Lion Science Biotech
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Biotech & Sustainability Entrepreneurial Projects
To become a "navigator of innovation" means being able to ideate concepts and pursue them in an environment of uncertainty; to distinguish when something is an opportunity, establish feasibility, and pivot throughout the process to successfully maneuver the concept into a viable business model.
This is akin to history's maritime explorers navigating the world's uncharted oceans. They believed that opportunity was out there, and so they headed into the unknown while making course corrections along the way. They navigated through harsh weather, amidst strong currents, around hazardous reefs, and of course avoided those pesky sea monsters. Some did it for the glory. Others did it for the adventure and gratification of making an impact on society. I prefer the latter, and any successful entrepreneur will say the same because you don't start ventures to get rich, you create them to make a difference.
Listed below are some of my endeavors thus far to create innovation where biology, technology, and business meet. These projects represent just the onset of my journey too, which I find exciting thinking about what the future holds.
"Navigating Innovation"
Think Biosolution & Sage Corps
My passion for blending technology and biology drove me to pursue an internship at a biotech startup called Think Biosolution in Dublin, Ireland this past summer. There, I directed the development of an app prototype, NeutronstaR, to highlight the company’s vital-monitoring software in the telemedicine industry. The app, along with my accompanying witty slogan, “Measuring Mindfulness by Heart”, guided users through breathing exercises to help reduce stress. The software computed users’ heart rates by measuring miniscule color changes on their foreheads as their blood circulated. Then, a pulsing bio-smart facemask (similar to a Snapchat filter) synced with their heart rates, allowing users to visualize their heartbeats per minute.
This was truly an amazing experience as I learned about the international startup scene in Ireland, helped further the company’s endearing mission, and forged instrumental network connections. Additionally, I learned how to construct comprehensive business plans by examining the one Think Biosolution created for their fitness product, QuasaR, with their mentors at Google. This important skill has been especially valuable for my ensuing business plans as I continue to seek meaningful, bio-based innovations.
This experience was enhanced by my Sage Corps cohort in Dublin. Sage Corps is a highly selective global entrepreneurship program that accepts about 10% of applicants and sends them to startups in cities around the world. Through them, I attended a Google Startup Weekend, toured a startup accelerator (NDRC) and a co-working space (Dogpatch Labs), and heard lectures from top entrepreneurs.
PowerMove
As a project for an entrepreneurial management course, myself and three team members developed a feasibility study for our venture called PowerMove. Our flagship product concept, PowerLeg, focused on creating an auxiliary device for lower-limb amputees. The premise was to imbed a device into prostheses to reclaim the energy of each step so that users would not have to charge their prosthetic legs as frequently. Presently, if one’s powered leg runs out of charge it becomes inoperable. Leading my team in the business development side of this project made me more knowledgeable about the prosthetics industry and pushed me to think from a different perspective in regards to the problems that many amputees face on a daily basis. The end goal with PowerLeg would be to fashion completely self-powered prosthetics without the need for supplementary charging.
Potential future applications for the PowerLeg technology include implementation into bionic exoskeletons to help physically-limited individuals walk again, as well as factory workers lift heavy equipment without the current charging requirements. PowerLeg tech could also enable upper-limb prosthetic users to solve their power needs and improve robotic functionality for military applications like pack-carrying robots. This was a very technical project overall, but it was also extremely beneficial in regards to gaining insight into a really exciting up-and-coming industry.
Grad Gown Gifts
This endeavor, while not as scientifically challenging, has satisfied my green agenda as it tackles recycling graduation caps and gowns into useful mementos to minimize waste. I envision it as a Shutterfly meets Design By Humans (an artist-based t-shirt company) meets graduations. Over spring break, I produced some very encouraging prototypes, and I am now seeking talented artists to help finesse some of the finer-detailed concepts into additional models. I truly believe that my eco-friendly venture has the potential to keep countless single-use ceremonial apparel out of landfills while supporting local artisans with meaningful work.
The logo for Grad Gown Gifts contains a waning crescent moon, which is the phase that directly precedes a new moon. This is symbolic of the new journey a recent grad is about to begin after graduation. The website for Grad Gown Gifts will be up and operational soon.
Pono Light
I ideated and headed the business development of this light therapy business proposal to benefit the mental health of students through their exposure to full-spectrum wavelengths (a.k.a. ‘Happy Lights’). The full-spectrum wavelengths of light, similar to the sun’s rays, stimulate one’s body to produce vitamin D, which helps improve mood and combats symptoms of depression. Additionally, light therapy has the potential to increase students’ alertness while studying via reducing levels of the light-sensitive hormone melatonin. After presenting my proposal, Penn State’s main library even expressed interest in running a pilot test. I am still working on developing this idea out further to determine its feasibility.
This project is of personal significance to me as I am a longtime user of light therapy to mitigate the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (a.k.a. “the winter blues” brought about by decreased exposure to sunlight during the fall / winter months). I have found that my friends and residents all love my personal light, and so it would be wonderful to extend the market outside of personal use and into public spaces such as college study rooms, libraries, etc.
Lion Science Biotech
Inspired by microbial biotech, this project focused on crafting a business development plan for utilizing microbes to produce the highly coveted East Indian sandalwood oil (EISO) for the fragrance and cosmetic industries. Brewing the EISO with yeast like one brews beer has the potential to be far more cost-effective, take a week instead of 25+ years to grow and harvest the product, and produce much higher yields of the desired oil. Additionally, microbially-producing the oil offers a much better alternative for the environment because the harmful practices of natural-harvesting operations require a lot of resources (land and water).
Concepts like this have always been of great interest to me because they are not only heavily centered around biotech and entrepreneurship, but they also satisfy my sustainability agenda. I truly believe that using microbes to make molecules is the way of the future, and the possibilities are endless with programming cells to produce desired products such as scents, flavors, synthetic tissue, pharmaceuticals, etc.