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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

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    EnterpriseWorks Events News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    TellTail Honored with 2019 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize

    Champaign, IL — TellTail, a startup that uses predictive and forecast algorithm technology to improve the management of pig production systems, is the recipient of the 2019 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize. The award, generously funded by University of Illinois alumni and their families, rewards University of Illinois entrepreneurs focusing on agricultural innovations. Members of the Moore family presented the award to TellTail co-founders Angela Green-Miller, Andy Miller, and Chris Harbourt during the Agriculture Technology Innovation Summit on March 6 in Champaign. TellTail’s primary goal is to improve pig management in a way that reduces mortality, encourages desirable production traits, and increases profitability of production facilities. Its technology directly addresses its customer’s desire to produce more pork with fewer resources; its algorithms improve efficiency as well as animal welfare. The team who developed TellTail’s includes Green-Miller, an associate professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The company just moved into its own office at EnterpriseWorks, the technology incubator in the Research Park. The Edwin Moore Agriculture Innovation Fund was established in 2016 with a generous gift to EnterpriseWorks, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s technology incubator. Its goal is to encourage startup companies engaged in development of new innovative technologies that may lead to increased productivity and/or efficiency in farming, or to create new agricultural opportunities, including new processes, new crops, and new food production systems. Previous winners include EarthSense (2018) and Soil Diagnostics (2017). In addition to the prize given at the AgTech Innovation Summit, a second Edwin Moore Agriculture Innovation Fund award is at stake as part of the Cozad New Venture Competition, the university’s signature competition for student startups. It will be awarded in April. The award honors the legacy of Edwin E. Moore (1924), who graduated from the University of Illinois College of Agriculture and began farming in Will County. Throughout his agricultural career, he and wife, Iva, used innovative farming practices for both crop production and livestock management. Two of their four children became farmers, Edwin and Thomas (1953, College of Agriculture), and continued use of innovative farm practices. Subsequent generations of Edwin Moore’s family have continued to pursue farming and ag related careers capturing the same innovative spirit.

    TellTail Honored with 2019 Edwin Moore Family Agriculture Innovation Prize Read Post »

    Community Media Mentions News Recognition & Awards

    Champaign-Urbana Ranked Top Startup City by Silicon Prairie News

    CHAMPAIGN, IL, February 13, 2019 – In a new study measuring the startup ecosystems of an 11-state region it calls “the Silicon Prairie”, Champaign-Urbana ranked Number 2 out of 42 communities analyzed for startup and entrepreneurial activity. Champaign-Urbana ranks above much larger cities including Minneapolis, St. Louis and Kansas City. “We’re thrilled to receive this community ranking which recognizes and celebrates the incredible entrepreneurship culture and resources we have in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois’ fastest-growing city,” said Carly McCrory, Executive Director of the Champaign County EDC. “Breaking this down, the “grade” we are most proud of coming out of this report is the “A” in the community spirit category,” said Research Park director Laura Frerichs. “This reflects our strongest asset as a knowledge city – an engaged community that thrives on true collaboration and strong partnerships.” College towns are a “magnet” for startup and entrepreneurship activity. In addition to Champaign, Madison, Ames, Iowa; Columbia, Missouri; and Iowa City all rank in the top 12. “Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois, dramatically overperforms expectations based on population – finishing in the Top Five. For example, in 2017 the community had 21 venture fundings for nearly $75 million dollars. There were also 37 SBIR/STTR grants in the region. These elements suggest that early stage companies and research are generating hundreds of jobs in Champaign (between 390- 620).” The study also indicates that Illinois as a state, although expected to be strong due to its size, overperforms its “expected value” when it comes to venture capital. Chicago was the overall No. 1 community measured; Springfield also made it into the top 20. “Venture Capital funding activity in the region increased by 28% from 2016 to 2018 despite the decreasing number of companies receiving funding. Chicago was a significant spur for the region – but other communities such as Lincoln, Nebraska and Champaign, Illinois provided valuable community funding growth,” the report reads. The study was performed by Chapman and Company out of Omaha. The 11 states measured include Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The methodology for the report measured eight specific components: Small business activity Cool jobs Sustaining companies Structure Innovation Venture investment Community spirit Connectivity “Chapman and Company attempted to measure those components using relatively near-term measurements,” says the report. “The challenge in measuring startup activity and entrepreneurship is that there is always a desire for more accuracy – but more accuracy usually occurs at the cost of time or comparables.” The full report is available here: http://siliconprairienews.com/2019/02/spn-special-report-the-2018-state-of-the-silicon-prairie/    

    Champaign-Urbana Ranked Top Startup City by Silicon Prairie News Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    A Vision for “Research Park Commons” and EnterpriseWorks Incubator Expansion

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s recently released campus strategic plan includes several references to increasing investments in the University of Illinois Research Park and the EnterpriseWorks incubator with the express goal to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem and support economic development in the region. The Research Park Master Plan, adopted in September 2018 by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, aims to double its size and continue attracting more companies, employees, and private development. At Monday’s University of Illinois Research Park LLC Board of Managers meeting, members discussed a vision toward those goals, called the EnterpriseWorks Expansion and Research Park Commons. This vision is a concept for a new building that would address two known factors impacting the future growth of the Research Park: 1) a lack of adequate lab facilities for growth-stage startup companies, in the community and throughout the state of Illinois; and 2) the need for additional Research Park community spaces providing an environment for creative collisions between the companies, employees, and faculty. No formal action was taken by the UIRP LLC Board of Managers. The study was commissioned by the University of Illinois Research Park LLC and completed by Clark Enersen Partners, a firm out of Kansas City that specializes in scientific buildings on college campuses.

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    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Campus Prioritizes Entrepreneurship, Innovation in “The Next 150”

    Entrepreneurship and innovation are central to the new five-year strategic plan unveiled by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Friday in a town hall at the Illini Union. Called “The Next 150,” the strategic plan renews the campus commitment to four goals, including Fostering scholarship, discovery and innovation Providing transformative learning experiences Making a significant and visible societal impact Stewarding current resources and generating additional resources for strategic initiatives The Next 150 twice references the university’s commitment to invest more resources in the Research Park, specifically as they relate to entrepreneurship and innovation. The first mention comes under the first goal, “fostering scholarship, discovery and innovation.” A pillar of that goal is “Develop a strong infrastructure, policies, and practices to support scholarship, innovation, public engagement, and entrepreneurship across disciplinary lines.” The plan states the university will “grow our entrepreneurial ecosystem, research translation, and new venture creation through investments in EnterpriseWorks, Research Park, and Carle Illinois College of Medicine.” The other specific mention is under the goal, “making a significant and visible societal impact,” where the report states that the campus will “accelerate the growth of the Illinois entrepreneurial ecosystem to establish Champaign-Urbana as the best university-based entrepreneurship and innovation hub in the Midwest.” The plan states the university will “invest in new facilities in the Research Park to grow our resources and services in support of new business creation, economic development, and prosperity in the region, across the state, and beyond.” “The Next 150 really lays out our collective vision and our bold goals for the future,” Chancellor Robert Jones said. “It’s the framework for how we will continue to serve the 21st-century needs of our community, our state, our nation and our world. We’ve been transforming the way the world lives, thinks and learns since 1867. This plan positions us to do that for the next 150 years.” To read the entire strategic plan, go here. To read the Illinois News Bureau’s article on the plan, go here.

    Campus Prioritizes Entrepreneurship, Innovation in “The Next 150” Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News

    EarthSense One of 8 Ag Tech Start-ups Worth Watching in 2019

    EarthSense, a company that develops ultra-compact autonomous robots for crop breeders, agronomists, and growers, has been featured in Successful Farming’s 8 Ag Tech start-ups worth watching in 2019. The company was founded by University of Illinois entrepreneurs, Chinmay Soman and Girish Chowdhary. Their headlining agricultural robot, TerraSentia, provides field phenotyping from the ground level up. The creation of TerraSentia was inspired by the recognition of the fact that most of the important events on a field start under the canopy. The start-up sold out of its 2018 Early Adopter Program, where they sold 25 robots. In the feature, Soman talks about the three key problems that EarthSense aims to tackle, which include promoting the creation of the more sustainable next generation crop varieties and resolving issues posed by herbicide-resistant weeds with the use of robots performing mechanical weeding. Read more on the feature here.  

    EarthSense One of 8 Ag Tech Start-ups Worth Watching in 2019 Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Graduates News Recognition & Awards

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Runtime Verification Thrives in Urbana

    It’s not rare for a University of Illinois deep-tech startup to fly under the radar. One such startup — founded by a University of Illinois computer science faculty member and a graduate of the EnterpriseWorks incubator –received a bit of notoriety from online tech magazine Chicago Inno. Runtime Verification is now located in downtown Urbana, and has grown to have 30+ employees. Founded by Grigiore Rosu, uses runtime verification-based techniques to improve the safety, reliability, and correctness of software systems. “Runtime Verification, based in Urbana, has developed tools to improve the safety and reliability of software systems. Its technology can automatically detect bugs that are lurking in a company’s software, and identify problems before a program crashes. Runtime’s customers include a handful of high-profile clients—such as Boeing, NASA, Toyota and the National Science Foundation—who use the startup to make sure their code is error free.” For the entire article, please visit Chicago Inno.

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate Runtime Verification Thrives in Urbana Read Post »

    Media Mentions News Research Park

    Agrinews Reviews AgTech at the Research Park

    Agrinews wrote all about the University of Illinois Research Park in one of their latest articles. The agriculturally-focused site covered all of the aspects of the Research Park, from the growing number of industries it houses to the increasing workforce of full-time and student employees. They reviewed the park’s history, from its time as farmland to what it is now–a tech hub housing startups and corporate centers that create innovative products every day. Research Park Associate Director Laura Bleill was quoted with some words about agricultural tech at the park, saying “Corporations are located at the research park because they have access to student talent of kids who have grown up on farms and are familiar with farm tech […] they are doing projects related to data analytics, mobile app developments or augmented reality.” The Association of University Research Parks caught wind of the story by Agrinews and also shared it on their platforms. If you want to read about the AURP and see who is included in their network, click here. If you want to see the original story by Agrinews, click here.

    Agrinews Reviews AgTech at the Research Park Read Post »

    EnterpriseWorks Graduates News

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate CU Aerospace Launches Satellite for Deep Space Missions

    The EnterpriseWorks graduate, CU Aerospace, launched their satellite into space for the first time on December 12, 2018. Over a decade in the making, CU Aerospace along with University of Illinois engineering students developed the small CubeSail satellite. At 10PM, this satellite launched from New Zealand, hitching a ride on the Electron rocket from the commercial space company, Rocket Lab. This technology was developed when CU Aerospace lived inside the EnterpriseWorks incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park. Considered extremely unique in its field, CubeSail has a new technique for steering a “solar sail” with a solar-powered satellite propulsion system. In 2005, David Carroll of CU Aerospace wrote a proposal to NASA to test the CubeSail funding. Soon after in 2008, CU Aerospace won funding and contracted the University of Illinois to develop it. The CubeSail team watched Rocket Lab’s video livestream from a classroom at Talbot Lab. The team then headed to their ground station north of Urbana with hopes to communicate with CubeSail about five hours after it deployed from the rocket. The beginning of the mission was useful for testing the satellite itself, first developed at the University of Illinois Research Park. This was the first space mission for the team and the radio, powersystem, software and electronics were all tested by the team. If the CubeSail mission is deemed successful, CU Aerospace can commercialize the technology as an alternate propulsion system that can be used for deep space missions. “What’s unique about what we do at the university is that everything, all the designs, all the structures, are all put together and designed by our students. We start from scratch,” says Michael Lembeck, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and director of UI’s Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems. The University of Illinois lab has four other missions lined up in the near future. The next will carry a spectrometer to measure different kinds of chemicals in the upper atmosphere, which will help future spacecraft engineers design better materials for re-entry. To view the full story, click here.

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Agrible, ADM Receives 2018 Sustainability Leadership Awards

    On November 14, Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture announced the 2018 recipients of its Sustainability Leadership Awards. Two Research Park companies, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Agrible along with General Mills, Inc. were awarded the 2018 Collaboration of the Year Award. The three recipients were recognized for their efforts to aid farmers in the Southern Plains build soil health, conserve water, and extend the life of the Ogallala aquifer. ADM, Agrible, and General Mills are “helping farmers measure continuous improvement in soil health and water conservation,” says Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. With the future potential of prolonged drought, these partners are helping farmers improve the resiliency of their fields, conserve water, and improve their bottom line through conservation or no-till. Field to Market has more than 140 members who represent all parts of the United States agricultural supply chain. Members employ more than 5 million people and represent combined revenues of over $1.5 trillion. For more information and to view the full story, click here.

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