Three UA Businesses Sweep Annual Alabama Launchpad Competition

Shown are winning teams in the Alabama Launchpad Business Plan competition. First place is lambert technologies with team members, from left, Dr. Scott Spear, research engineer with UA’s Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of entrepreneurs center; Chris Cater, a UA MBA student; Todd A. Gross, chief executive officer, Lambert Technologies; and Samantha Mroczynski, a chemistry student at UA.

Three teams from UA earned first, second and third place honors in the second annual Alabama Launchpad Business Plan Competition, winning a total of $175,000 in start-up funding.

Eight finalist teams presented their business ideas to a panel of judges with experience in venture capital and technology start-ups at the Alabama Launchpad finale held at the Bryant Conference Center.

Second place winner is cellulosix with members, from left, Dr. Richard Swatloski, a licensing associate in UA’s Office for Technology Transfer; Micah Harvey, the company’s chief operating officer; and Aaron Hammons, CEO and president.

“The University of Alabama should be commended for its hard work in establishing these start-up companies and for providing excellent resources and support for them,” said Glenn Kinstler, director of Alabama Launchpad. “After not placing in the top eight last season, representatives at UA made a concerted effort to have a better showing in this year’s competition, and it paid off.”

“We’re already seeing dividends from this initiative,” said James P. Hayes, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, a founding sponsor. “One of last year’s finale teams has already secured additional funding and is moving forward with its efforts. Ultimately, that is what this competition is about – giving these companies a vehicle to move from conception to the marketplace and to become the next generation of Alabama’s economic success.”

First Place ($100,000)
Lambert Technologies, LLC
Lambert Technologies has developed a patented luminescent epoxy coating called Strain Sensitive Skin (S3), which is used for testing material stress levels. When an S3-coated object is tested under different load conditions, the coating emits a light. This light allows for the formation of a strain map across the object’s surface, which can be used to more accurately determine the object’s service life. Lambert Technologies plans to incubate in UA‘s Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs Center. The chief executive officer of Lambert Technologies is Todd A. Gross. The team consists of research engineer Scott Spear, MBA student Chris Cater, and chemistry graduate student Samantha Mroczynski, all of UA.

Second Place ($50,000)
Cellulosix
Cellulosix is developing a catalog of cellulose-based chemical reagents for use in drug delivery, functional foods, smart clothing, functional bandages, and several other potential markets. The technology allows raw cellulose to dissolve in more mild conditions than current technology, which allows it to be modified chemically and physically in ways that were previously not possible. Cellulosix will offer a wide range of cellulose materials from conductive cellulose fibers to cellulose-based drug delivery systems. Dr. Richard Swatloski is technical adviser for the team and a licensing associate in UA’s Office for Technology Transfer.

Placing third in the competition is SEA Desalination. From left, Ranjan Dhamapalan, a graduate student in UA’s physics and astronomy department, and Jennifer Shell, a green designer and local business person, join team leader Mike Wofsey, a doctoral student in UA’s department of physics and astronomy. not pictured is Jeff Street, a UA graduate and professional golfer. (Photos by Zach Riggins)

Third Place ($25,000)
SEA Desalination
SEA Desalination is a solar-powered desalination technology that removes salt from seawater or high mineral concentrations from ground water. It has low environmental impact, since it does not eject brine-water, and is made from remanufactured plastic water and soda bottles. The company has plans to manufacture and sell the system to homeowners and businesses in coastal areas for drinking water and irrigation. Mike Wofsey, a doctoral candidate at UA, is the team leader.

Alabama Launchpad was formed in 2006 by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and six universities – Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Alabama at Huntsville and UA. The competition is a vetting process to evaluate high growth start-ups and provide seed funding in the form of cash prizes to the top three.