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| Yu Qiao and Doug Giese, (in photo), co-founded AgileNano to develop a nano-based sponge that can absorb energy when subjected to pressure. They’re working with a score of investors, advisers and employees to turn the invention into a marketable product. | Stephen Whalen |
By Ned Randolph
Even inventors of breakthrough technologies need help getting discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace. It’s simply not enough to have a great idea.
Dr. Yu Qiao, a faculty member of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, knew he was onto something four years ago when he discovered a nano-based “super-sponge” that can absorb energy when subjected to external pressure.
It wasn’t until he approached the UCSD William J. von Liebig Center, which helps commercialize university technology through mentorship and grants, that his hopes were affirmed.
“The von Liebig Center is part of UCSD engineering so it was pretty natural for me to approach them,” Qiao said. “From day one, I had hoped we could reach the point to commercialize what I invented.”
A von Liebig adviser helped Qiao identify a market for his technology, and together they pitched it to a panel of business advisers assembled by the center.
One of those panelists was Doug Giese, founder and former CEO and chairman of rugged computer systems manufacturer AP Labs and a member of the Southern California private investor group Tech Coast Angels. He liked the technology so much he urged the panel to award Qiao $45,000 to continue his research, and invested $50,000 of his own money.
Qiao and Giese formed AgileNano in early 2008 and put together a business plan to target the defense industry.
They say the nano-sponge can blunt the impact from explosions — like roadside bombs. When applied to helmet linings, it can absorb up to 90 percent of the shockwave, says Giese.
Today, AgileNano has five employees, five advisers and eight to 10 investors.
Overlapping Support
One of the great benefits cited about a community like San Diego is that angel investors belong to many overlapping organizations that can support startups at various stages.
A Tech Coast Angel member like Giese is also active in multiple technology transfer operations like the Center for the Commercialization of Advanced Technology, which partners with UCSD, the San Diego State University Research Foundation, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and Connect. Other members belong to MIT Enterprise Forum, which has 24 chapters, and San Diego Venture Group.
