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The FlexEl Team receives their first place award, from left to right: Karen Thornton, Josekuttan Manikathuparambil, Zeynep Dilli, Karl Renner, Neil Goldsman, and Dean Chang. Photo by Eric Schurr. |
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A team composed of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty and M.S. in Telecom and ECE students won first place in the University of Maryland's $75K Business Plan Competition, held on May 8 in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building. Josekuttan Manikathuparambil, a graduate student in the Master’s Program in Telecommunications, was part of the team.
Nine finalist faculty and student teams unveiled their new technology company plans to a group of distinguished judges from the region’s new venture community at the annual competition, which is organized by the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech). Winners were selected in the information technology, life sciences, and undergraduate categories, while two teams received Warren Citrin Social Impact Awards.
FlexEl LLC, winner of $20K in the information technology division, has developed a proprietary battery that has more capacity than any other rechargeable, flexible, thin-film battery in the world. Team members include: ECE professors Marty Peckerar and Neil Goldsman; ECE research associate Zeynep Dilli; and Josekuttan Manikathuparambil. The company’s environmentally friendly batteries recharge wirelessly at extremely low voltages, enabling them to take advantage of energy scavenging techniques not feasible with other batteries. They are well suited to power ultra-small electronics, including wireless sensor networks, implantable medical devices, RFID devices and smart cards, and could outlast many of those devices. FlexEl’s batteries can be manufactured using a cost-effective printing process.
“These companies have genuine potential to address billion dollar needs and pain points in our society,” says Dean Chang, director of Mtech’s ventures and education programs and director of the Technology Advancement Program. “Best of all, they are all built upon promising technologies developed right here at the University of Maryland, which reflects the increasingly significant role the University plays in fostering innovation and driving the future of this region’s economy.”
Sponsors for the competition included Fish & Richardson P.C., Nixon Peabody LLP, and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation.
To view a complete list of the finalists and winners, visit the $75K Business Plan Competition website.
May 14, 2009
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