Monthly news, events & updates | Building a Rainforest in the Desert | October 2023 | |
New Startup Flow Aluminum Developing Low Cost, Aluminum-Based Batteries | |
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A new startup company is working to develop aluminum-based, low-cost energy storage systems for electric vehicles and microgrids. Founded by University of New Mexico inventor Shuya Wei, Flow Aluminum, Inc. could directly compete with ionic lithium-ion batteries and provide a broad range of advantages. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, Flow Aluminum’s product would not require rare Earth materials, the materials are not flammable, and they could store more energy while also being lower-cost.
The new company has utilized local and out-of-state business accelerator programs and is currently partnering with Polaris Battery Labs out of Oregon to develop the company’s first prototype.
Featured in Kevin Robinson-Avila’s October 2, 2023 article, “UNM startup to market aluminum-based batteries,” Albuquerque Journal.
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Local Startup Nob Hill Therapeutics Has Been Awarded HHS Phase II Grant | |
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Nob Hill Therapeutics (NHT), has announced that they have received an HHS phase II grant. The funds will help the company further develop their inhalation device technology capable of delivering high therapeutic doses to lung cancer patients.
NHT is a respiratory-focused healthcare company that uses high dose lung delivery to change the treatment paradigm for lung-related diseases. NHT’s patented Dry Powder Nebulizer platform has several technological innovations that enables it to generate highly efficient drug aerosols and deliver them effectively to the lower respiratory tract, independent of the patient’s lung capacity.
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In the Spotlight - Featured UNM Inventor | | | |
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Geetanjali Sharma, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
The University of New Mexico
Dr. Sharma’s research areas include:
- Sex-specific differences in obesity, metabolism and cancer
- Elucidation of roles of estrogen receptor, GPER in normal physiology/pathophysiology of metabolism and cancer
- Discovery of therapeutic targets for the treatment of metabolic disorders and cancer
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Financial Mentoring with Steve Hoyer
October 6 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (MDT)
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Sign up for 1:1 mentoring (30-minute sessions) with Steve Hoyer to get your financial questions answered.
Financial Tune-up: "I don’t need to know your business to know your business’s financials." All financial statements follow the same flow and format to allow for comparisons by investors. Income Statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flows, Capital Budgeting are the main financial tools used.
Make sure the forecasts and projections in your proposals are financially sound. Have your financials reviewed to be sure they are formatted in a manner investors, banks and lenders expect and require.
| These are IN-PERSON office hours at the Lobo Rainforest Building. |
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NM EDD Partners with UNM Rainforest Innovations to Empower Underserved Entrepreneurs | |
The New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office (JEDI Office) and the UNM Rainforest Innovations New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program (NMTEEP) have formalized a collaboration aimed at advancing underserved business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the state.
The Memorandum of Understanding will catalyze joint efforts to organize events, workshops, and programs, as well as initiatives to enhance marketing and data sharing. Additionally, the partnership will emphasize financial literacy programs, and technical assistance tailored to the unique needs of underserved businesses and entrepreneurs.
Cecilia Pacheco, Program Manager of NMTEEP, added, “UNM Rainforest Innovations is excited to collaborate with the JEDI Office in our shared mission of supporting entrepreneurs in tribal communities and those affected by coal mine closures. Together, we can make a meaningful impact on economic development and entrepreneurship in New Mexico.”
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NM EDD Launches New Science and Tech Grant Opportunities - Advanced Energy and Higher Ed | |
New Mexico Economic Development Department Deputy Secretary Jon Clark announced that the department’s Office of Strategy, Science & Technology (OSST) will launch two new grant opportunities this fall, focused on driving technology growth and commercialization in advanced energy and encouraging innovation and commercialization in higher education.
“New Mexico has a history of energy innovation,” Deputy Secretary Clark said. “Today’s partnership between EDD, our research universities, and our federal labs will create new opportunities for entrepreneurs in the state to grow and thrive. These new investments from our Office of Strategy, Science & Technology will build on our position as a state at the forefront of innovation and bring even more high-paying jobs to residents across our state.”
The advanced energy award pilot program will award non-dilutive grant funds to New Mexico companies with proposals in advanced energy science and technology. Selected applicants will be awarded grants to fill identified funding gaps between $250,000 and $1,000,000.
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Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building with UNM-Taos HIVE – EDA University Center Success Story | |
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After serving for years as a Walmart Executive, Rose Reza decided to move back to her hometown of Taos, New Mexico to be closer to family. In 2019, Rose was selected to lead the UNM-Taos Hive, the Hub of Internet based Vocation and Education, a private public partnership between UNM-Taos, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, and the Taos Community Center. Her charge was to take the HIVE initiative from paper to reality. Around the same time, UNM Rainforest Innovations (UNMRI) along with UNM Innovation Academy had received a 5-year University Center grant administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help bring eCommerce and entrepreneurial training to rural New Mexico via the UNM branch campuses. As a result, when the two entities sat down for a meeting in December 2019, the meeting felt very serendipitous and would result in what would become a valuable and mutually beneficial relationship and partnership.
Over the course of the EDA University Center grant, UNMRI was able to support UNM-Taos HIVE by providing a paid mentor to hold quarterly virtual and in-person office hours for Taos and northern NM entrepreneurs. Stacy Sacco, Business Development, Marketing, Sales Consultant and Community Connector, was the mentor assigned to UNM-Taos and worked with Rose to provide mentoring on various topics to help Taos entrepreneurs improve and grow their businesses. UNMRI also worked, with Rose and other leaders at UNM-Taos, to bring several in-person workshops to the HIVE based on needs expressed by the community.
The most recent of these events was the Community & Entrepreneur Engagement Event held on August 31, 2023 as a way to reflect on the 5-year grant activities, as well as celebrate the ecosystem building that has taken place and the relationship between UNMRI and UNM-Taos HIVE that will continue to support New Mexico’s entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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Connect with UNM Rainforest Innovations
October 19 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. (MDT)
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UNM Rainforest Innovations is the technology-transfer and economic development organization for the University of New Mexico (UNM). Join us to connect with members of our team and hear about opportunities in which you can work with our organization through a variety programs and resources that we offer.
Examples include:
- Entrepreneurial Mentoring
- Cecchi VentureLab
- Tribal Entrepreneurship Program
- Events/Networking
- Co-Investment Fund
- Rainforest Accelerator
Presentation will be given by Elizabeth (Lisa) J. Kuuttila, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer for UNM Rainforest Innovations.
This is a hybrid event that will be held in-person at the Lobo Rainforest Building and online via Zoom. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.
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2023 Golden Chile Awards Announces Bidii Baby Foods and the San Juan Food Hub as Golden Chile Winners | |
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The New Mexico Grown Coalition recently announced the winners of the 2023 Golden Chile Awards which celebrates and commends statewide efforts aimed at promoting good nutrition and supporting New Mexico’s farming economy. This year marks a significant milestone as the program has recognized the largest number of recipients since its inception three years ago.
Among the winners this year, Bidii Baby Foods and the San Juan Food Hub were selected for the Golden Chile Award. To earn a Golden Chile, applicants were required to establish edible gardens, serve locally grown food, provide gardening lessons and nutrition education, offer culturally appropriate nutrition and gardening instruction, and engage staff, families, and communities in New Mexico Grown programming.
Both Bidii Baby Foods and the San Juan Food Hub have been collaborators with UNM Rainforest Innovations’ New Mexico Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program.
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Student Interns @ UNM Rainforest Innovations | | | |
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Brontson Leach
Student Accounting Intern
Our featured intern this month is Brontson Leach who currently serves as UNM Rainforest Innovations’ Student Accounting Intern. Spending part of his childhood in Alaska, his family moved to the Capitan/Ruidoso area in 2010 where he also graduated from high school.
“My mom and my dad are still down in Ruidoso living their best semi-retired life along with 3 dogs, 4 goats, and flock of chickens. My sister is in Colorado right now entering her last year of undergrad at Colorado Christian University and she’s killing it and I’m extremely proud of her. I go home often so I see my parents and it’s always good to see them.”
After graduating from high school, Brontson attended the University of New Mexico to study exercise science before transferring to the University of Arizona for two years. He decided to come back to UNM to finish his BBA degree with a concentration in accounting. “For career aspirations I’m not sure where my end goal to be is. I think somewhere in the Accounting Field where I’ll be managing people… I think education-wise I’m going to get my bachelor’s degree and then work for a while before I start thinking about going back to school for my Masters.”
As part of his internship, Brontson’s responsibilities include coding and recording various invoices, updating briefs, and managing information in UNMRI’s software programs. “This is my first in-office job, so I’ve learned a lot by observing things like the workflow and how to communicate in a professional manner. Learning how and why we’re coding and why it’s important that everything matches up is also cool to see.”
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Interested in internships at UNM Rainforest Innovations? Learn more and apply here. |
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UNM Rainforest Forum
UNM Startup Companies Sharing their Experiences
October 26 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (MDT)
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Come learn more about UNM Start-up Companies!
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.
For the next Rainforest Forum, join us to hear from UNM spin-off companies share their start-up experiences and connections with UNM Rainforest Innovations.
Networking and lunch will be at 11:30 a.m. Panel discussion begins at 12:00 p.m.
Can’t make in-person? Join us online at 12:00 p.m. to listen in to the program. Register for Zoom meeting here.
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Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program Success Story – Opening a Storefront on Indian Country | |
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Winston Paul is a clothing and accessory company based on the Navajo Nation Reservation and owned by a Diné woman, Calandra Etsitty. The business was named after Calandra’s younger brother, Winston and late grandfather, Paul and offers a wide variety of products such as handmade makeup bags, traditional contemporary two-piece outfits and customized outfits inspired from a mixture of traditional and urban influences. Since opening, Winston Paul has sold its items online and at various artisan and flea markets. However, as of September 2023, the business now has its very own storefront in Window Rock, Arizona.
UNM Rainforest Innovations and the Tribal Entrepreneurship Enhancement Program first engaged with Calandra and Winston Paul when Tribal Liaison, Mytegia Lee met Calandra at a Native Women Lead Conference in October of 2022. Since that first meeting, Mytegia has continued to engage with Calandra through her role as a Tribal Liaison.
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Rainforest Student Pitch Competition
Do you have an innovative idea for a product, service, or technology?
Would you like to win money to help turn your idea into a reality? The Rainforest Pitch Competition provides an opportunity for students of all majors and from any New Mexico university to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas for a chance to win from a pool of over $5,000 in cash prizes.
Deadline to apply: October 24, 2023
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UNM Rainforest Innovations | Website
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