For Entrepreneurs

Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) provides integrated support to entrepreneurs and early-stage companies in Georgia. Assistance can begin before a company is even formed through help in evaluating the commercial potential of intellectual property. EI2 staff members help companies with business planning, team-building, and making connections to the people and resources they need to succeed. Programs include the ATDC, a nationally known science and technology incubator.

Growing the Southeast’s First Photovoltaics Firm:

Using technology developed at Georgia Tech, Suniva became the Southeast’s first solar cell manufacturer in early 2009. The company, which is based on long-term research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, has opened a 73,000-square­foot manufacturing facility in Norcross and has more than $1 billion in outstanding orders. Suniva’s founders received initial assistance from EI2 in formation of the company before being incubated at the ATDC. Suniva uses a patented technology it calls Star™ to extract maximum performance from wafers of monocrystalline silicon, a material often used in photovoltaic systems.

Winning SBIR Funding:

Early-stage technology company Simatra, which offers high-performance modeling software that solves complex mathematical equations faster with low-cost computer resources, received assistance from EI2 when it applied for research and development funds in the form of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH funded Simatra with a Phase I SBIR grant of $183,000 to begin moving the technology forward and provided an additional $1.5 million grant in 2008. Each year, the federal SBIR program and its parallel Small Business Technology Transfer program provide more than $2 billion to small companies that are developing leading-edge technologies of interest to federal agencies.

Assisting Company Growth:

The Georgia Statewide Minority Business Enterprise Center, operated by EI2, has been instrumental in assisting ARS Mechanical, an African-American-owned heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services firm in Conyers. Staff members have helped ARS Mechanical with securing bonding and lines of credit, providing proposal writing assistance, and helping implement a quality management system. Most recently, EI2 assisted with writing a proposal that landed ARS Mechanical a contract with Fort Gordon to implement an innovative geothermal heat pump project, a $1.7 million project that will convert 11 buildings from traditional energy systems to deep-well geothermal heat pump systems.

Commercializing Multi-electrode Arrays:

Axion Biosystems has developed the next generation of microelectrode array technology that can simultaneously stimulate and record responses from living cells. This capability has applications in the research, clinical, and drug discovery markets. Based on technology developed at Georgia Tech, Axion has received more than $2 million in funding from the Georgia Research Alliance VentureLab program, the federal government, and private investors. The company’s initial focus is on pharmaceutical drug screening. Additional developments include a medical diagnostic device, supported by a Small Business Innovation in Research (SBIR) grant, and biohazard detection. Axion is located in the ATDC Biosciences Center.

Helping Inventors Be More Successful:

EI2 and the Technology Association of Georgia have joined forces to expand education and professional networking opportunities for Georgia’s inventor community. The first joint effort was a series of workshops in Atlanta, Savannah, and Valdosta to help independent inventors gain information that will help them improve their product development and business efforts, while connecting them with resources in marketing, financing, manufacturing/prototyping, and licensing – four of the key building blocks for commercialization. The workshops were sponsored by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to provide education, increase the awareness of available resources, and demonstrate the importance of inventors to Georgia’s economic growth.

Contact: Stephen Fleming (404-894-1700) or ude.hcetagnull@gnimelf