Monthly news, events & updates |
Building a Rainforest in the Desert | February 2023 |
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UNM Rainforest Forum Presents: New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program Info Session |
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Thursday, February 2, 2023
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (MST)
Lobo Rainforest Building
(101 Broadway Boulevard Northeast Albuquerque, NM 87102)
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Join us for the next UNM Rainforest Forum where we will provide an introduction and details about the New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program. Panelists will include Tribal Liaisons from the NM-TEEP program.
Networking and lunch will be provided at 11:30 a.m. The program will begin at 12:00 p.m.
Program moderated by:
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Sandra Begay, Secretary Treasurer, UNM Board of Regents, Chair, Board of Directors, UNM Rainforest Innovations, and R&D Researcher—Principal Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
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Richard Luarkie, President & CEO, Tamaya Ventures and Board Member, UNM Rainforest Innovations
Tribal Liaison Panelists include:
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The UNM Rainforest Forum was created by the UNM Rainforest Innovations Board of Directors to bring together UNM and business community members to enhance and strengthen UNM’s role in economic development.
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FDA Granted Orphan Drug Designation to Linnaeus Therapeutics’ LNS8801 |
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Linnaeus Therapeutics’ LNS8801 an orphan drug designation for the treatment of patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma. The FDA’s Office of Orphan Drug Products grants orphan drug status to support drug candidates in development for underserved patient populations or rare disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.
Linnaeus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel small-molecule oncology therapeutics that target G protein-coupled receptors. LNS8801 is an orally bioavailable and highly specific and potent agonist of GPER. Linnaeus is currently testing LNS8801 in its phase 1/2 adaptive-design clinical trial as a monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in various cancer and patient populations.
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Local Startup Osazda Energy Awarded $200,000 Grant by U.S. Department of Energy |
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Osazda Energy, a local startup commercializing solar cell technology developed jointly at the University of New Mexico and the Air Force Research Laboratory-New Mexico, has been awarded a $200,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Energy’s SBIR and STTR programs. Osazda is one of 77 projects selected to support their clean energy research and development.
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UNM Short Film Drifteen Wins Best Cinematography at the LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival
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Drifteen is a short film produced, shot, and cut by University of New Mexico students in the Film & Digital Arts (FDA) Department and was directed by Matthew McDuffie, Professor of Practice at UNM. The short film won Best Cinematography at the LGBTQ+ Los Angeles Film Festival and will be shown at the Santa Fe Film Festival on February 18 at 1:30 pm. UNM Rainforest Innovations, the technology transfer and economic development organization for the University of New Mexico, protects the copyrights for work coming out of the university.
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InnovateABQ Seeking Development Partners and Tenants |
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Colliers brokers Bob Feinberg, Tom Jones, and Kimber Harrison are seeking development partners and tenants to create an Innovation District in and around the University of New Mexico Rainforest building near downtown Albuquerque. The project, InnovateABQ, consists of over 750,000 square feet of potential development focused on life sciences, technology, and art. The cornerstone of the project, The Jungle, is in the early planning stages and is envisioned to be a galvanizing force for artistic, scientific, and technological advancement. The Feinberg + Jones team is excited to bring the vision of InnovateABQ to fruition, creating significant economic development and job creation in New Mexico.
To learn more about investing in and creating InnovateABQ, please contact:
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In the Spotlight - Featured UNM Inventor |
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Sascha R.A. Alles, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
The University of New Mexico
Active Startup: Neurochronix, Inc
Dr. Alles’ research areas include:
- Chronic pain
- Sensory neurons
- Spinal cord
- Ion channels
- Translational neuroscience
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Virtual Fireside Chat with Tribal Liaison, Angelo McHorse – Growing from Retail to Wholesale
New Mexico Rainforest Webinar
February 15 | 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (MST)
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Tribal Liaison, Angelo McHorse will share his experiences with Wholesale vs. Retail as Co-Owner for Bison Star Naturals. Learn about the benefits of doing business beyond retail sales in-store or at events.
Growing into the wholesale game requires a new understanding of cultivating partnerships to get your goods onto shelves across your region and country. Learn new marketing strategies, scaling up production, maintaining consistency and speed of doing business, increase the network of buyers for new wholesale markets, and the cost benefit analysis of selling your products at wholesale pricing.
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This event will be held virtually via Zoom. Please register to receive the meeting link. |
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Tribal Liaison Zachariah Ben’s Bidii Baby Foods Awarded Heart of the Land Award for Outstanding Leadership in Farming and Ranching |
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On January 26, Bidii Baby Foods, LLC, an organic farm and agricultural cooperative, was awarded the Heart of the Land Award for Outstanding Leadership in Farming and Ranching as part of the New Mexico Food & Farm Day. Supported by Farm to Table NM and the NM Food & Agriculture Policy Council, this annual event celebrates and recognizes the efforts of local individuals, communities, organizations, and agencies that strive to create a thriving local food, farming, and ranching economy. View the full list of awardees here: https://nmfoodpolicy.org/2023-food-farms-day-awards/
“Receiving the ‘Heart of the Land Award’ is such an honor,” said Zachariah Ben. “At Bidii Baby Foods, we use traditional, indigenous farming methods and plant heritage seeds that have been in our family and community for generations. We then use these crops to nourish our young children and restore indigenous food ways. Our mission came to us through the birth of our child; he inspired us to not only grow these foods for him, but to create these baby food products for families with young children across our state and tribal nation(s). To be recognized in this way from the state means so much to us. We really put our heart and soul into fulfilling this mission day in and day out on our farm and within our own family. Thank you so much for the support and recognition.”
Zachariah Ben, in addition to running Bidii Baby Foods, works as a Tribal Liaison for the New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program (NMTEEP) administered by UNM Rainforest Innovations. The NMTEEP helps break down barriers and generate opportunity through entrepreneurship in historically underserved communities in New Mexico with a primary focus on coal-impacted tribal communities.
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UNM Rainforest Innovations Accepting Applications for Rainforest Accelerator |
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The Rainforest Accelerator, administered by UNM Rainforest Innovations, will assist teams of UNM faculty or students to go outside of their laboratories and into the marketplace where they can learn first-hand about entrepreneurship while they go through the market discovery process for their innovation.
The outcomes of program projects will include a recommendation based on an assessment of the viability of the overall business model and substantial first-hand evidence for or against product-market fit, with a definition of the customer segments and corresponding value propositions.
In this program, teams of faculty and/or students, entrepreneurs, and mentors (mentors provided by the Rainforest Accelerator) receive $3,000 of funding to develop an idea, and complete extensive market discovery for a disclosed UNM technology.
The deadline to apply is February 20, 2023
The program will run on Mondays, 4:00-5:30 p.m. from February 27, 2023 through May 8, 2023 at the Lobo Rainforest Building Seminar Room and online via Zoom meetings.
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Student Interns @ UNM Rainforest Innovations |
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Nicole Nimeh
Innovation Intern
Our featured intern this month is Nicole Nimeh and she currently serves as an Innovation Student Intern. Nicole is currently working towards a major in civil engineering with a minor in community and regional planning. “My plan after graduation is to get my master’s in sustainable engineering and work in creating more efficient urban infrastructure whether that be public transportation or green buildings.”
Growing up in Dallas, Texas, her family is originally from Syria. “I speak Arabic and love going back to see my family and home… I am a first-generation immigrant, so education is highly valued in my family. My mom always pushed for me to take advantage of the access to education that I was given. This education is an opportunity that not everyone gets, and I should always feel immense gratitude for all the doors that opportunities like this internship can open for me in my future career.”
As an Innovation Student Intern, Nicole is involved in lots of different projects supporting university technology transfer. “Some of my responsibilities include writing non-confidential summaries, private novelty searches, and market analysis for the technologies I am working on.”
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Attend Upcoming Open Office Hours
Providing Mentoring for Your Startup/Idea
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Mentoring for Entrepreneurs with Mytegia Lee
February 16, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. (MST)
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Come to virtual 1:1 mentoring with Mytegia Lee where she will provide guidance, coaching, perspective, and connections to enhance entrepreneurship and connections to resources at UNM and in the community. There are many resources available to those who have ideas that they may want to turn into a business! Join Mytegia on Zoom and learn more about what is available and which connections are the best fit for you.
Ms. Lee is the Executive Director of the Southwest Native Assets Coalition (SNAC). Prior to joining SNAC she worked in the commercial banking and financing services industry providing credit analysis, financial education as well as small dollar loan origination and servicing throughout western New Mexico.
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These are VIRTUAL office hours, please register to select the time frame when you can attend your meeting on Zoom. After you register, a Zoom link and calendar invitation will be emailed to you.
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Rainforest Mentor Hours at Taos H.I.V.E.
Access to Capital with Stacy Sacco
February 17, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (MST)
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Join Stacy Sacco IN-PERSON at Taos H.I.V.E. for insights into gaining access to capital.
For the past 20 years, Mr. Sacco has taught entrepreneurial studies at the UNM Anderson School of Management, and served as the Director of the UNM Small Business Institute. He currently is the President of Sacco Connections, a management consulting firm, and hosts a free, informational website, with 3,000+ links to local jobs, events and resources.
Mr. Sacco will be available for one-on-one mentoring where he will give guidance, coaching and perspective to enhance entrepreneurship and provide connections to resources at UNM and in the community. There are many resources available to those who have ideas that they may want to turn into a business!
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These are IN-PERSON hours at Taos H.I.V.E., 1146 Gusdorf Rd, Taos, NM 87571
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SCORE Mentors at the Lobo Rainforest Building
February 24, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (MST)
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UNM Rainforest Innovations collaborates with SCORE to offer mentoring and confidential discussions for aspiring and established entrepreneurs, inventors, students, and start-up companies.
SCORE’s certified mentors are successful business people and entrepreneurs with the goal of giving back to the community by helping other entrepreneurs become and stay successful. SCORE has been helping small businesses start and grow in the Albuquerque area for over 50 years through mentoring.
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IN-PERSON at the Lobo Rainforest Building. Click "Sign up here" to select the time frame you plan to attend.
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ADVANCED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
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Job creation across America faces numerous, challenging, contemporary issues. Today’s successful economic development professional must make intelligent decisions and provide unparalleled leadership as communities vie for new, quality jobs and economic growth.
The core curriculum of the Advanced Economic Development Leadership program is built on a foundation of exploring innovation, managing change, and surviving disruption in the unique field of economic development. We know each of you is facing new challenges unique to your city or region and shared by others in your field, and we have prepared topics to help you navigate your evolving role in uncertain times. Learn more below about the newest topics in curriculum and how AEDL is your professional development partner every step of the way.
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JOIN THE 2023 COHORT
May 22−25, 2023 at Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, Texas
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UNM Rainforest Innovations | Website
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