Every year we at SSES selected a team to represent the school in the international business plan competition Venture Challenge in San Diego. We're now happy to announce that we've just made our pick for next year's competition, team NanoMonolith.
– Dr. Petr Vasiliev, Managing Director at NanoMonolith, congratulations, in March 2010 you're going to San Diego, tell us about NanoMonolith.
– Hi! I would like to thank SSES and people/organizations who support NanoMonolith for the opportunity to join Venture Challenge 2010 in San Diego! Imagine, most of surroundings products: e.g. paints, inks, plastics, pharmaceuticals, adhesives and gasoline, PLUS protection of environment to eliminate harmful chemicals and polluting gases are based on petrochemical and gas separation industry. We can't imagine living without these things today! Petrochemical and gas separation technologies are using porous materials/powders. About a half of the mentioned products and services are produced using porous powders structured into pellets or monoliths. NanoMonolith provides a novel technology to structure porous powders into pellets/monoliths for petrochemical and gas separation industry.
– How are you bringing this to market?
– NanoMonolith has several scenarios to bring our innovation to the market. Currently, NanoMonolith is focused on receiving venture capital to create a complete technology set-up with an immediate revenue opportunity for a specific customer, within their existing customer base. NanoMonolith will analyze the customer technology and provide a strong competitive advantage for future sales with the NanoMonolith technology.
– Who is the team behind NanoMonolith?
– NanoMonolith has a great founding team, which combines experts in relevant fields and bring NanoMonolith to a success. Prof. Lennart Bergström – specialist in materials chemistry, Docent Niklas Hedin – specialist in catalytic and separation technologies and Dr. Mona Wilcke – business consultant at SU Innovation. We have been working together for four years in research group of Prof. Lennart Bergström at Inorganic Chemistry Department, Stockholm University. We met Mona Wilcke three years ago, when SU Innovation just started their activity, and she continuously provided help to NanoMonolith to reach our business development goals. Currently, with a support of Vinnova and SU Holding, we are expanding and have other members in our team.
– What is the most important take-away from your time at SSES?
– While you are doing your PhD in material chemistry and with a background in physical chemistry, it is great and unique opportunity to get access to knowledge on how to start-up a company. During 2006 and 2007 I attended several SSES courses, and the best takeaway from SSES is the understanding of possibility to develop your dreams into a reality. Every evening, after the SSES inspiring courses I was excited to become entrepreneur. I was immersed into different environments that broaden my mind to see the world from a different perspective. In 2007, SSES provided me the possibility to join the sales expert training "Pitch" in Helsinki, where I experienced a real networking environment with entrepreneurs who were already successful with their projects. I would say that SSES provides continues support and opportunities to people with entrepreneurial drive, to people who want to change our world.
We at SSES would like to wish the team the best of luck and are looking forward to following them in the future!
More information
NanoMonolith
Venture Challenge
