WakondaTech

1. Innovative Program puts Solar Energy Startup on the Fast TrackCornell scientists and facilities help company solve technical challenges To help small companies surmount technical hurdles, the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) developed the JumpStart program — an innovative, semester-long partnership funded by New York State that pairs small New York State businesses with technically-savvy Cornell faculty. This program helped Wakonda Technologies, a Rochester-NY-based startup, optimize its proprietary solar electric technology which combines the world's most efficient photovoltaic materials with a flexible substrate to allow for low-cost, roll-to-roll manufacturing. The company used CCMR shared facilities as their sole R&D lab. Since partnering with the CCMR and Prof. R. Bruce van Dover, the company obtained a $900K grant from the U. S. Dept. of Energy, won the $100K NY State Golden Horseshoe award for its business plan, and received $9.5M in series A financing. http://WakondaTech.com DMR 0520404 The benefits of a CCMR partnership can go an awful long way if you look at the value it brings early on, accelerating your growth… We have leveraged $5,000 worth of JumpStart matching support into $200,000 worth of federal money in the course of about six months, and we are now looking to leverage that into about a million dollars of funding for next year. — 2006 statement of Les Fritzemeier, Wakonda President For more details, visit the Cornell Center for Materials Research at www.ccmr.cornell.edu