News

EnterpriseWorks Graduates Investments News Recognition & Awards Research Park

EnterpriseWorks Graduate PhotoniCare Receives Over $7 Million in Funding from Series A and Phase ll SBIR

CHAMPAIGN, IL.- EnterpriseWorks Graduate PhotoniCare, Inc., a company dedicated to revolutionizing healthcare by providing physicians with better diagnostic tools, announced an oversubscribed $5.2 million Series A financing led by i2E Management Company Inc., with co-investment from OSF Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund, and Dreampact Ventures. The company also announced that it has received a $2.1 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health. The competitive NIH SBIR program funds early-stage small businesses seeking to commercialize innovative biomedical technologies. PhotoniCare is a graduate of the EnterpriseWorks incubator at Research Park, and its technology originated in the bioengineering research lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. PhotoniCare’s CEO and co-founder, Ryan Shelton, is currently the chair of the Champaign-Urbana Tech CEO Roundtable. For the full article, click here. PhotoniCare’s Achievements: PhotoniCare Wins Top Prize at SPIE and Photonics Media Prism Award EnterpriseWorks Graduate PhotoniCare Announces FDA Clearance for First-In-Class Technology for Imaging the Ear PhotoniCare, Inc. Receives Phase I SBIR Award from NIH

EnterpriseWorks Graduate PhotoniCare Receives Over $7 Million in Funding from Series A and Phase ll SBIR Read Post »

News Research Park

University of Illinois Research Park Releases Development RFI

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a preeminent land-grant research university, with more than 50,000 students. Located on its main campus, the University of Illinois Research Park is a 200-acre development with leading corporate innovation centers, startup companies, and lifestyle amenities. The Research Park is now seeking information via project-based proposals to accelerate development in accordance with the Master Plan as adopted by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. The University is strongly committed to the growth of the Research Park and seeks strategies and proposals for development to further a live-work-play-learn location. This RFI (request for information) is designed to explore interest in such projects, project feasibility, and proposed development terms. The State of Illinois Public Higher Education Bulletin has published a Request for Information for Development Project Proposals and Feasibility Information. It is located here:https://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp_notice.cfm?Uni=UIFPP&PN=20200827BW.Users may login in the upper-right section of the screen or create a new registration; registration is required to download the full RFI document. Responses will be accepted until Wednesday, September 30, 2020. Interested parties should respond in the manner outlined within the State of Illinois Public Higher Education Bulletin. The University of Illinois Research Park will host a one-hour Pre-Proposal Conference and Information Session on September 15, 2020, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm CST to provide background information on the development area, review the RFI process, and allow participant questions. Registration is required to participate. Register here: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArdeyopz0rGd2AAHo4bfnhBRjWSSKW7oMT After registering,  a confirmation email containing the link to join the meeting will be sent. The purpose of the request for information (RFI) is twofold: The UIRP LLC seeks to determine development interest by qualified parties in proposing specific land development projects or specific building proposals within two (2) specific areas (zones) within the Research Park Boundaries. These zones are further defined herein and are designated for the following uses: Graduate student and/or professional market-rate housing projects (not undergraduate housing projects) Mixed-use development including residential, office or retail uses Commercial office development (developer-owned) Office /research development of owner-occupied buildings (will subdivide land) Research facilities Medical-related facilities and associated uses Other uses which are consistent with the Research Park Mission as may be determined by UIRP LLC and University The UIRP LLC is seeking information to determine the preliminary feasibility and assumptions for any project proposed in the context of existing conditions, covenants and restrictions (further defined herein), market conditions, expected costs and the extent to which mutually beneficial business and financial arrangements could accelerate land development and Research Park growth. For additional information, contact by email only. No phone inquiries will be answered. Answers to questions will be formulated by the Research Park RFI Committee and posted on the Illinois Public Higher Education Bulletin. Bruce Walden, Bwalden@uillinois.edu University of IllinoisOffice of Capital Programs and Real Estate Services506 S. Wright Street, Suite 208Urbana, Illinois 61801 Thank you for your interest. This year the Research Park will open two new buildings as well as the expansion of the Illinois Conference Center . (Photo: May 2020)

University of Illinois Research Park Releases Development RFI Read Post »

Community EnterpriseWorks Graduates News Research Park

EnterpriseWorks Graduate Mesh++ Helps Champaign Schoolchildren Access Internet for Remote Learning

Mesh++, a startup that came out of the University of Illinois startup ecosystem and graduated from EnterpriseWorks, is part of a collaborative effort to provide wireless Internet connectivity to Champaign Unit 4 students living in the Shadowwood Mobile Home Park. The partners include Ameren Illinois, which is a division of Ameren Corporation that also has a presence in the University of Illinois Research Park. New wifi equipment is being installed in Shadowwood with the goal of having the equipment fully operational to support online learning by the start of the fall semester. The City of Champaign is coordinating the project with cooperation from Unit 4 Schools, i3 Broadband, Mesh++, Ameren Illinois, and Shadowwood Mobile Home Park. “Helping bridge the digital divide by providing free Internet service to our underserved students to facilitate distance learning has never been more important than it is right now. I applaud everyone who quickly pulled together to make this project possible and wish all our students the very best as we kickoff a very unique school year,” Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen said in a news release. The project will provide wifi Internet connectivity for Shadowwood’s students to Unit 4 School’s online learning applications. This will be accomplished utilizing mesh-network wifi technology developed by Mesh++. Mesh++ spent a year at the EnterpriseWorks incubator, leaving in 2018. The company participated in various University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign entrepreneurship ecosystem activities, including placing as a finalist in the Cozad New Venture Competition and going through the iVenture Accelerator. It also received investment from Illinois Ventures. Now headquartered in Chicago, Mesh++ is led by president and CEO Danny Gardner, a University of Illinois alumnus. Underlying fiber connectivity for the project will be provided by i3 Broadband, who has waived all recurring fees for connectivity associated with this project while it is used to provide student access to online learning. Ameren Illinois is also assisting with the project by allowing the mesh-network equipment to be mounted on its light poles. Ameren Illinois and the City of Champaign will each provide bucket trucks and personnel to facilitate the equipment installation.

EnterpriseWorks Graduate Mesh++ Helps Champaign Schoolchildren Access Internet for Remote Learning Read Post »

EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Research Park

Illinois Soybean Association Examines AgTech Sector Growth at Research Park

A report in the July issue of the Illinois Soybean Association magazine Soy Perspectives examines the burgeoning AgTech startup scene at the University of Illinois Research Park. Reporter Tim Alexander highlights two high-performing agtech startups, EarthSense and Aspiring Universe, as well as the new Illinois AgTech Accelerator that will launch officially this fall. EarthSense and Aspiring Universe are both located at EnterpriseWorks, the technology business incubator at Research Park. “In addition to gener8tor’s Illinois AgTech Accelerator program, which will take five fledgling agtech startups under its wing, others like Aspiring Universe and EarthSense are developing and marketing next generation, field-applicable technology that will benefit soybean farmers,” Alexander wrote.

Illinois Soybean Association Examines AgTech Sector Growth at Research Park Read Post »

EnterpriseWorks Features Graduates News Recognition & Awards Research Park

EnterpriseWorks Graduate IntelinAir Ranked in Inc. 5000

Inc. introduced its annual ranking of private companies for 2020, and IntelinAir, a 2019 EnterpriseWorks graduate, came in at #714 in the list of 5000 companies.  Companies in the 2020 Inc. 5000 list are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2016 to 2019. Inc. reported that IntelinAir has grown by 659%. It is the only Champaign-based company honored in the Inc. 5000 this year. IntelinAir’s AgMRI gathers high resolution aerial images, temperature readings, humidity measurements, rainfall, soil samples, terrain type, equipment utilized, planting rates, applications, and more in order to determine patterns that agronomists and farmers can use in their decision-making.  On March 10, IntelinAir announced that it joined the NVDIA Inception program as a community member, allowing the startup to collaborate with industry-leading experts and other AI-driven startups. In early April of this year, Jacobs’ and IntelinAir announced their partnership, and IntelinAir also partnered with the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network. The agtech company released its AgMRI application for iPhone® in May 2020. IntelinAir is a full-season and full-spectrum crop intelligence company focused on agriculture that delivers actionable intelligence to help farmers make data-driven decisions to improve operational efficiency, yields, and ultimately their profitability. To see the full Inc. 5000 list for 2020, visit the Inc. 5000 2020 page.

EnterpriseWorks Graduate IntelinAir Ranked in Inc. 5000 Read Post »

Features Media Mentions News Research Park

The Economist Profile of the Midwest Highlights Research Park’s Focus on Technology Commercialization

An in-depth, multi-story report on the Midwest economy published in the Economist’s July 23 edition included a snapshot of the University of Illinois Research Park, highlighting its commitment to commercialize technology and to capture talent on its own campus – creating a tech hub that is a viable alternative to the coasts. One portion of the report, “A Region with Outsized Punch,” focused on how top Midwest universities drive economic prosperity by supplying a talented, educated workforce and developing advanced technology. Reporter Adam Roberts visited UIRP and EnterpriseWorks in March, meeting with startups and touring with Laura Frerichs, UIRP Executive Director. Laura Frerichs … “says her university—with 13,000 engineering students and more mathematics phds than anywhere in America—learned from that experience. It has since put up 17 buildings for entrepreneurial students and recent graduates.” The story highlights some of the Research Park’s stellar startup stories, including EarthSense, Reconstruct, and SimBioSys, but doesn’t mention them by name. The story is available online, but subscription is required to read it. 

The Economist Profile of the Midwest Highlights Research Park’s Focus on Technology Commercialization Read Post »

EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards Research Park

EnterpriseWorks Graduate Eden Park Illumination Featured in Wall Street Journal After Pivoting Technology to Address COVID-19

Eden Park Illumination, a faculty-founded startup that launched at the  EnterpriseWorks incubator at Research Park, drew the attention of the Wall Street Journal for pivoting its UV light technology to address COVID-19. In the process, it has rejuvenated the company and has experienced unprecedented growth. Wall Street Journal reporter Ruth Simon profiled the company in her recent story, “Covid-19 Shuttered More Than 1 Million Small Businesses. Here Is How Five Survived.” Wrote Simon, in the Journal’s August 1 editions: “Eden Park Illumination Inc. had one product to sell before Covid-19: an ultraviolet light that distinguished real diamonds from fakes. The spread of a deadly virus across the globe shifted the focus of the tiny Champaign, Ill., startup to another ultraviolet light application that it had not planned to introduce for at least two years. This one would disinfect crowded spaces. Within weeks, the 10-person company began shipping prototypes. Eden Park has since delivered more than 1,000 of the lights and added a dozen workers, including a head of manufacturing.” Eden Park Illumination was founded by Gary Eden and Sun-Jin Park, then University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign electrical engineering faculty members (Eden is now an emeritus faculty member). It graduated from EnterpriseWorks in 2009. Eden and Park remain part of the company; it recently hired a new CEO, John Yerger. Now based on the west side of Champaign, the company manufactures flat panel, thin 222 nm UV lamps that “may provide immediate relief in mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks in populated indoor spaces, including factories, submarines, aircraft carriers, planes, waiting rooms, restaurants and more.” The company has also been profiled on Fox Business News with other mentions on ABC News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  For more about the company and its technology, visit the Eden Park website.

EnterpriseWorks Graduate Eden Park Illumination Featured in Wall Street Journal After Pivoting Technology to Address COVID-19 Read Post »

Community Events Internships News Recognition & Awards Research Park

Interns Recognized at 2020 Summer Intern Award Ceremony

The Research Park gathered virtually to celebrate the most outstanding interns across its 120+ companies on Thursday, July 28. Fittingly, the ceremony was held on 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. The end of the academic year and summer has posed many unique challenges for Research Park interns, although they proved surmountable. In the midst of a pandemic, interns definitely had unconventional learning experiences at the Park in comparison to past summers. They formed connections with peers, co-workers, and supervisors while working remotely – without having the chance to meet in-person. Many of them were even in time zones around the world. 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. To watch the entirety of the Intern Awards ceremony, click HERE. Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup Grayson Schaer, Research Associate at EditekkUndergraduate in Aerospace Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Grayson is a joy to work with because he is a receptive listener and an effective communicator. Grayson is passionate about his work and a quick learner who adapts to various challenges very quickly. Although his undergraduate training was in Aerospace Engineering, he has touched on many areas in his time with us that go well beyond this focus.”   Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern Harry Zhao, Engineering Intern at CaterpillarUndergraduate in Aerospace Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Harry holds a high work ethic; he started on time even when working from home and finished all committed work on time. Harry also has a high potential to be a great leader. This summer, he was assigned three tasks in one week. However, he had long term insight and ask me to change the priority because one customer is desperate to get the correct result from a 1-click tool. The internship in Caterpillar prepares him for his future career and applies his STEM knowledge in real-world problems.” Anders Cox, Plasma Processing Intern at Starfire Industries LLCUndergraduate in Electrical Engineering | Grainger College of Engineering “Anders embedded himself with one of our Ph.D. researchers and became both the ‘right’ and ‘left’ arms of two different projects. Anders worked as an intern last summer, through the fall and into spring, and his dedication and commitment to Starfire, its team, and our mission show that motivation, behavior, and work ethic are valued. Anders deserves this award for his technical contribution and the personal side.” Finalists: Domenic Di Girolamo, Actuarial Intern at State FarmUndergraduate in Actuarial Science | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Jessica Huang, Market Research Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterUndergraduate in Accounting & Information Systems and Information Technology | Gies College of Business   Most Outstanding Graduate Intern Eric Cheng, Data Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Food Science and Statistics “Eric is a conscientious student, bringing attention to detail, a strong work ethic, and a varied skill set to his position at AbbVie. He has contributed value in supporting and expanding his team’s ability to make decisions through the creation of a novel software package. Furthermore, he has supported the long-term use of his contributions with the creation of additional documentation and a more user-friendly interface for future data analysis. His advisor sums up Eric by stating: ‘As a former Professor of Preventive Medicine, I would certainly rank Eric in the top 0.5% of all graduate students that I have ever had.’” Finalists: Jialu Yan, Data Science Intern at CargillPh.D. in Physics Jack Massey, Actuarial Intern at State FarmMasters in Statistics Grant Greenberg, Neuroscience Bioinformatics Intern at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering   Best Technical Innovation Award Katherine Ritchie, Cancer Metabolic Modeling Intern at SimBioSysUndergraduate in Computer Science | Grainger College of Engineering “Ms. Ritchie’s work ethic, leadership, and behavior have been exemplary over the course of this internship. Despite having to work remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Ritchie has maintained a professional attitude and a dedication to maintaining an office environment. Ms. Ritchie is routinely early to meetings and has no trouble describing her work, presenting challenges she is facing, proposing solutions, and offering suggestions for the work of others in the company. Her diligence, intelligence, and commitment to understanding our workflow have earned the appraisal of the entire leadership team.” Finalists: Ali Taghibakhshi, Student Robotics Intern at John DeerePh.D. in Mechanical Engineering Eric Cheng, Data Analyst at AbbVie Innovation CenterPh.D. in Food Science and Statistics   Best Non-Technical Innovation Nupur Bhardwaj, Human Resources & Community Intern at Motorola SolutionsUndergraduate in Marketing | Gies College of Business “Despite having to work independently and remotely, and Nupur has done a tremendous job with overcoming these obstacles. She has been a self-starter and comes up with all of the wonderful ideas for these events at Motorola Solutions. Nupur deserves this award because she stepped into a role we had never envisioned – creating community – which was very different than what she expected the internship would be. However, she not only embraced the role but excelled in it, far exceeding my expectations. Her efforts made the difference between having an okay internship experience due to COVID-19 and having an amazing internship experience in spite of the circumstances.” Finalists: Vishaank Ghai, Project Manager at COUNTRY Financial DigitaLabUndergraduate in Computer Science & Economics | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Anne Zulkarnain, UX/UI Designer at CargillUndergraduate in Industrial Design | College of Fine Arts   Most Competent and Collaborative Team Granular Flex Team: Jake Stahl, Undergraduate in Agriculture Business Market and Management | College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental SciencesJordan Breedlove, Undergraduate in Agriculture Business |College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences “Our Flex Team is

Interns Recognized at 2020 Summer Intern Award Ceremony Read Post »

News Recognition & Awards Research Park

EDA University Center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Awarded $300,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration

The EDA University Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received $300,000 from the EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance program to boost capacity and support for entrepreneurs and small businesses addressing the impacts of  the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the funds will support entrepreneurs advancing technologies to address challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the funding will be used to support informal tech education and training, for individuals as well as small businesses adjusting to the digital economy. “We are pleased to make this investment in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s EDA University Center to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by accelerating technology commercialization from research into COVID-19 and prototyping new products to respond to the needs of the pandemic,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. The EDA Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is based at EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator in the University of Illinois Research Park. It assists small businesses and entrepreneurs in a region that covers downstate Illinois, roughly defined as the entire state south of I-80. More specifically, the funding will support: Programming and activities that help transition workers to digital jobs and small businesses to a digital marketplace, such as the recent Tech Training program. (This will focus on Central Illinois.) Prototyping assistance for entrepreneurs creating PPE or physical products – or pivoting their existing products – to serve or respond to COVID-19 needs.  Project requests can be made for up to $5,000 of resources; a form to request assistance will be forthcoming. Additional assistance for entrepreneurs and researchers to pursue commercialization and develop business opportunities. “We have observed many researchers across Illinois universities developing new technologies for testing, PPE, and medical devices to aid in treatment. Innovators throughout Illinois are also developing new uses for existing technology that respond to COVID-19 needs. We are grateful to have resources to help further these innovations so they translate into products, services, companies, and jobs that positively impact human lives and economic well-being,” said Laura Frerichs, Research Park’s Executive Director. The CARES Act provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, contact Laura Bleill, Director of External Engagement at the University of Illinois Research Park.

EDA University Center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Awarded $300,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grant from U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration Read Post »

EnterpriseWorks Features Media Mentions News Research Park

EarthSense TerraSentia Featured in Successful Farming

EarthSense, an agtech startup based in EnterpriseWorks, was featured by Successful Farming for their innovative robot, TerraSentia. 80 of these robots have been deployed as of July 2020, and the company intends to produce 100 before the year ends. Corteva Agriscience, a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company with a research and development center in Research Park, currently uses EarthSense’s TerraSentia “to develop hardware as well as analytics to get the best possible data for our product development,” explained Neil Hausmann, Corteva Agriscience Field Sensing Lead and Distinguished Research Fellow.  Although Corteva began using drones in 2015, TerraSentia is unique since it is designed to “automate in-field plant trait collection” where drones cannot reach. “Using computer vision and machine learning, the autonomous robot is currently being taught to measure early vigor, corn ear height, soybean pods, plant biomass, and to detect and identify diseases abiotic stresses.” Hausmann said that TerraSentia is essential for Corteva because it “improves the outcomes for the grower not only to achieve higher yields, but also to help create more stable products for his operation.” EarthSense was founded in 2016 by Chinmay Soman and Girish Chowdhary. The company develops ultracompact autonomous robots that use machine vision and machine learning to collect and convert field data into useful information. TerraSentia, their first robot, is revolutionizing agriculture.  EarthSense received a Phase II SBIR award from the National Science Foundation in April 2020, was selected by the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator to join its seventh cohort in May 2020, and received accelerated funding from the National Science Foundation to transform TerraSentia into an autonomous sanitizing robot in June 2020.

EarthSense TerraSentia Featured in Successful Farming Read Post »