Color-Variation-Orange-Block-I-Blue-Background-1

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    News

    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.

    “Best Tech Startups in Champaign” List Dominated by EnterpriseWorks Read Post »

    Community Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    The Return of the Research Park Table Tennis Tournament: Yahoo! Reclaims the Golden Paddle

    After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Research Park Table Tennis Tournament returned and celebrated the 11th annual event. The event was a huge success filled with impressive players and enthusiastic spectators. This year, the tournament field included 64 participants and split into two days of competition.  The first day consisted of round-robin games where the participants of each bracket played four rounds of one individual game. The results of day one were used to seed participants for the single-elimination tournament played on the second day. After two evenings full of intense competition, showcased skills, and lots of fun and excitement, the tournament came to a close and the winners earned their titles. Yahoo reclaimed the Golden Paddle from AbbVie, this being Yahoo’s 10th year of earning the most points for their company. Here is the set of winners from each bracket: Beginner Mohammed Malik – Country Financial Edward Tomlins – Ameren Rohan Simha – AviatrixMohit Mayank – Aviatrix Intermediate Nikhil Shenoy – Motorola Solutions Mingzhe Zhao – Yahoo! Danny Koch – SynchronyVed Shah – Country Financial Advanced Anh Nguyen – Yahoo! Asim Chitre – Synchrony Fei Deng – Yahoo!Rishabh Tripathi – Country Financial You can find the full final bracket standings on our Research Park Table Tennis webpage.

    The Return of the Research Park Table Tennis Tournament: Yahoo! Reclaims the Golden Paddle Read Post »

    News Research Park

    Aviatrix Opens New Hub: “Champaign is an ideal office location”

    Aviatrix, a fast-growing, global cloud network platform company, has opened a hub at the University of Illinois Research Park. The unicorn startup, which originated in California, opened in Champaign largely to build up its team of full-time software engineers. It has also established an internship program to tap into young talent from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “As we continue growing, we are expanding our teams of the best and brightest software engineers and solutions architects to help build what today’s enterprises need to stay competitive and innovative in the cloud era,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the new office. The 4,000 square foot office is dedicated entirely to Aviatrix software engineering initiatives. It employs nearly a dozen software engineers. With space for up to 30 employees, the company is actively recruiting new team members at this location. “Aviatrix and the University of Illinois Research Park are a great match as they both value innovation, creativity and collaboration. We are excited to have this thriving company build a hub here and look forward to working together in mutually beneficial ways,” said Dr. Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Champaign office is the company’s third in the United States. The growing pre-IPO startup launched in Santa Clara, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Earlier this year, it announced it would be opening an international headquarters in Dallas. “Champaign-Urbana is a great community to live and innovate. The University attracts people from all over the world who push the state of the art in many ways—from developing the transistor and the first web browser to whipped cream in a can. With the constant influx of innovative people, you may meet a world class opera singer or a world expert in bioengineering while chatting with a parent at your kid’s soccer game. I have had the privilege to work with many great groups in Champaign-Urbana over the years. The cloud is changing all the ground rules we have assumed for the past couple of decades. With Aviatrix, we are creating technology that takes advantage of the new ground rules and setting the stage for the future,” said Susan Hinrichs, Chief Scientist. The company has operations in Europe and Canada, and expects to open additional sites in the future.

    Aviatrix Opens New Hub: “Champaign is an ideal office location” Read Post »

    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).

    Innovation and Success in the Illinois AgTech Accelerator Read Post »

    Community Events Features News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Cozad 2022 Winners: Nephra, Ferritiva, and Haylon Technologies Showcase Success on “Innovations” Research Park Podcast

    The newest episode of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast features the top 3 finishers from the Cozad New Venture Challenge, a University of Illinois event where student teams can compete to win funding for their startups. Tanmay Shaw first speaks with Jonathan Politzki, CEO of EnterpriseWorks startup Nephra, whose team won $20,000 worth of funding and the I-Start prize at Cozad. Nephra is revolutionizing kidney dialysis by engineering a software embedded in ECGs. This allows patients to monitor potassium levels through fingerprints. When reflecting on his success, Politzki offers up his own advice to those inspired by his company’s success, “I encourage everyone out there to just give it a shot, try new things, learn a lot, spend a lot of time and focused effort, and you will make changes.” The future of Nephra involves investing in hardware that will facilitate more deep learning, allowing Nephra to accelerate its developments and continue to bring groundbreaking technology to the medical world.  Next in the podcast, Shaw brings on Jeffrey Lu, co-founder of Ferritiva, a startup that is developing a noninvasive method to detect iron deficiency. At Cozad, Ferritiva won more than $45,000 in funding as a second place winner. The creation of Ferritiva started from Lu’s observations as a cross country coach, leading him to attend Carle Illinois College of Medicine and ultimately work on bringing his idea to life. Lu shares how the Cozad New Venture Challenge played a role in his startup’s journey, “Cozad reminded me how difficult entrepreneurship is…but once things got rolling and we had some data to report, it was just very fun to share our story and share our vision with people.” Finally, Shaw introduces Namin Shah, founder of Haylon Technologies, the startup that won the grand prize at Cozad, the I-Start prize, and acceptance into multiple accelerators. Haylon Technologies’ goal is to improve battery life and functioning for various businesses that rely heavily on battery usage.  As someone who competed in Cozad multiple times, Shah highlights the most consistent and helpful aspects of the process. “Cozad does a really good job of highlighting the importance of doing proper customer discovery before you even engage in anything.” To listen to more of the conversations that Tanmay Shaw had with Jonathan Politzki, Jeffrey Lu, and Namin Shah about their experiences at Cozad, tune in to the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast. To listen to the podcast, visit iTunes 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? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

    Cozad 2022 Winners: Nephra, Ferritiva, and Haylon Technologies Showcase Success on “Innovations” Research Park Podcast Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Graduates News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Autonomic Materials Raises $3 Million

    Autonomic Materials Inc. (AMI), a deep-tech startup graduate from the EnterpriseWorks incubator, announced Monday that the company has raised $3 million in a fully subscribed financing round. The round was led by Burwell Management Company and Camino Real Capital Partners along with participation from other venture capitalists. AMI uses self-healing technology to create chemistry coatings that minimize the effects of corrosion. The company’s innovations are designed to protect metal assets, the people interacting with those assets, and the environment. AMI CEO Dr. Gerald Wilson said the funds will be used to “accelerate sales of the company’s branded high-performance and ultra-low VOC coatings portfolio.” Dr. Wilson is also an Enterpreneur-in-Residence at EnterpriseWorks, where he counsels and mentors aspiring faculty and graduate student founders. AMI continues to grow its operations in Champaign, working to improve sales of existing product as well develop new applications that eliminate corrosion in environmentally friendly ways. In 2017, AMI raised $3 million in a funding round led by Solvey. This funding was used to scale up the company’s first self-healing paint product. Read the full news release here.

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Autonomic Materials Raises $3 Million Read Post »

    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)

    Crunchbase: UIUC Alumni Among Top Founders Attracting Startup Funding Read Post »

    Community EnterpriseWorks Features News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EarthSense Co-Founder Chinmay Soman Talks AgTech Trends and Company Success in Recent “Innovations” Research Park Podcast

    The latest episode of the Innovations @ Research Park Podcast delves into the history and background of EarthSense, an agricultural robotics and AI company that is a tenant here at the Research Park. Host Tanmay Shaw facilitates a discussion with Chinmay Soman, co-founder and CEO of EarthSense. The podcast delves into the origin story of the company as well as Soman’s drive to make a difference in the agricultural industry. Soman explains that the main mission behind EarthSense came from a desire to help farmers. Soman tells the story of growing up in India and having many extended family members that made a living by farming. Around the time that Soman was finishing his Ph.D., farming in India underwent many changes that led to a larger proportion of farmers being in debt. This led to increased suicide rates for individuals in this profession, which was something Soman was motivated to change. EarthSense was founded to innovate the AgTech industry while also keeping in mind environmental sustainability. They primarily focus on creating ground-based robots that are able to collect data on crops and soil. TerraSentia, their first robot, improves the quantity, accuracy, cost, and speed of in-field plant trait data collection, specifically for under canopy plants. Tune in to hear more on Soman’s perspective on future autonomous agricultural trends, EarthSense’s recent successes, and the importance of Research Park as a resource to the startup. To listen to the podcast, visit iTunes 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? Do you want to provide other feedback? Contact Laura Bleill (lwbleill@illinois.edu).

    EarthSense Co-Founder Chinmay Soman Talks AgTech Trends and Company Success in Recent “Innovations” Research Park Podcast Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Investments News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startup Natrion Secures $2 Million in Funding from Major Backers

    Natrion, a battery research and development startup based in Research Park’s EnterpriseWorks incubator, announced Wednesday that they have secured $2 million in seed funding. Natrion is the only company in the world to commercialize a ceramic-polymer composite battery solution for electric mobility and defense applications. The funding round was led by Chicago-based TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Champaign’s Illinois Ventures, Mark Cuban of Shark Tank, and other private investors. Natrion has previously received significant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense including a STTR grant to develop its products. “Natrion’s streamlined R&D approach and business model are what really differentiate the company in the battery market. They’ve already secured major commercial traction in the automotive space and we’re looking forward to what they achieve next,” said Mark Cuban. This seed round was the company’s first major private capital raise, and with it Natrion plans to build out in-house pouch cell prototyping capabilities at its R&D center in EnterpriseWorks to allow rapid-prototyping and validation of their patented Lithium Solid Ionic Composite (LSIC). This is Natrion’s first step towards scaling up and provides potential to build out a pilot production line next year. Natrion was founded in 2018 by Alex Kosyakov, a University of Illinois undergraduate engineering student. Before founding the startup, Kosyakov was part of iVenture Accelerator and Hacking for Defense. In the past, Natrion has been awarded funding from Cozad Assessment Management and Illinois Ventures, as well as being granted SBIR funding with help from the Illinois Fast Center. Read the full news release here.

    EnterpriseWorks Startup Natrion Secures $2 Million in Funding from Major Backers Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Graduates Investments News Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Starfire Industries Announces Transformative Expansion

    Starfire Industries Announces Expansion in Champaign, New Facility to Support Deep Technology Manufacturing and Research & Development  Starfire’s new 194,000 square foot facility will create 22 full-time deep tech jobs (News-Gazette Story) CHAMPAIGN – May 20, 2022 – Today Starfire Industries, LLC announced an expansion to establish a new manufacturing facility in Champaign, Illinois, located at 3310 N. Duncan Road. The $9.4 million project accommodates growth to a 194,000 square foot facility to increase manufacturing and research & development capabilities. The project will create at least 22 full time-jobs and retain 20 full-time jobs, as well as support 12 engineering co-op and part-time professional jobs. “Technology investments over the past 12 years in compact particle accelerators and high-power plasma sources have resulted in game-changing innovations”, says Starfire President/CEO Brian Jurczyk. “Our team is making significant impacts across the semiconductor, nuclear, aerospace, medical, environmental, energy, mining, automotive, and security industries. Starfire reached the point where it needed to scale; finding the right location for expansion was critical. The former Patterson building is a unique space with a combination of office, engineering, manufacturing, and distribution that will support Starfire’s growth for years to come. We are excited to make this place our home and stay within the robust Champaign-Urbana deep technology ecosystem.” The Starfire team in summer 2021. Photo credit: University of Illinois Research Park Starfire Industries, recently named one of the top-10 worldwide non-destructive testing companies by Manufacturing Outlook Magazine, specializes in portable high-energy particle accelerators for diagnostic imaging, environmental sensing, active interrogation, and even oncology therapeutic treatments. This is accomplished using 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’s patented Centurion® system is being used for the rapid detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater and soil samples and quantification at the ppt level to meet stringent EPA and EU standards. Starfire is a multi-disciplinary deep technology company leveraging technical depth in many fields. The team consists of several PhDs in nuclear, plasma, radiological and electrical engineering, as well as engineers from electrical, mechanical, aerospace and material science. Starfire’s patented IMPULSE® product has revolutionized thin-film coatings by providing precision engineering of materials at the atomic scale. Their technology is used in the manufacture of photovoltaic, superconductor, fuel cell and battery storage systems—as well as coatings on full-length nuclear fuel rods to increase strength, corrosion resistance and accident tolerance under an SBIR project with the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy and Westinghouse. “The new facility will give us the space for a pilot in-line production system to process the long and difficult to handle nuclear fuel cladding”, says Starfire VP/CTO Robert Stubbers. “The combination of engineering, processing, QA/QC testing and distribution space is advantageous.” Starfire develops solutions to solve challenging problems, moving ideas from the whiteboard to production. They work with a variety of federal and international organizations on innovative research & development and with a broad spectrum of global companies on products and services to meet their demanding applications. “Starfire Industries is truly a homegrown success story, and one we’re proud to celebrate,” said Carly McCrory-McKay, executive director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation. “This story is a testament to what’s possible in Champaign County and the state of Illinois. Under Brian’s leadership, the company has grown from a startup to a large-scale manufacturing facility. We’re grateful for their continued investment in our community and we look forward to supporting their growth.” “We are so delighted that the Starfire team chose to stay in Champaign and continue to grow their company where it began,” stated City of Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen. Since graduating from the EnterpriseWorks startup incubator at University of Illinois Research Park in 2009, Starfire Industries has grown from concept research & development to manufacturing plasma sources, neutron generators and high-voltage power supplies for a range of industries. They will soon move from their existing Champaign location, a 14,000 square foot facility in University of Illinois Research Park, to an impressive 194,000 square foot technology center. The 3310 N. Duncan Road expansion will enable greater on-site collaborative partnerships, direct services to end-users under strategic supplier agreements, manufacturing and global distribution. “Starfire is a stellar example of the deep tech innovation that emerges from scientists at the University of Illinois and that remains in Champaign County for the tech and engineering talent needed to fuel its continued growth,” said Laura Appenzeller, UI Research Park Executive Director. “We are so grateful to have launched their small business at the Research Park and thank the founders for their perseverance, innovation, and dedication to their employees.” The expansion is scheduled for completion in 2023. About Starfire Industries, LLC:  Founded by Brian Jurczyk, PhD MBA, and Robert Stubbers, PhD, Starfire Industries LLC is a “deep technology” company focused on nuclear and plasma technologies for demanding applications. Starfire produces the nGen® and Centurion® ultra-compact particle accelerators used for medical therapy, environmental sensing, nuclear security, and non-destructive imaging.  Starfire produces the IMPULSE® and RADION™ pulsed power plasma sources and systems used for nuclear fuel fabrication, superconductor coatings, semiconductor EUV lithography, lightweight electric vehicle assembly, high-temperature aerospace materials, and thin-film deposition and etching applications. Their industry-changing solutions are designed, manufactured, and delivered from their headquarters in Champaign, Illinois to end-users across six continents and Earth orbit. Learn more at https://www.starfireindustries.com/.

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Starfire Industries Announces Transformative Expansion Read Post »