Boston College MBA Alumni Win Prize at MassChallenge Entrepreneurship Competition
A start up company with ties to Boston College’s Carroll School of Management has been named a second place winner of the MassChallenge competition. The company is called EnerLeap, and it produces a fast-charging, light-weight, long-lasting battery that provides ten times the power and five times greater capacity than current battery models on the market. The battery is also cleaner and more environmentally friendly than other models. The technology may power watches, toys, smartphones, and other pieces of modern technology. The company was started by Boston College MBA 2013 graduates Emily Fannon and Meghan Zipin, who commercialized a concept invented by Dunwei Wang, an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Boston College.
The EnerLeap team received an another second place win in a special award category: The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space Award for Technology in Space. This award comes with $45,000 of prize money, in addition to a research partnership at the International Space Station National Laboratory. Since lithium ion batteries pose a set of risks and challenges when used in space, scientists are eager to find a better battery for space use. The laboratory on the International Space Station will test the company’s technology in the extreme conditions of space.
Fannon believes that the research partnership in space will greatly benefit EnerLeap: “If we are able to demonstrate that our material can withstand the extremes of temperature and harsh environment of space while operating safely, then it’s an endorsement of not only our performance capabilities in space, but also on earth.”
EnerLeap was one of the 26 winners at the MassChallenge competition, chosen from a total of 128 finalists. MassChallenge bills itself as the world’s largest startup accelerator. Finalists in the competition participate in a four month accelerator program in which they get financial resources, mentorship, and space in an incubator.
