A fresh crop of entrepreneurial summer fellows
Every summer, the UW Foster School of Business Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) funds graduate student fellowships designed to focus entrepreneurial skills on innovative technology, social and scientific projects. CIE is excited to announce the recipients of seven fellowships.
Technology Commercialization Fellowships—$8,000 Each
These University of Washington fellowships provide real-world opportunities to dig into a technology by working with inventors, tech managers and experts to perform market research and write feasibility reports. The required final presentation and milestone deliverables along the way provide students with the structure for their analyses.
Matthew Rives-Vegas (Foster MBA 2012) – Mirador Biomedical Commercialization
Mirador is developing the Compass™ line of low-cost disposable medical devices that measure intralumen pressure and provide a reading in millimeters of mercury and a real-time graphic indicator. Sponsored by WRF Capital.
Daniel Butts (Foster MBA 2012) – Vestibular Prosthesis
UW researchers have developed, and are continuing to develop, patent-pending methods and a neural prosthetic device for treatment of three forms of vestibular loss. Sponsored by Institute of Translational Health Sciences.
Max Effgen (Foster MBA 2011) – Hive: Wearable Ultra-Low Power Sensors
A UW research group has developed an extremely small and light-integrated circuit that includes a sensor amplifier that is well-suited to biosignals (EMG/EEG/EKG) and a record-setting ultra low-power transmitter. Sponsored by Institute of Translational Health Sciences.
Andrea Hobby (MPH 2012) – Novel Toenail Infection Treatment
UW researchers are developing a novel platform that gradually releases antimicrobial agents from a polymer matrix applied to the surface of the toenail to effectively penetrate the nail and kill bacterial or fungal infection. Sponsored by the Institute of Translational Health Sciences.
Nathaniel Nead (Foster MBA 2012) – Nexgenia: Next Generation in Diagnostic Immunoassays
Utilizing “smart polymers” and nanotechnology, UW researchers are advancing the next generation of reagents for immunoassays (tools used in clinical laboratories that aid in evaluating and managing patient care) that could significantly reduce sample processing time and thus increase the capacity of clinical laboratories. Sponsored by Institute of Translational Health Sciences.
Social/Environmental Entrepreneurship Fellowship—$8,000
The UW Foster School of Business MBA Class of 2010 made a gift to fund a summer fellowship for first-year MBAs who are committed to social and/or environmental entrepreneurship. Think of it as the three Ps: planet, people and profit. The fellowship provides a seed internship salary for a student to apply his or her business skills, leadership talent and entrepreneurial acumen in such fields as education, alternative energy, microfinance, health care, healthy food, arts and culture, international development, sustainable consumer products, etc.
Brad Wilke (Foster MBA 2012) – Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
As the largest, most well-attended film festival in North America, SIFF is an integral part of the cultural identity and economic infrastructure of Seattle and has established itself as “one of the leading independent and international film institutions in the world.” The summer fellow will develop a model for dynamic ticket pricing to enable SIFF’s box office to better respond to market demand, expand its audience and increase revenue. Wilke will also assess SIFF’s current screening venues and determine the optimal mix of current and alternative venues to reduce costs and provide increased access to potentially underserved audiences.
eScience Institute Summer Internship—$8,000
The University of Washington eScience Institute is a fledgling organization founded to help UW researchers reach their full potential by lowering the barriers of entry into this new era of “data-intensive” science. eScience team members assist with the application of computational methods, tools, platforms and other resources relevant to data-intensive research. eScience has reached that stage of development where it is looking for an MBA to assist with developing a core growth and sustainability strategy.
Tanya McEwen (Foster MBA 2012)
The Institute needs assistance in developing a viable business model that will allow it to recover costs associated with mid- and long-term consulting, to grow through collaborative projects and grants, and to undertake educational initiatives.
