Anna Douglas just recently finished her pursuit of a Ph.D. So, the obvious question would be "what is next?". Interestingly, her answer is the launch of a startup called SkyNano Technologies. Even though Anna had few plans to become an entrepreneur. SkyNano Technologies During work with her Ph.D. advisor, Anna came to the realization that they might be on to something. That something is the creation of low-cost nanotubes that can be used in a multitude of applications across a variety of industries. One of the most promising applications of their technology could be the production of low-cost nanotubes for use in space travel. The company is currently in the research phase and is working out of the Innovation Crossroads accelerator program inside the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A crowd favorite Anna and her company have just recently participated in the Knoxville Startup Day pitch competition and were named crowd favorite. That seems to be a pretty big accomplishment. Not just for the cash price that comes with such an award, but for demonstrating how well a job Anna did in explaining an extremely complex scientific subject to a room full of business professionals.