Engineering entrepreneurs find their way
When faculty and students in the College of Engineering create intellectual property, our culture supports their efforts to form startups.
Universities serve important roles in entrepreneurial ecosystems. When faculty and students in the College of Engineering create intellectual property, our culture supports their efforts to form startups. If these early-stage companies are successful, new products will come to market and make innovations found at Carnegie Mellon part of our lives. Here are some examples of the College’s entrepreneur in action.
Advanced Optronics Inc. is commercializing medical sensor technology developed in the College of Engineering. The company’s micro-scale sensors enable real-time AI guidance for surgeons to increase their success rates in delicate procedures, starting with cochlear implantation. Co-founded by Maysam Chamanzar, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Jay Reddy (ECE ’21), Advanced Optronics Inc. has raised investment from Pittsburgh institutional investors and has received grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to commercialize their revolutionary technology.
Lifeware Labs was founded by Carmel Majidi and Phil LeDuc, mechanical engineering professors with extensive expertise in Softbotics. This startup focuses on wearable sensing patches for wireless, real-time monitoring of health vitals. Their product, ProPatch™ is a pocket-size patient monitor for emergency situations.
Peoples Energy Analytics is modernizing the way the energy industry supports its customers by providing scalable and low-cost solutions for utility customer analysis and outreach. These solutions identify abnormal energy consumption patterns. Peoples Energy Analytics differentiates itself from other data analytics companies by using electricity data to directly quantify and market to individuals who need assistance. The result is a reduction in unpaid energy bills and the alleviation of energy poverty. Destenie Nock, an assistant professor of Engineering and Public Policy and Civil and Environmental Engineering, is the founder and CEO.
Edulis Therapeutics created a smaller-than-rice-sized implant that delivers medicine precisely where it’s needed at a safe and controlled rate. This implant is addressing the unique challenges of managing chronic gastrointestinal pathologies, such as inflammatory bowel disease. The startup was founded by Spencer Matonis, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), who is a member of MSE Professor Chris Bettinger’s research group. Matonis received a Dowd Fellowship to support his “high-risk, high-reward research.”
Power 3D seeks to commercialize an innovative method of creating energy-dense batteries using 3D printed electrodes. These electrodes can build next generation wearable electronics that can last longer and charge faster than the products available today. Power 3D uses technology developed through a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon and Missouri University of Science and Technology. Rahul Panat, professor of mechanical engineering, led CMU’s original research. The company received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through its Microbattery Design Prize initiative.