1 7 A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 Birt: The opportunities are endless—from advances in agriculture to space and water to nuclear energy. Every single industry has a materials problem they are actively working to overcome. If you can combine intuition, advanced modeling, and advanced processing to solve a materials challenge, then you have the opportunity to forge a new business, or support an existing one. I think it’s important to remember that entrepreneurship does not mean you have to start a company. You can be an entrepreneur in nearly any role. A “materials science entrepreneur” is given an objective and figures out a way to meet that objective no matter what limitations might be placed on them. Mozolic: There are somany opportunties: reducing the planet’s carbon footprint; climate change; transitioning from fossil fuels; battery development from Li ion to solid state and beyond; energy harvesting; modernizing the grid; harvesting people’s motions i.e., walking on sidewalks that capture vibrational energy; smart clothing; installing solar panels, wind turbines, and shock converters on homes, buildings, sidewalks, highways, and automobiles; more effective desalination; more efficient primary metals manufacturing; expanding the use of composites and lightweight materials for transportation, drones, and military applications; enhancedmedical implant designs; and improved robotics/bionics. I am excited about the work that is being done on all of these fronts. Hogue: Right now, people are very willing to accept creative solutions to work situations. This is an ideal climate for entrepreneurship, but you must be creative and put effort into developing something of special interest. How can ASM support innovators as they start and grow businesses? Mozolic: Many innovators have absolutely wonderful ideas but may not have the experience for how to start a business. Introducing innovators to other innovators, business owners, and to reduce global emissions and achieve a net-zero economy toward the mid21st century. To reach this ambitious objective, we have seen a substantial increase in the amount of research and entrepreneurship funding, either from government agencies or philanthropists from the private sector, supporting projects related to decarbonization, the circular economy, and sustainability. There is no doubt that materials science and engineering, due to its interdisciplinary nature, will play a key role in enabling this goal. Huang: Through additive manufacturing, particularly with micro and nano scale control, it is now feasible to design materials with the desired properties and with the prescribed chemistry, structure, and morphology. This level of materials design will enable the invention of many more technologies, which entrepreneurs can then commercialize. From many failures, I learned to understand reality, take time and risk, then soar above the reality and do the necessary work to make an idea come to life. Kulkarni: The biggest lesson I have learned is: If you don’t challenge yourself in business somebody else will. Palmaz: The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that simply making a better material that performs at a higher level or outperforms the status quo isn’t enough in today’s market environment. For the new material to truly disrupt the space, you have to deliver an end-to-end value proposition, not just to the customer directly using the material but all the way to the end user. In addition, we need to overcome assump- tions with respect to the cost of the technology as well as reeducate our customers who are accustomed to a set of limitations that do not apply to our advanced technology. What opportunities do you see for materials science entrepreneurs? Chan: I believe that sustainability in materials engineering is of a great interest to materials entrepreneurs. Governments across the globe are striving CALL FOR INNOVATORS IMAT 2023 is looking for entrepreneurs, startups, and venture capitalists in materials science. Do you have a new product, service, or technology you would like to showcase? Contact kelly.thomas@ asminternational.org. Sustainability is a growth area for materials entrepreneurs.
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