Building a Rainforest in the Desert | February 2024

Check out the recent article in the Albuquerque Journal featuring UNM Rainforest Innovations’ Board Chair, Sandra Begay: "All charged up: Sandia Labs engineer uses renewable-energy development to make future brighter for American Indian tribes"

This morning the KRQE Morning Show interviewed Dr. Sang Han and Lisa Kuuttila to talk about Dr. Han’s recent selection as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) as well as UNM Rainforest Innovations’ role as the technology transfer and economic development organization for the University of New Mexico.

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The New Mexico Research University Team Pitch Award Pilot Program is a competitive state-funded grant that awards non-dilutive grant funds between $100,000 and $200,000, as well as entrepreneurship assistance, to science and technology commercialization proposals from faculty/student teams at New Mexico universities.

Eligible proposals will be those with potential and intention to result in the formation of a New Mexico-based science or technology company with a near-term plan to bring a unique product or service to market.

Proposals in science and technology commercialization with teams comprised of at least one faculty member and one student from New Mexico State University, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, or the University of New Mexico are eligible.

Hear from Sang M. Han, PhD, Regents’ Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, on the importance of disclosing inventions and protecting intellectual property at the University of New Mexico through the technology transfer office, UNM Rainforest Innovations (UNMRI).

Circular Genomics, a local startup commercializing technology developed at the University of New Mexico, has closed on an $8.3 million Series A investment round led by Mountain Group Partners. This new funding will allow them to further build and scale their commercial operations in preparation for the launch of their circular RNA-based clinical assay this year.

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UNM Rainforest Innovations would like to congratulate the outstanding women recognized in this year’s Women in Tech Awards. This program recognizes the remarkable women in New Mexico who are driving innovation and excellence in their tech-related fields and inspiring and empowering others to pursue careers in the tech industry.

Among the finalists, Akilah Martinez was selected as an Emerging Leader, and Susan Cornelius and Donna Riley were chosen as Honorees.

Congratulations again to the outstanding women chosen as part of this year’s Women in Tech Awards. The awards event will take place at Hotel Albuquerque on March 13.

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In this episode, listen to artist, XR technologist, and entrepreneur Akilah Martinez a.k.a Glittering World Girl! Akilah discusses how she is using her passion for art, culture, and language preservation to pursue a startup using digital art and XR technology to serve her community both on and off of the Navajo Nation.

Ready to bring your business ideas to life? Submit a 90-second video pitch of your idea for your chance to win up to $1,000. The top 10 student finalists will pitch live at Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. for a chance at a piece of the $5,000 prize pool.

Deadline to submit your video is March 26!

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In this new series, we’re reconnecting with former UNM Rainforest Innovations (UNMRI) interns to explore their professional journeys and career paths. This month we’re catching up with Jessica Moose, a Technical Business Development Specialist at Sandia National Laboratories’ Center for Collaboration and Commercialization (C3).

Jessica Moose first joined UNMRI in October of 2016 and served as an innovation intern where she worked on prior art searches, technology scouting, and general support relating to economic development. At the time of the internship, Jessica was a student at the University of New Mexico and eventually earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. At UNM, she found psychology, entrepreneurship, and organizational behavior courses particularly interesting and her experiences as an intern began to fuel her passion for entrepreneurship and economic development.

“The internship significantly influenced my career path, redirecting me from a healthcare business focus to a fulfilling journey in economic development, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship,” said Jessica Moose. “I am immensely grateful to the leadership at UNMRI for sharing opportunities and making introductions for me not only following my internship, but well after.”

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Do you need some advice with marketing or help telling your business story?

Attend one-on-one mentoring with marketing professional, Chaz Rose. During this 30-minute session, you can talk with Chaz about some of your marketing pain points and receive advice on how to improve your marketing and tell your business story!

Chaz Rose is the founder of Towa Marketing Consultants. He graduated from Missouri State in 2016 with a degree in Marketing & Advertising. He works with business owners to develop custom marketing strategies for their business. These strategies relieve business pains, provide measurable advertising results, and increase business owners' bottom line. Sign up today to receive help in creating your 2024 marketing strategy.

This is a HYBRID event offered in-person at the Lobo Rainforest Building and virtually via Zoom.

SCORE mentors will be available for one-on-one, confidential discussions and mentoring to inventors, students, and start-up companies at the Lobo Rainforest Building.

SCORE mentors are successful business people and entrepreneurs who want to give 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 and workshops and seminars. SCORE is the largest National resource partner of the Small Business Administration (SBA) with about 11,000 SCORE volunteers sharing their time and talents to help America's small businesses.

IN-PERSON at the Lobo Rainforest Building. Click "Sign up here" to select the time frame you plan to attend.