Leaders in Innovation: New Startups Addressing Societal Problems

The Harvard MRSEC provides a vibrant culture of entrepreneurship and several recent Ph.D. students supported by Center IRGs and seed projects have co-founded new companies, including (clockwise from top left): (1) Nicole Black from the Lewis lab, who launched Beacon Bio to create PhonoGrafts™ for eardrum repair. Beacon Bio was recently acquired by Desktop Health. (2) Kezi Cheng from the Clarke lab, who launched FLO.Materials to commercialize a new family of recyclable polymers. (3) Paul Le Floch from the Liu lab has co-founded Axoft to develop soft, neural brain implants that address neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. (4) Grant Gonzalez has started Tender Food, which has adapted rotary jet technology from the Parker lab to spin muscle fibers from plant proteins as sustainable meat alternatives. These new startups are translating scientific discoveries from the MRSEC to address important societal problems, Together these new startups have created 35 new, high-tech jobs to boost the nation's economy.