An entrepreneurship enhancement program out of Los Alamos National Laboratory last week named its third cohort of fellows who'll work with lab experts to advance the technologies behind their respective startups.
Los Alamos National Laboratory launched the first cohort of its Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program, called New Mexico LEEP, in 2022. The program aims to accelerate the development of deep-tech startups and their technologies, which typically require more intensive building and testing before the concepts behind the companies are ready for commercial application.
The three fellows in the program's 2024 cohort are:
- Devin Fell, vice president of engineering at San Jose, California-based Sentiré Medical Systems, a startup working on a patented surgical monitoring system.
- Ilayda Samilgil, CEO and co-founder of Boston, Massachusetts-based Llume.io, a startup developing a fiberoptic sensor that uses light to measure movement and chest expansion.
- Benjamin Schafer, co-founder of Somerville, Massachusetts-based MicroAvionics Inc., a startup building ultra-lightweight two-dimensional platforms that levitate in Earth and Mars' atmospheres.
Fellows are paired with LANL scientists in a cooperative research and development project to accelerate the demonstration of viable products, according to a lab news release. They'll also have access to mentors and business resources, including through the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation, a private nonprofit organization intended to foster business development in the Los Alamos and White Rock communities.
The fellowship program lasts two years. Recently graduated New Mexico LEEP fellows include Kristina Trujillo, the founder of TNeuroPharma, and Srikanth Kodeboyina, the founder of Blue Eye Soft. Existing fellows are Yun Li, the CEO of Filtravate Inc. and Scott Ziegler, the CEO of Space Kinetic.
Over 70 people applied for the third cohort last spring, according to the LANL release. Applications for New Mexico LEEP's fourth cohort are set to open on Feb. 22, per the program's website.
Fellows in the program must relocate to New Mexico to participate, Tricia Ware, a communications specialist for LANL, confirmed.
