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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    SBA Awards Second FAST Partnership Grant to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    SBA Awards Second $125,000 Grant to University of Illinois Incubator to Help Underserved Communities Succeed Award funds training, mentoring and technical assistance for businesses to access specialized resources for innovative research Illinois –The U.S. Small Business Administration recognized the FAST Center at EnterpriseWorks with another 12-month award to build on its early successes in helping small businesses across the State of Illinois access federal research funding. EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, received its Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program grant in 2020 – one of 24 awarded at that time, and is among the 33 recipients of the grant this year. The renewal of the FAST grant will further its work to provide specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance for research and development-focused small businesses under the FAST program. “We are proud to support the FAST Center at EnterpriseWorks who has played an integral part in helping small businesses access federal research funding,” said SBA Illinois District Director Robert Steiner. “Support for startups and hubs for technology and business innovation is critical to the recovery of our local economy now more than ever. This partnership will amplify our high-tech small businesses and entrepreneurs from underserved communities.” Since October 2020, the Illinois FAST Center has served 329 clients, located in 51 different cities representing 22 different counties, and 53% were outside of the Chicago area. Of those who identified, 68% were male and 32% were female; 24% were Asian or Pacific Islander; 14% were Black or African American; 7% were Hispanic or Latino; 50% were white; 5% were other. “Although only in operation for about nine months, the Illinois FAST Center has worked with more than 300 entrepreneurs and innovators statewide, from Carbondale to Chicago to Peoria and many points in between,” said Laura Frerichs, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park. “Thanks to our SBIR experts that serve clients with individual counseling as well as substantive workshops and programs, we look forward to seeing an uptick trend in SBIR/STTR awards to Illinois companies as a result.” The FAST Program seeks to improve outcomes in the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs for underserved communities by increasing participation from women-owned, rural-based, and socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses. “Congratulations to U of I’s EnterpriseWorks incubator for winning the prestigious FAST grant two years in a row –a testament to the outstanding entrepreneurs and the work our university partners do to facilitate cutting edge developments in tech and science,” said DCEO Acting Director Sylvia Garcia. “Funding opportunities like these are essential as we work to advance research and innovations that can help us combat the pandemic – and will also play an important role in accelerating small business growth and our economic recovery.” Since 2003, EnterpriseWorks has helped startups and small businesses receive 471 SBIR/STTR awards totaling $154 million. EnterpriseWorks has also provided SBIR/STTR assistance, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring to tech start-ups throughout the state Recipients this year cover a wide geographic area and include state and local economic development entities, Small Business Technology Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, incubators, accelerators, colleges, and universities.  All entities will provide support to small businesses developing high-risk technologies.

    SBA Awards Second FAST Partnership Grant to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startups PSYONIC, EarthSense, Natrion Win IIN Innovation Awards

    Three EnterpriseWorks startups received awards at the inaugural Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) innovation awards Wednesday at the Illinois State Fair’s Tech Prairie STEAM Expo. PSYONIC, EarthSense, and Natrion were honored as among the best innovators in the state. The awards were presented to faculty, staff or scientists from IIN hubs in three of the IIN’s key subject areas: environment and water, food and agriculture, and health and wellness. IIN also presented an award to the most impactful innovation by a team, as well as two awards to student innovators from IIN member universities. “We are thrilled to celebrate these innovators and their discoveries,” said Jay Walsh, interim vice president for economic development and innovation for the University of Illinois System, which coordinates the network of IIN education and innovation hubs. “They are all examples of the incredible research, discovery and education going on at our state’s universities, and we are incredibly grateful for the impactful work that each one of them is doing.” Innovators were honored for developments in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye; robots that measure critical plant traits; converting biomass, coal and other substances into high-value chemicals and liquid fuels; more functional, touch-sensitive prosthetics; COVID-19 testing; next-generation battery technology; and transforming a dilapidated research facility into Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s (SIUC) Green Roof Project, a home for experiential and experimental learning for all students. “These innovators are an example of one of the things I love most about our state: We have brilliant people coming up with solutions to some of the world’s most difficult challenges,” said Bruce Sommer, director of economic development and innovation at the University of Illinois Springfield, whose office facilitated the awards program. “I am encouraged by the diversity of our recipients and the incredible work that they are doing.” IIN Innovation Award recipients: EnterpriseWorks startups Food & Agriculture CategoryGirish Chowdhary is director of the Distributed Autonomous Systems Laboratory and Donald Biggar Willet Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and co-founder and chief technology officer of EarthSense. EarthSense enables the creation of highly productive, resilient and sustainable crops, and fundamental improvements in farm profitability. Its first product, the TerraSentia robot field phenotyping system, provides 100 times as much trait data for a tenth the effort, compared to current methods of field data collection. The compact, easy-to-use, under-canopy robot measures critical plant traits such as stem width, leaf area index and leaf and stem diseases with unprecedented accuracy and ease. EarthSense’s machine vision and machine learning-based analytics seamlessly convert terabytes of multi-sensor field data to quantitative, consistent and objective information to reduce these risks. The TerraSentia robot uses a number of sensors to collect data on crop health, as well as machine learning-based analytics to convert this data into actionable insights for farmers. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, EarthSense is working to adapt its autonomous robots for cleaning in hospitals and public spaces. By reducing the need for sanitary workers, EarthSense’s robotic cleaning units can help lower the community transmission rates of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Health & Wellness CategoryAadeel Akhtar is founder of PSYONIC, which is based at the EnterpriseWorks incubator in the UIUC Research Park. Akhtar has developed algorithms that make upper-limb prosthetics much more functional to use. Some send electrical currents to stimulate the nerves so that users can “feel” what their prosthetics are touching; others record the electrical currents caused by muscle contractions, making it possible to control movement. Akhtar holds four patents on advances in prosthetics that have all gone into PSYONIC’s first product, the Ability Hand. The Ability Hand was designed to be controlled by both muscle sensors and Bluetooth, and provide tactile sensory data to its user, all while withstanding the normal stresses of everyday life without cracking. Akhtar’s 20-person team prioritized affordability throughout the design process and built a hand inexpensive enough to be covered by Medicare. Student Category Alex Kosyakov of UIUC is founder of Natrion, a battery research and development startup.  It was launched in 2018 by Kosyakov and co-founder Tom Rouffiac. Natrion, a leader in the research and development of next-generation battery technologies, has created a new high-performance, flexible and durable solid-electrolyte thin film for the production of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Called the Lithium Solid Ionic Composite (LISIC), this technology has been designed as a “plug and play” component that can be rapidly implemented by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to turn their existing product lines into ASSBs that mitigate fire risk, improve lifespan, and enable the construction of longer-range electric vehicles. Natrion recently was named the grand-prize winner at UIUC’s 2021 Cozad New Venture Challenge and won first prize at the 2021 University Pitch Madness competition, which featured startups from nine Midwestern universities.

    EnterpriseWorks Startups PSYONIC, EarthSense, Natrion Win IIN Innovation Awards Read Post »

    Community News Research Park

    St. Mary’s Road Improvements Impact Connectivity Between Campus, City

    The St. Mary’s Road reconstruction project is now complete, and for the first time pedestrians and bicyclists have the ability to safely access Research Park from the Neil Street corridor. The new pedestrian crossing on Neil Street is a drastic improvement, making connecting to the Research Park much safer for those traversing on foot. New bike paths and a “road diet” make the street more passable for bicyclists. In addition to pavement resurfacing and storm sewer upgrades, the infrastructure includes a new sidewalk and lighting along the north side of St. Mary’s Road. The construction commenced in mid-March and took five months to complete. St. Mary’s Road opened right on schedule, with the barricades being removed on Friday, Aug. 14. The project was a cooperative effort between the City of Champaign and the university.

    St. Mary’s Road Improvements Impact Connectivity Between Campus, City Read Post »

    Community News Research Park

    New MTD Route Expands Bus Frequency to Research Park

    The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District’s newest year-round route, The Link, launched on Monday, Aug. 16, making transportation by bus more seamless between central campus and the Research Park. This weekday daytime route connects several areas of campus with 15-minute, a dramatic improvement in frequency, and creates a much more direct option for those traveling between most Grainger College of Engineering buildings and Research Park. It also provides direct access from Research Park to the brand new Siebel Center for Design, the new campus hub for design thinking. Other highlighted stops on the 24 Link include: The ARC Siebel Center for Design Main Library ECE Building Beckman Institute Siebel Center for Computer Science Illini Union the new Gather development at Lincoln & University Illinois Street Residence Hall Because Research Park will instead be more consistently served year-round by the new 24 Link route, MTD has changed the 1 Yellow Hopper schedule to run on UI Days only, and it will end at Lot E-14. See the route map and scheduled stops at the MTD website. Expanding transit access and walkability are critical to the Research Park’s strategic plan. Stay tuned for more information about The Link, which was approved and funded by the University of Illinois.

    New MTD Route Expands Bus Frequency to Research Park Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Features News Research Park

    “Redefining Human” through Advanced Prosthetics: Innovations @ Research Park Podcast Episode with PSYONIC CEO

    Episode 6 of the Innovations @ Research Park podcast features an interview with  Aadeel Ahktar, CEO and founder of advanced prosthetics startup PSYONIC. Ahktar sheds light on his exhilarating entrepreneurial journey, from winning startup competitions to partnering with U.S. Army sergeants to being selected as a MIT Top 35 Under 35 Innovator. He also dives into ways in which he and his team overcame significant obstacles and where he thinks the prosthetics industry is headed next. The PSYONIC Ability Hand — the world’s fastest and first touch-sensitive bionic hand — will be available to users and clinicians nationwide on September 1, 2021. 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. 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).

    “Redefining Human” through Advanced Prosthetics: Innovations @ Research Park Podcast Episode with PSYONIC CEO Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    FrostDefense’s Gabriel Burks Advocates for More Startup Resources During Congressional Testimony

    Dr. Gabriel Burks, vice president and head of research and development of EnterpriseWorks startup FrostDefense Envirotech, recently delivered testimony in front of the United States House of Representatives Small Business Committee to advocate for more federal investment in programs that support innovation and entrepreneurship. “Our major successes as a company have come as a direct result of timely funding and support from several sources, including the university, incubator, private and federal,” Burks said. EnterpriseWorks won funding in 2019 from the Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition to support the AWARE Proof of Concept program. The SBA innovation initiative provided $50,000 grants.  FrostDefense applied and received funding from the incubator to support research and development critical to the advancement of the company’s frost prevention and mitigation technology. The award allowed the company to pivot at a critical time in its development. “At the time of the award, our company had recently completed a field trial, where we did not obtain the results that we expected.  What we did discover what we thought would be several key factors moving forward,” Burks said.“AWARE funding allowed us to quickly test our new hypotheses over a three-month time period, and develop a new version of our product that we found to be a success shortly after. “That success would go on to serve as the backbone for our petition for new funding.” FrostDefense subsequently applied for, and received, an SBIR Phase I Award from the National Science Foundation. Late spring frost causes more economic loss to agriculture than any other climate-related hazards, costing growers more than $10 billion annually, Burks said. FrostDefense’s technology minimizes the impact of frost on delicate fruit. Its first target is grapes. Burks’ testimony starts around the 42-minute mark of the session, done remotely via videoconference, and lasts for about five minutes. View the video below or see it here. 

    FrostDefense’s Gabriel Burks Advocates for More Startup Resources During Congressional Testimony Read Post »

    Research Park

    Resource: Ceo + Founders Roundtable

    Resource: Ceo + Founders Roundtable The University of Illinois Research Park hosts a CEO + Founders Roundtable open to CEOs/Founders of Champaign-Urbana scientific and tech companies. Currently, the chair is Chinmay Soman, CEO of EarthSense. Typically held 3-4 times per year, the C-U Tech CEO Roundtable provides a peer community and resource-sharing opportunities. Since 2005, the CEO Roundtable has provided a forum for local entrepreneurs and business leaders to engage in discussion and learn from each other. Participants range from early-stage startup founders to leaders of established companies. The event includes dinner, a guest speaker, and networking. The CEO Roundtable is an invitation-only event. If you would like to participate, please contact Laura Appenzeller at lfrerich@illinois.edu. Previous chairs of the CEO Roundtable are CU Aerospace’s David Carroll; Starfire’s Brian Jurczyk; and PhotoniCare’s Ryan Shelton.

    Resource: Ceo + Founders Roundtable Read Post »

    Community Internships News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    2021 Intern Awards Recognize Top Talent Across Research Park

    The Research Park gathered to celebrate the most outstanding interns across its 120+ companies at the 15th annual Intern Awards, the longest-running event in the Research Park. Fittingly, the ceremony was held on Thursday, July 29, National Intern Day. The students honored as finalists and winners encompass a variety of disciplines, majors, and colleges from across the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, exemplifying the nature of interdisciplinary work that happens at Research Park companies. This summer intern program format has been like no other, with some students working on-site, some completely remote, and some working in a hybrid format. Regardless, these interns formed connections with peers and co-workers and made lasting impressions on their supervisors. These interns have impacted the Research Park and their employers through the countless projects they conceived, worked diligently on, and followed through to completion. Thank you to all the managers who took the time to nominate their students. Thank you to the panel of professionals who judged these awards. Award Categories: Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern Most Outstanding Graduate Intern Best Technical Innovation Award Best Non-Technical Innovation Award Most Competent and Collaborative Team Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup Olivia Rentz PSYONIC Mechatronics Intern Undergraduate in Biomedical Engineering “Olivia has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to manage multi-disciplinary tasks on our team. When she started in January 2021, she was tasked with several manufacturing & assembly projects which she quickly mastered. Several weeks into her internship, we were shocked to learn that she had no prior experience with any of the tools she was using to complete these tasks and had nonetheless learned to use them skillfully in a short period. Olivia has exhibited an absolute exemplary work ethic: always giving 100% on every task, eager to take on more responsibilities, and frequently staying late in the evenings to finish important projects or assist the rest of the team with crunch deadlines. She has driven for hours across the midwest to visit patients in person and help them install and troubleshoot their new prosthetic hand. Overall, she fully exemplifies the qualities of an incredible intern who goes above and beyond, and would be an extremely deserving recipient.” Finalists: Daniel Gealow, SimBioSys Computational Biologist Intern Undergraduate in Biomedical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering Molly Izzi, Ascent Integrated Tech Graphic Design Intern Undergraduate in Graphic Design | College of Fine & Applied Arts   Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern Daniel Polites, State Farm Actuarial & Modeling Intern Undergraduate in Actuarial Science | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “Daniel has been taking on a project which will provide the ratemaking guidance from the farm and ranch line of business at State Farm, using a multivariate Generalized Linear Model, to help State Farm better match price to risk. Daniels sets as a great role model of continuously seeking ways of working more effectively and efficiently. The planning efforts of fun activities Daniel leads help shape the RDC philosophy of “the internship is not only about work but also having fun at work”, and to make the internship a very unique experience for our interns. Daniel is considered a strong technical lead on his projects” Finalists: Nicholas (Nico) Lavalle , Actuarial & Modeling Intern Undergraduate in Statistics | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Xi (Adam) Zhao, Corteva Data Science Intern  Undergraduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering Neil Kaushikkar COUNTRY Financial Software Developer – Project Manager Undergraduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering Most Outstanding Graduate Intern Eddie Chapman, AbbVie Library Information Specialist Graduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering “For the almost four years he has been with us, he has truly been a collaborator on these projects, and he takes full ownership of them, responsibility for them, and pride in them, as he should. Eddie will fix the bugs, meet deadlines, explain clearly why some can’t be met, support a release, and even present his work to customers – all this is true. His development work supporting SimpleTools lets users design or reuse the strategies they want using the power of ontologies, and then a bot can perform repetitive tasks of waiting for results and sending them to the customer on the back end. Another tool, LISToolkit, for which Eddie is responsible for most of the development, allows search team members to perform text and hedge manipulation at the click of a button that in the past had required an open notepad document and knowledge of regular expressions – very error-prone work for a human that Eddie’s tools make so much simpler and consistent.” Finalists: Aadish Naik, Brunswick Perception Engineering Intern Graduate in Electrical and Computer Engineering Anisha Jauhauri, Corteva Software Development Intern Graduate in Information Management Pranay Thangeda, Corteva Summer Research Intern Graduate in Aerospace Engineering   Best Technical Innovation Award Arif Syraj , EarthSense Data Science Intern Undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Arif has exemplified the top-notch go-getter attitude that a startup employee needs to have to be successful. He has shown great initiative, starting off as a volunteer, and quickly climbing the ranks to be paid intern, and now has a full-time offer from us. The algorithm developed and deployed by Arif has been extensively tested against manual measurements and it has shown a strong correlation. This is a very positive move since our customers typically went with our competition (drone companies) to do the measurement of the height trait, but now our data shows that we are more accurate and reliable than drone measurements.” Finalists: David Liu Yahoo Intern I, Technica Undergraduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering Aman Khinvasara, AARP Strategic Integration & Talent (ITS) Intern Undergraduate in Computer Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering Gautham Krishnan, Corteva Contracted Student Researcher Graduate in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Best Non-Technical Innovation Anna Chi, Brunswick i-Jet Industrial Design Intern Undergraduate in Industrial Design | College of Fine & Applied Arts “Anna has worked on a variety of really cool projects revolving

    2021 Intern Awards Recognize Top Talent Across Research Park Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Investments News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    EnterpriseWorks Startup Reconstruct Secures $17.3 Million in Series B Funding

    Reconstruct, a startup that provides progress tracking and quality control solutions to construction project stakeholders, has announced $17.3 million in Series B funding. The company entered EnterpriseWorks in 2016 and maintains its core office in Champaign. The Reconstruct team developed a web-based platform that gathers analytics about productivity and risk for delays. The software can be used to influence decisions reguarding time and budget on construction sites. The founders of Reconstruct are both affiliated with the Univeristy of Illinois. CSO, Derek Hoiem is a Professor of Computer Science and CTO, Mani Golparvar is a professor of Civil Engineering and Computer Science. Reconstruct has experianced great success including a mention in Crunchbase’s 50 Hot Tech Compaines in 2019 and a feature on CNET for the Chicago Underground Mapping Project. The infusion of capital is led by the Nemetschek Group, a leader in construction and infrastructure services. Nemetshek Executive Board Member Jon Elliot gave the following statement to the BusinessWire “[Reconstruct is] tackling some of the industry’s biggest challenges and we are excited to fuel the company’s growth through this investment and by connecting them with our open partner ecosystems of Bluebeam and other Nemetschek brands”. Chamapign-based Serra Ventures is among the list of investors. “[The funding] will facilitate rapid acquisition of new customers in the enormous market segments of commercial development, tenant improvements, and industrial engineering,” said Reconstruct’s CEO, Zak MacRunnels. Reconstruct has experienced continual success with a growth rate of 300% over the past 2 years. The company provides software to a wide range of customers including Pfizer and McDonalds. Read more here.

    EnterpriseWorks Startup Reconstruct Secures $17.3 Million in Series B Funding Read Post »

    Community EnterpriseWorks Graduates News Research Park

    Innovations @ Research Park Podcast Episode 5: Insights from a Startup Journey & Empowering Other Entrepreneurs

    The University of Illinois Research Park launched a new episode of the Innovations @ Research Park podcast featuring Gerald Wilson, President and CEO of the Research Park startup Autonomic Materials. Wilson joined the show to describe the evolution of the company and offer advice to other entrepreneurs. Autonomic Materials products utilize self-healing technology for improved corrosion resistance. The startup graduated from the EnterpriseWorks Incubator in 2012. Wilson described the resources at EnterpriseWorks as “absolutely critical for getting us to this point”. He noted the seed funding and lab space as exceptionally helpful resources. Wilson remains connected to Research Park through the Entrepreneur-in-Residenece program. He talks about his involvement in the program during the episode. Later in the episode, Wilson describes important lessons that he’s learned during his involvement in startup building. Listen to the full episode to learn more about entrepreneurship and Autonomic Materials. Episode 4 of the podcast can be accessed here. 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). To listen to the podcast, visit iTunes Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to download your podcasts.

    Innovations @ Research Park Podcast Episode 5: Insights from a Startup Journey & Empowering Other Entrepreneurs Read Post »

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