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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    Media Mentions

    Community EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Illinois Investment Guide Highlights Entrepreneurship at Illinois

    An article published in the 2022 edition of the Illinois Investment Guide highlights the role of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and specifically the Research Park, in advancing entrepreneurship within the state. The article describes how the Research Park and its incubator, EntepriseWorks, support and propel startup activity. It features comments from UIRP executive director Laura Appenzeller. “We are growing new companies from scratch,” Appenzeller says in the article. “We have one of the top engineering schools in the U.S. That is a driving factor. Urbana-Champaign is a major hub of engineering and research for technology companies. They can come here and capture talent — particularly in the digital transformation space — that is otherwise very difficult to get.”

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    Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Forbes Deems University Of Illinois Top University For Entrepreneurs

    A Forbes article examines the current state of the University of Illinois entrepreneurship climate, lauding its commitment to supporting students and faculty as well as innovative partnerships with other institutions. The story, published Wednesday, was written by Chicago investor Pete Wilkins, a contributor to Forbes.com. “The university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem supports idea development with its programs, academics, and funding opportunities, and is consistently ranked among the top public universities for producing the most successful entrepreneurs,” Wilkins writes. The story reflects on the well-known entrepreneurial highlights of years past, but frames them within the lens of what is happening currently. Wilkins highlights recent funding announcements from Illinois startups, as well as programs and partnerships that advance the entrepreneurship enterprise, especially those at Research Park and EnterpriseWorks. Among the startups with EnterpriseWorks lineage highlighted in the article include: Ascent Integrated Tech  PhotoniCare Simbiosys Network Perception Natrion 

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    Community EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    “Best Tech Startups in Champaign” List Dominated by EnterpriseWorks

    Tech Tribune’s list of the Top 10 tech startups in Champaign is dominated by EnterpriseWorks tenants and graduates. All but one of the online publication’s choices have formal ties with EnterpriseWorks, the University’s tech incubator. There are a total of 11 startups on the list, the majority of which are tenants of Research Park’s EnterpriseWorks, or have since graduated from the tech incubator.  The top three ranked startups are SimBioSys, PhotoniCare, and Inprentus. SimBioSys was founded in 2018 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and remains a tenant at EnterpriseWorks in Research Park. The company’s mission is to deploy computational oncology to transform patient experience in cancer care by making it virtual. PhotoniCare, an EnterpriseWorks graduate, works to help primary care physicians identify and diagnose middle ear issues using tools that increase accuracy and efficiency. The company’s first product, OtoSight, was launched in 2019 and is designed to allow physicians to see through the eardrum and visualize the middle ear, including the presence of fluid and its density. Inprentus is another graduate of EnterpriseWorks and was founded by University of Illinois professor Peter Abbamonte  in 2012. Inprentus executes advanced manufacturing of precision optics for x-ray applications. The list proceeds in categorizing several other companies under the “best tech startups in Champaign” such as EarthSense, Ascent Integrated Tech, Psyonic, and Yummy Future. To qualify for consideration, companies must be independent, privately owned, and have received a minimum of one round of funding. The staff’s research was centered around the following four factors: revenue potential, leadership team, brand/product traction, and competitive landscape. See the full list of startups here.

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    Features Media Mentions News Research Park

    Innovation and Success in the Illinois AgTech Accelerator

    SoyInnovator profiled the current Illinois AgTech Accelerator startup cohort in its recent article, “5 AgTech Startups You Should Know.” The article highlights the various benefits that the Accelerator manages to provide for AgTech startups. The Accelerator is a 12-week program that recruits five AgTech companies and gives them numerous opportunities to network with customers, investors, mentors, and other established AgTech companies. The Accelerator manages to give these companies a learning experience that will help them to be more successful in the future. Mentorship is one of the most important aspects of the Accelerator, which is based at the University of Illinois Research Park. “Mentorship is a major ‘unfair advantage’ for the companies that go through our program because they can discuss their technologies and business models with a range of ag professionals to really sharpen their market fit,” says Managing Director Jack Marck. The article also mentions five up-and-coming AgTech companies that are breaking barriers in the industry: AQUAOSO is a climate finance technology company that uses software to provide analytics for loan processes, improve risk management functions, and easily report on climate-related risks. Greener Crop is a data-driven hydroponic farm management company that helps clients to set up their farms efficiently. The company also helps clients plan daily farm operation strategies, supplies them with equipment, and develops effective crop strategies for higher success rates. Kray Technologies is a company that develops and produces drones for crop protection.  This reduces application costs by 90% in comparison to existing solutions. SenseGrass is a soil intelligence company. It uses soil sensors to deliver soil health analyses that help with nutrient management. This helps to reduce synthetic fertilizer use, increase crop health and grow crops using sustainable methods. Shepherd is a company that is tackling the agricultural labor shortage. The company uses a task management-based approach to ensure that workers know their responsibilities and the most efficient way to perform. This helps to reduce waste and boost operational effectiveness. This spring’s accelerator program is hybrid. Most of the teams have spent some time on-site in Champaign-Urbana; all will be in town for the OnRamp Agriculture Conference in Champaign, July 25-26. SoyInnovator is an online resource published by the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA).

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    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Crunchbase: UIUC Alumni Among Top Founders Attracting Startup Funding

    A degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a common possession of funded founders. Crunchbase, a platform for finding business information on private and public companies, released data pertaining to the correlation between one’s degree and one’s probability of becoming a funded founder. Its findings exhibit which U.S. Universities have produced the greatest number of founders. The dataset looks at founders from these schools that have raised $500,000 or more from 2021 through 2022, according to the article. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks No. 14 with 70 funded founders reaching the threshold. It is one of only four public universities in the top 15. While there is no necessary credential for becoming a prosperous startup founder, data, along with history of innovation, indicates that great entrepreneurs come from a range of backgrounds. “Schools that are known for being hard to get into, in general, seem to be fortuitous choices for future funded entrepreneurs,” wrote Crunchbase. The technology advanced University of Illinois combines its values of innovation and creativity to generate an environment that leads to its quantity of successful funded founders. Ranking chart below. (SOURCE: Crunchbase)

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    EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Newsweek Names PSYONIC CEO One of America’s Top 50 Disruptors

    Aadeel Akhtar, CEO of EnterpriseWorks startup PSYONIC, was named one of America’s Top 50 disruptors by Newsweek magazine. 2021 marks the first year the magazine has created such a list. It includes the likes of household names such as Elon Musk and Lizzo, as well as CEOs, scientists, engineers, artists, musicians and others. “…  (A)ll of these … visionaries and innovators on Newsweek‘s inaugural list of Greatest Disruptors share this critical quality: They are agents of change who are using technology in ways that will profoundly impact our lives—mostly or wholly for the better,” wrote the magazine in its introduction to the package. The publication recognized Akhtar for his leadership in creating groundbreaking prosthetic devices. “When Aadeel Akhtar was 7 years old, he met a little girl who changed his life. His parents took him to see family in Pakistan, where they’d been born, and they were walking into a store when he saw her,” writes Newsweek reporter Ned Potter. “She was missing her right leg.” PSYONIC’s premiere product, the Ability Hand, was released in 2019. The Ability Hand is the first commercially available prosthetic hand to include multitouch sensory feedback. The device utilizes electrical currents to stimulate nerves allowing users to “feel”  what the prosthetic touches. Akhtar launched PSYONIC in 2015 and the company moved into EnterpriseWorks in 2018. Newsweek highlighted many talented individuals in the “America’s Greatest Disruptors” series. “We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, but also making them accessible and leveling the playing field for all those people who couldn’t get access to this kind of technology before,” Akhtar says in the Newsweek article. Earlier this year, Akhtar was named to the MIT Technology Review’s list of 35 Innovators Under 35 for 2021. Akhtar received his PhD in Neuroscience and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois.

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    Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Starfire Industries Named a Top 10 Non-Destructive Testing Company

    Starfire Industries was named one of 2021’s top 10 non-destructive testing companies by Manufacturing Outlook Magazine. Based at the University of Illinois Research Park, the company specializes in innovative plasma engineering across a range of markets, including aerospace, defense, nuclear, homeland security, and manufacturing semiconductors. Starfire Industries uses a process that combines physics, math, chemistry, and biology to create a strategy for inspecting, examining, and testing materials for flaws, defects, and more. “Starfire Industries’ portable particle accelerators and neutron generators are not only enabling greater particle utilization for inspection and testing but also lowering the cost of implementation, transportation, and operation for industrial clients,” said Manufacturing Outlook Magazine. Four-time University of Illinois alumnus Brian Jurczyk is the co-founder and CEO/President of Starfire Industries. Under his leadership, the company has grown from EnterpriseWorks startup (graduating in 2009) to have 14,000 sq. ft. of offices and production space in the University of Illinois Research Park. It now employs about 35 individuals. “As portable products can be easily transported between locations, the clients can easily leverage them for their inspection and testing needs at their desired locations, whether it is for product testing, elemental analysis, cargo inspection, radiography, downhole well inspection, and much more; the possibilities are endless,” Jurczyk said to Manufacturing Outlook Magazine.

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    Community Media Mentions News Research Park

    Research Park: One Reason Why Young Homebuyers are Flocking to Champaign

    A recent article written by Realtor.com echoed what we here at the UIRP already know to be true: the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign is the place to be.  Using its own algorithm Realtor.com concluded that, amongst other bustling college towns, Champaign is the best (yes, as in the #1) college town for young adults to move to.  Realtor.com cited Research Park a prominent reason for why anyone, but specifically young home buyers and recent graduates, should consider buying property in the immediate community. According to the article, young home buyers and  “recent grads can try to snag a job or internship at the college’s Research Park a technology hub with around 100 companies. It houses everything from startups to research and development centers of Fortune 500 companies like State Farm, AbbVie pharmaceuticals, and Caterpillar.” The website also highlighted  Champaign’s prime location in relation to other major cities, the lower cost of living, and the lively progressive college town in its equation.  Find a full-time position on the UIRP job board here. 

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    EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    PSYONIC CEO Named to MIT Technology Review’s 35 Under 35

    Aadeel Akhtar, CEO of EnterpriseWorks startup PSYONIC, was named to the MIT Technology Review’s list of 35 Innovators Under 35 for 2021. The MIT Technology Review recognized Akhtar as a humanitarian for his innovative approach to designing prosthetics. PSYONIC’s premiere product, the Ability Hand, was released in 2019. The Ability Hand was the first commercially available prosthetic hand to include multitouch sensory feedback. The device utilizes electrical currents to stimulate nerves allowing users to “feel”  what the prosthetic touches. Akhtar launched PSYONIC in 2015 and the company moved into EnterpriseWorks in 2018. PSYONIC has experienced great success since the company launch. Their accomplishments include, winning the Illinois Innovation Prize in 2016, a mention in the Forbes list of 30 under 30, and first place at the 8VC Social Innovation Cup in 2019. Each year the MIT Technology Review publishes a list of 35 Innovators Under 35; more than 500 people are nominated to be included annually. The work of the nominated individuals is then evaluated by a prestigious panel of judges who select the final list. MIT Technology Review acknowledged Akhtar’s commitment to both functionality and affordability. PSYONIC products are inexpensive enough to be covered by Medicare which makes them available to 75 percent of individuals in the US who need them. The prosthetics are also built to withstand the stresses of everyday life without cracking. Akhtar received his PhD in Neuroscience and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois. Read more about Akhtar and PSYONIC in 35 Innovators Under 35 here: https://bit.ly/3xkF8bm

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    Epivara Featured on WCIA 3 News for SBIR Award

    Epivara, a startup based at EnterpriseWorks, was recently featured on WCIA 3 News after receiving a $255,000 SBIR Phase I award from the National Science Foundation. Rex Hess, Epivara’s Director of Science, was interviewed in this news story, and he explained Epivara’s iSpay/iNeuter technology. This funding will go towards the creation of an injection that would act as a permanent alternative to spaying and neutering for cats and dogs. The Research Park is proud to support the Epivara startup team as they continue to develop this technology. Find the full story here: https://bit.ly/EpivaraWCIA

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