There’s a lot happening in the region’s innovation and technology space. Each month, we’ll try to post a roundup of member news and updates to keep you in the know. Take a look below at what’s happening around the RBTC.
Optic Portable Laser Cutter is launching on Kickstarter
Rendyr’s Optic Portable Laser Cutter is on Kickstarter, and company co-founder Martin Angst says Blacksburg’s and Roanoke’s entrepreneurial network hugely impacted our journey, and we hope to put another SWVA success on the map for everyone to see. So, we are excited to share this update with you.
Want to know more or support the project? Here’s how:
- Share the Kickstarter project page
- Join the Facebook group and invite your network
- Follow on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Optic is the first portable laser cutting and engraving solution with integrated filtration and infinite work area capabilities. Work with hundreds of materials from your home or office, and enjoy the ultimate flexibility to create anywhere you go.
Flexible Lab Space Opening Soon in Blacksburg
Making a vital impact in southwest Virginia to enhance health solutions, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is on track to expand flexible lab space for scientists, at every level, to discover, research, and conduct experiments, thanks to collaboration from regional stakeholders (including Verge and RBTC) and GO Virginia grant.
COgro, the research park’s co-working space, will grow to include COgro LABS, where 25 memberships will be available for collaborative research and shared core lab equipment.
No matter if you are conducting traditional experimental research using chemicals and biological samples or real-world phenomena studied and analyzed using computational techniques, COgro LABS will be the perfect space with purpose.
Additionally, the space will include a collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS with a virtual residency program. The cohort will include 5 companies this year and you can sign up now to know when applications open.
Blacksburg Company Part of National Heart Transplant Story
You’ve probably seen the headlines about the first heart transplant involving a human and a genetically modified pig heart. Did you know a regional company, Revivicor, is behind the technology?
While the surgery was done in Maryland, the heart itself was engineered here. This company has been working for decades for this (same folks as created Dolly back in the 1990s).
The company is located inside the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.
#StartDisrupting Podcast: Listen Now
What’s after 5G? Luiz DaSilva, Executive Director of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative and the Bradley Professor of Cybersecurity at Virginia Tech joins in the newest episode of the #StartDisrupting podcast to explore a world where everything is connected.
DaSilva previously held the chair of Telecommunications at Trinity College Dublin, where he served as the Director of CONNECT, a national telecommunications research center in Ireland. He has published two books and more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, and chaired the Technical Program for ICC 2020, one of the flagship conferences of the IEEE Communications Society.
