The Ignite Fellow for New Ventures program is a transformative power of innovation that converges with the spirit of entrepreneurship. This dynamic initiative brings together an exceptional group of Fellows, each selected for their remarkable expertise and passion in diverse disciplines. The fellows have been paired with Cornell faculty inventors, forming dynamic collaborations that merge cutting-edge research with practical implementation. Through this pairing, a bridge is built between academia and industry, fostering a fertile ground for ideas to flourish.
Introducing the Bright Minds Shaping the Future of Cornell Innovation
2023 Cohort
Amir Mokhtare
![Amir](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Ultrasound-assisted Reproductive Technology
Faculty-inventor: Alireza Abbasspourrad, Ph.D.
Incubator: Center for Life Science Venture
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Devansh Agarwal
![](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Augmented Reality Face Tracking
Faculty-inventor: Cheng Zhang, Ph.D.
Incubator: Praxis Center for Venture Development
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Information Science
Jonathan McCandless
![](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/3-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Gallium Oxide Vertical Transistors
Faculty-inventor: Debdeep Jena, Ph.D
Incubator: Praxis Center for Venture Development
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Engineering
Marshall Colville
![Marshall](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/5-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Lubricin for Osteoarthritis applications
Faculty-inventor: Matthew Paszek, Ph.D
Incubator: Center for Life Science Venture
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Veterinary Medicine
Olalekan Afuye
![lekan](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/4-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Tunable Wireless Radio
Faculty-inventor: Alyssa Apsel, Ph.D
Incubator: Praxis Center for Venture Development
Phase of the program: Phase II
Startup: EchoIC, Inc.
College: Engineering
Yang Yang
![Yang yang](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/8-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Urban Design Software
Faculty-inventor: Timur Dogan, Ph.D
Incubator: Runway Startup Postdocs
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Architecture Art and Planning
2022 cohort
Anthony D’Amato
![Ant](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/9-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: The next generation of synthetic vascular grafts
Faculty-inventor: Yadong Wang, Ph.D.
Incubator: Center for Life Science Venture
Phase of the program: Phase II
Startup: Anova Biomedical, Inc.
College: Engineering
Brandon Regensburger
![Brandon](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/10-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Battery charging for mobile robots with in-motion wireless charging
Faculty-inventor: Khurram Khan Afridi, Ph.D.
Incubator: Praxis Center for Venture Development
Phase of the program: Graduated
Startup: ExoPower, Inc.
College: Engineering
David Buchholz
![David](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/11-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Next generation, broad-spectrum, distribution-enabled vaccines
Faculty-inventor: Hector Aguilar-Carreno, Ph.D.
Incubator: Center for Life Science Venture
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Veterinary Medicine
Hassnain Asgar
![Hassnain](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/12-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Adaptive Methods for CO2 Capture and H2 Production
Faculty-inventor: Greeshma Gadikota, Ph.D.
Incubator: Praxis Center for Venture Development
Phase of the program: Graduated
Startup: Carbon to Stone, Inc.
College: Engineering
June Hwang
![Juneho](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/13-800x800.png)
New Venture Project: Meta-Materials for optical and infrared lenses
Faculty-inventor: Amit Lal, Ph.D.
Incubator: Praxis Center for Venture Development
Phase of the program: Phase I
College: Engineering
ExoPower, Inc.
![ExoPower logo](https://ctl.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Exopower-logo.png)
Description: ExoPower uses novel wireless power transfer technologies to charge electric vehicles in the materials handling industry. They focus on vehicles in warehouses, airports, and seaports to eliminate excessive downtime currently experienced while batteries are recharged or swapped.
Cohort: 2022
Industry: Hardware & Instrumentation
Fellow: Brandon Regensburger