Frontpage Test (node 1676)

NCIIA student ambassador Eden Full in PopTech

Submitted by dave on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 13:47

NCIIA student ambassador, Eden Full, lives life to the max. The 19-year-old Princeton student, inventor, social entrepreneur and inventor of the nifty SunSaluter has just been awarded a $100,000 20-under-20 fellowship from the Thiel Foundation.

PopTech recently interviewed Eden. Check out the story.

We'll shortly announce our newest student ambassadors - stay tuned!

 

 

NCIIA and Stanford University to launch $10 million National STEM Innovation Center

Submitted by dave on Fri, 07/22/2011 - 13:08

Center will create the next wave of American innovators and entrepreneurs who will build lasting economic growth

The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $10 million grant to launch a national center for teaching innovation and entrepreneurship in engineering, based at Stanford University. Directed by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at Stanford's School of Engineering, the new center addresses the critical need for entrepreneurial engineers.

NCIIA, Stanford's key partner in the center, will develop and deliver many of its training components, including workshops and other resources for engineering faculty and students.

The STEM Innovation Center will be a research and outreach hub for the creation, collection and sharing of resources among the almost 350 engineering schools in the US. The center's goal is to help create the next wave of innovators and entrepreneurs who will build lasting economic growth in the US.

Read the press release and visit the online media page.

 

DayOne Response at work in Haiti

Submitted by dave on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 09:21

In March, former NCIIA E-Team DayOne Response helped with relief efforts in Haiti. Tricia Compas and her team taught 200 Haitians how to purify water using DayOne's 'waterbag' system. Here's the report:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NCIIA in the news

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Flickr Follow us on YouTube Follow us on Twitter

Ecovative featured in New Yorker

Submitted by tim on Monday 20th of May 2013 04:13:57 PM
in

NCIIA E-Team Ecovative was recently featured in a special issue on innovation from The New Yorker. The article, "Form and Fungus," by Ian Frazier, asks if mushrooms can help us get rid of styrofoam. Ecovative has been working on making that happen since receiving an E-Team grant in 2007 to develop mushroom-based, environmentally friendly home insulation material. They have since broadened their approach and are now looking into all-natural substitutes for a range of plastics, including packaging materials. 

Click the title to view comments or enter a comment.


Smartplanet interviews Sanergy co-founder Nathan Cooke

Submitted by Jo Ellen on Monday 22nd of April 2013 12:11:37 PM
in

Check out this in-depth interview of Sanergy co-founder Nathan Cooke in Smartplanet. Sanergy, which recently won NCIIA's first Sustainable Practice Impact Award, is focused on providing hygienic, accessible, affordable sanitation for everyone in Nairobi's urban slums. In the interview, Cooke talks about innovative toilets, design in underserved communities and how students in New England can help farmers in Ethiopia.

Click the title to view comments or enter a comment.

Sanergy wins NCIIA's inaugural Sustainable Practice Impact Award

Submitted by tim on Tuesday 2nd of April 2013 10:35:38 AM
in

Congratulations to Sanergy, winner of NCIIA's first Sustainable Practice Impact Award, given last week at our annual conference. Sanergy is focused on providing hygienic, accessible, affordable sanitation for everyone in Nairobi's urban slums. Read Sanergy's blog post thanking NCIIA and the Lemelson Foundation for the award. We wish them the best in the future!

Click the title to view comments or enter a comment.

Voice of America reports on how NCIIA is helping college students invent devices beneficial to developing countries

Submitted by tim on Monday 1st of April 2013 02:30:45 PM
in

Voice of America has put together a great video and story related to NCIIA's Open Minds event, which took place last week as part of our annual conference. The piece goes into detail about how our students' inventions are helping people in developing countries in a variety of ways, whether it be portable, cheap greenhouses, a better container for vaccines, or earthquake-resistant concrete panels. Take a look!
 

Click the title to view comments or enter a comment.

<< Older Posts

 

Media Releases

Therapeutic Systems featured in Boston Herald start-up series

Submitted by dave on Mon, 07/11/2011 - 10:37

Former E-Team Therapeutic Systems, based in Amherst, MA, is being featured by the Boston Herald in an ongoing series on emerging startups. Read the first two stories:

Therapeutic Systems, which has developed a new therapy for people suffering from autism, received a $16,500 E-Team grant from NCIIA in 2007, and received an investment from NCIIA's investment arm, VentureWell, in 2010. They were a MassChallenge finalist in 2011.

Support for entrepreneurs


Investors are not there only to provide initial funding and to exit the company as soon as possible. Many investors and investor groups will take on an advisory role and provide their expertise where needed.
Click the more links below to view the presenters' videos.
Videos will open in a separate browser window or tab.
 
 
"If we really like what we see, and we're intrigued by the science, one or more of the people within our group will work directly with that individual or department. And we'll help out in a number of different ways." ... more
Ham Lord
Managing Director at Launchpad Venture Group
 
"I help people figure out where the gaps are in their programs--I help them figure out where the gaps are in their strategic thinking." ... more
William Contente
Partner, Gessmer Updegrove and Chairman of the Board of Launchpad Venture Group
 
"We try and put programs together that are going to be meaningful and valuable to the entrepreneurs." ... more
Anita Brearton
Managing Director, Boston Forum Leader at Golden Seeds

 

Understanding customers' needs


It's often a blind spot for scientists: in order to build a viable business, there has to be a market need for the technology you're developing. If not enough people want to buy what you're selling, your venture won't get off the ground. Each of the below experts stresses the importance of understanding customers' needs, and making sure you meet them.
Click the more links below to view the presenters' videos.
Videos will open in a separate browser window or tab.
 
 
"Do you really understand the market you're playing in? Have you carved out a big enough piece that you can really lead?" ... more
Katie Rae
Managing Director of TechStars Boston
Greenwald
"Is there a pull? Do people want to buy this? What's the problem you're trying to solve with this technology?" ... more
Linda Plano
Principal, Plano and Simple and former Assoc. Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
Lord
"You've probably spent the last two, three, five, maybe ten years developing your technology. How much time have you actually spent out talking with prospective customers?" ... more
Hambleton Lord
Managing Director at Launchpad Venture Group
"The lens of the market is a valid lens for doing research." ... more
Dr. Judith Giordan
Venture Founder, Investor, and former Fortune 100 executive
Lord
"Do not underestimate how important marketing will be to making your company successful, especially if you come from a scientific background." ... more
William Contente
Partner, Gessmer Updegrove and Chairman of the Board of Launchpad Venture Group
Lord
"You have to really have an open mind about where you think the technology will be applied, what the first application will be, who will find it most valuable. And you really get that information by asking questions." ... more
Dr. Abigail Barrow
Founding Director of the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
Lord
"Seeking advice from others, asking questions, challenging your own confidence around the technology itself...is really useful to do." ... more
Robert Balke
Principal, E&E Capital and Former Fortune 100 Exec.

 

Corporate perspective


Corporations and universities have grown closer in recent years and now have a number of points of interaction, including hiring graduates, collaborating on research and acquiring new university technologies. The following two experts offer a corporate perspective on university tech startups.
Click the more links below to view the presenters' videos.
Videos will open in a separate browser window or tab.
 
 
"Over the last decade, companies have been very interested in exploring research opportunities with people at universities." ... more
Dr. Lawrence Friedman
Managing Director of the Energy Frontier Research Center at UMass Amherst and former External Relations and Innovation Head at Bayer Material Science
"The entrepreneur from the university really needs to help prepare that vision for what the mature product and technology will be like. [Large corporations] are looking for things that look like they're going to be large and mature in the future." ... more
Robert Balke
Principal, E&E Capital and Former Fortune 100 Executive

 

Women's perspective on entrepreneurship


The experiences of women scientists and entrepreneurs is usually quite different from men. Women entrepreneurs face a number of distinct challenges, from not being taken seriously all the way to lack of access to capital. These three women entrepreneurs and executives discuss the challenges and opportunities.
Click the more links below to view the presenters' videos.
Videos will open in a separate browser window or tab.
 
 
"Unfortunately there are still challenges to being a woman scientist. They're numerous and varied." ... more
Dr. Susan Leschine
Professor of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Founder of Qteros, Inc.
"We all view the world with a different lens...Our challenge is not to use those lenses as a negative opportunity for cutting out possibility." ... more
Dr. Judith Giordan
Venture Founder, Investor, and Former Fortune 100 Executive
"We believe there are some very talented women entrepreneurs that deserve to be funded." ... more
Anita Brearton
Managing Director, Boston Forum Leader at Golden Seeds