Los Alamos National Laboratory has unveiled the 2024 cohort of The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (New Mexico LEEP). The selected fellows will collaborate with lab scientists to refine their innovative projects.
"Deep tech" is a term that refers to innovations aimed at addressing significant societal issues such as disease, climate change, and space technology. These initiatives are often spearheaded by startups that lack the necessary resources for scalability. According to a press release by Los Alamos National Laboratory, partnerships with national labs like Los Alamos can accelerate their progress. Entrepreneurs such as Devin Fell of Sentiré Medical, creators of Perf-Alert, are leveraging these collaborations for faster advancement. Ilayda Samilgil from LLume and Benjamin Schafer from MicroAvionics also join them in utilizing lab partnerships to expedite innovation. Recent New Mexico LEEP graduates like Kam Wai "Cliff" Chan from OAM Photonics and Srikanth Kodeboyina from Blue Eye Soft are already making substantial contributions in their respective fields.
According to the same press release, Thom Mason, Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, stated: "New Mexico LEEP is just one more way the Laboratory is a force for good in the spheres of community economic development and national security." He added that "Deep-tech innovators in this new cohort are bringing new technologies to New Mexico, which they will develop and perfect with the help of Lab talent and technology."
Duncan McBranch, Director of Entrepreneurship for Mission Innovation, also expressed his views on the growing interest in their program. He said: "We are seeing a strong growth of interest in our program, indicating the need for accelerated innovation in our target areas: advanced computing and artificial intelligence, advanced materials, space systems, energy transition and biotechnology."
Los Alamos National Laboratory was established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project. Located approximately 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, it operates as a multi-program research center. The lab focuses on nuclear weapons design and production, addressing nuclear threats, and conducting national security science, technology, and engineering, according to the About webpage provided by Los Alamos National Laboratory.