Evident Technologies, Inc. moved its research and operations departments to the Incubator for Nanotechnology Ventures, Emerging Sciences and Technologies (INVEST) at Russell Sage College over the summer, and when students arrived on campus this fall, they found the first nanotechnology business incubator on a women’s college campus up and buzzing.
The INVEST project includes state of the art chemistry labs for RSC, made possible by a $500,000 leadership gift from entrepreneur Donna Esteves ’70, Sage Trustee Chair of the INVEST project.
“Not only is a business-science incubator like INVEST not available on any other women’s college campus, it is very rare on any campus and almost never available at the undergraduate level,” said Esteves, emphasizing that INVEST will provide opportunities to learn about nano-science research and entrepreneurial business development to faculty and students from a variety of disciplines. “All students, whether or not science is their ‘thing’ stand to benefit from INVEST. They will leave Sage light-years ahead of other college graduates who might receive such business start-up exposure as this only at the graduate level.”
On September 27, New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno will join Esteves and Sage President Jeanne Neff, Evident CEO Clinton Ballinger, and INVEST academic liaison Professor Tom Keane for a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new space.
“When I first learned about the INVEST nanotechnology business incubator during a presentation by Professor Tom Keane, it made me want to be a student again,” said Esteves, a chief executive at SESCO, Inc. which provides energy conservation consulting to utility companies. “As a matter of fact, if I lived locally I would be a student again!” |
