Pitt Faculty and Serial Entrepreneur Leverages NSF I-Corps to Launch New Venture
Paul Ohodnicki was no stranger to innovation commercialization when he arrived at the University of Pittsburgh in 2020.
Earlier in his career, he served in a corporate R&D role at PPG Industries to bring thin-film coating materials to market, playing a critical role in successful commercialization of the Solarban R100 architectural glass technology. He later worked on translational research projects for the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), where he earned the 2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and was an inventor or co-inventor on a large portfolio of patents.
Based upon his work while at the NETL, and in close collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, he also co-founded a startup company, CorePower Magnetics.
So it is not surprising that within a few years of his arrival at Pitt, where he leads the Magnetic, Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, that he co-founded his second startup with the assistance of the Pitt Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE).
Ohodnicki had already developed some ideas based upon his previous work at NETL prior to coming to Pitt and had new ideas for continuing to develop those technologies in the context of his Pitt role.
To explore the commercial potential of those ideas, he and his business partners enrolled in the NSF I-Corps training via the Innovation Institute, part of the OIE. Through I-Corps they began talking to potential customers to better understand what problems and unmet needs the innovations might solve.
As the commercial viability of those innovations came into increasing focus, the team formed a company, Sensible Photonics, and further refined the value proposition through participation in the Cleantech Open, where Sensible Photonics was chosen as a regional finalist and competed at their Global Forum in California.
The Sensible Photonics team is, from left, Paul Ohodnicki, Nick Frank, John Belechak, Leah Ohodnicki and Yang-Duan Su, on the roof at the Energy Innovation Center in the city's lower Hill District.
Sensible Photonics is proposing wireless fiber optic sensors that can be put on every distribution transformer in an electrical system, with expansion to grid storage and numerous other applications on the electric grid. The sensors can enable utilities and power equipment manufacturers to preemptively maintain transformer and other distribution equipment to avoid costly system failures. An exclusive licensing agreement has been executed with the University of Pittsburgh and the technology received an R&D 100 award in 2023.
“What we are providing is low-cost, real-time sensory information in a challenging environment for which there has not previously been a commercially viable solution,” Ohodnicki said.
To drive the commercial strategy for electric grid sensing and beyond, Sensible Photonics has recently engaged Nick Frank as Chief Commercial Officer and President. “Our products will allow our customers to be proactive rather than reactive,” Frank said. “A protocol can be developed around our accurate lifetime assessments, allowing replacement at a time of your choosing to better optimize your available transformer inventory. This is valuable for a number of reasons, including mitigating supply chain issues associated with sourcing transformers.”
The research for the technology has been financially supported through the Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Modernization Initiative and the DOE Solar Energy Technology Office.
The company was accepted into the AlphaLab Gear accelerator where it further developed prototypes and worked along the AlphaLab Gear team to understand the requirements for the devices in the field and to establish plans for a robust manufacturing process and supply chain. Moving forward, they will create a minimum viable product to go to market and ramp up operations for manufacturing and sales.
Ohodnicki is exploring taking space for the company within the Energy Innovation Center in the city’s lower Hill District, where his labs are co-located near industry partners like Duquesne Light.
Meanwhile, his lab is continuing to expand its sensor technology innovation. The lab was one of 11 recently chosen to receive grants from NETL’s Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) to develop buoy-based optical fiber sensors for measuring pH and carbon dioxide in seawater. This technology can be applied to learn how oceans efficiently capture carbon dioxide (CO2) so that processes can be developed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere for large scale decarbonization.
Could another startup be in the offing based on that research? With Ohodnicki's track record, it would not be a surprise if it comes to pass.
Bringing your research innovation to market has potentially large economic benefits for you and your department. And seeing the fruits of your research unleashed in the real world to improve or save people’s lives is a feeling almost beyond compare.
For Pitt innovators interested in exploring the commercial potential of their innovation, there are several NSF I-Corps short courses upcoming this semester where you can learn from potential customers what unmet needs your innovation might solve.