Abstract
The science-to-product gap for hard technology is real. Our current innovation centers —within academia, corporate R&D, and startups—are not consistently translating promising science into commercially viable products with the potential for scalable impact. Academic research institutions are optimized for scientific discovery, but materials and manufacturing technologies can require years of system engineering and process development to mature. Industrial R&D labs reach well beyond discovery, but corporate innovations are highly constrained by near-term shareholder priorities and market dynamics. Startups are highly productive innovation engines, but the costly risks of hard technology development make it nearly impossible to raise startup capital in competition with digital technologies and market-ready consumer devices. Given these issues, Cyclotron Road is creating a new institutional home for innovators to bridge the science-to-product gap in hard energy technologies. Our goal is to define a new innovation pathway—one bringing together the resources and partners needed to support our best and most-driven innovators, allowing them to develop cutting edge science into commercial products with sustained impact on our energy future.
Biography
Prior to Cyclotron Road, Matt was a Vice President at Enlighted Inc. the leading wireless sensor network and lighting controls manufacturer for commercial and industrial buildings. Prior to joining Enlighted in 2011, Matt was a Principal at Nth Power, where he led investments in a broad range of energy and cleantech areas including materials and nanotechnology, fuel cells, biofuels, advanced lighting, and smart grid technologies. Matt is a Kauffman Fellow and received his M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley. While at Haas, he co-founded the Berkeley Energy Resource Collaborative (BERC). He holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.