinois undergraduate engineering student. They have R&D facilities in Champaign, including a semi-automated pouch cell production line for the manufacturing of prototype multi-layer pouch cells as would be used in portable electronics or electric vehicles.