The Inventivity Pod

The Inventivity Pod

By The Cade MuseumEntrepreneurshipScienceTechnologyEducationSelf-Improvement
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The Inventivity Pod episodes

  • Stefano Alva: Chief Financial Officer of Farm to Flame Energy

    Stefano Alva, joins host Richard Miles to discuss how Farm to Flame Energy is providing affordable and renewable power in areas across the country.

    “So, the fuel that we’re using to power our generators is really where our patent is around, which is the way that we convert the biomass into a powderized fuel that is very uniform and it behaves in a very predictable way. So, what has been a challenge in the industry is really to be able to overcome the different types of biomass that are available and be able to find the system where you can create a uniform output out of this mixed biomass waste. And that’s exactly what our patent focuses on and what our expertise really lies in.”

    Stefano Alva is Chief Financial Officer of Farm to Flame Energy. Farm to Flame Energy was a Fibonacci Finalists in the 2021 Cade Prize Competition for Innovation. 

    To learn more about Farm to Flame Energy visit their website at ftfenergy.com or visit Wefunder.com/farmtoflameenergy2 

    25 min
  • Tready Smith: CEO of Bayshore Capital and Chairman of the Board for USA Rare Earth
    Tready Smith, CEO of Bayshore Capital and Chairman of the Board for USA Rare Earth, joins host Richard Miles to discuss rare earth metals, what its like running an investment firm, and what she looks for in potential investment companies.
     
    “We believe the team that is trying to bring an idea to market is crucial and having a, we call it a purpose-built team that has been rounded up. Having people on the team who have specific capability and experience in an area makes that team either successful or not successful. So having that purpose-built team where you look at it, you can say, oh, I see why every member of that team is critical to the success of this idea. People drive ideas, people have relationships, people are the critical part of investment success.”
     
    In this episode, Smith also shares advice for young entrepreneurs and what it was like growing up with an entrepreneur father. 
    25 min
  • Russell Donda: Great Lakes Innovation & Development Enterprise
    Russell Donda, the Entrepreneur in Residence at Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise, joins host Richard Miles to discuss the secrets to startup success.
     
    “It is the beginning of an idea, [i]f the startup is going to be successful… that idea should be novel. Secondly, it takes generally a serious plan and then working that plan and working that plan includes the other important component of startups. And that is funding, bringing money in to move that startup along.”
     
    In this episode, Donda discusses the five fundamentals for startup companies, and his own professional path that brought him to where he is today.
    29 min
  • Santh Sathya: CEO of LuftCar, LLC

    Santh Sathya joins host Richard Miles to discuss how his company, LuftCar LLC, is revolutionizing the realm of regional transportation, providing both sustainable and affordable multipurpose mobility vehicles. 

    Sathya and his company are in the process of developing hydrogen powered, modular, autonomous air and road mobility electric vehicles with vertical takeoff and landing: “A lot of people have to travel hundreds of miles to go to a large commercial airport to take an overseas trip or take a long-distance flight. So, what we are doing is promoting an alternative for those people to fly from their little hometowns, from the rural areas, from small cities to these bigger commercial airports and both those sides”. 

    In this episode, Sathya discusses how the movies he saw in his childhood inspired him to find a solution to the problems many face regarding regional transportation—only about 28% of the American population has access to air travel, because it is too tedious or expensive, but Sathya believes it does not have to continue to be this way. He believes inventors should collaborate and solve similar problems together.

    28 min
  • Raha Saremi: Founder and CEO of EcoaTEX
    Raha Saremi joins host James Di Virgilio to discuss how her company, EcoaTEX, is disrupting the highly pollutive textile industry by using natural materials to develop sustainable products for dyeing, coating, and finishing textiles.
     
    Saremi and her team developed fabric treatment methods that uses 90% less water and fewer harmful chemicals than traditional techniques: “”[T]he good thing about our method is, you don’t need to have any specific type of equipment in order to use the method, we can just modify and adjust the existing textile manufacturing equipment and use it with our technology.”
     
    In this episode, Saremi shares the experiences that inspired her to change the textile industry. She discusses how aspiring entrepreneurs need resilience, even if it means exploring avenues that hadn’t considered before. 
     
    To learn more about EcoaTEX visit their website at www.ecoatex.com
    21 min
  • Carlos Moreno: Chief Scientific Officer at ResonanceDx, Inc.
    Carlos Moreno joins host James Di Virgilio to discuss his medical diagnostic company, ResonanceDX, and his unconventional journey to becoming a medical researcher. Like many innovators, Carlos started his career in a different field, yet those experiences have proven to be beneficial: “It’s not the traditional path. Most people started either going to med school or biology as their undergraduate major. I guess sometimes I wish I had maybe not been so focused on aerospace…but as it turns out, it worked out very well for me.”
     
    Carlos Moreno is an Associate Professor at Emory University of Medicine, and the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at ResonanceDx, Inc. ResonanceDx placed in the Final Five for the Cade Prize Competition for Innovation in 2021.

    To learn more about ResonanceDx visit their website at resonancedx.com

    21 min
  • Dr. Christine Schmidt: Biomedical Engineer and Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee

    In this episode, Dr. Christine Schmidt talks with host James Di Virgilio about her research in biochemically processed nerve grafts and what inspires her as an innovator: “When you think about innovation and invention, be open to the fact that what you’re doing may have applications in different spaces and that you may take turns and enjoying those turns versus resisting. Those turns may lead you to some interesting pathways.”

    Dr. Christine Schmidt is the Chair of the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida. She is known for her work in biomaterials science and cellular tissue engineering. In 2020, Dr. Schmidt was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

    28 min
  • Using a Computer Hands-Free
    Mohit Patil and Parth Shah advise other future entrepreneurs on conceptualizing a company and its products: “Don’t come up with a solution looking for a problem, that almost always never works out…what you need is a problem. A problem that the society has, a problem that people are desperate to get solved and then use your engineering mind to think, oh, how can I solve that problem?”.

     
    Mohit Patil and Parth Shah co-founded Abilitare, a company that provides hands-free access to computers and smartphones for people with hand disabilities. Their products include: the Abili headmouse, a head-wearable sensor that allows the user to control the mouse cursor using head motions instead of hands, an adaptive switch that can be used with feet, fists, or elbows, and Dwell toolbar, a mouse clicking software.
     

    In this episode, Patil and Shah share the inspiration behind their ideas with host Richard Miles and recommend always having patience, especially when starting a new business.

     
    Click the links below to learn more:

    Abilitare Products 

    Disability Technology TEDxLSSC by Jeff Paradee

    24 min
  • A COVID-19 Antiviral Treatment
    Dr. Jean-François Rossignol discusses the development behind a class of antiviral drugs, such as Nitazoxanide and Thiazolides, that stimulate immune cells, activating gene pathways that block viral transformation: “You’re leading an entire population, and you give them a pill for treating their problems, and you cannot have any side effects, any toxicity, or any kind of things like that. You have to have a safe drug. And that’s what we did.”
     
    Dr. Jean-François Rossignol is the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Romark Laboratories in Tampa, as well as a professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease at the University of South Florida. He is a scientist, medical chemist, and physician who developed groundbreaking treatments for parasitic diseases.
     

    In this episode, Rossignol talks with host Richard Miles about his recent induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame and shares his research on antiviral drug development.

    25 min
  • Cleaning Water with the Help of Cacti
    Dr. Norma A. Alcantar discusses the mechanisms in cacti ecosystems and the personal inspiration behind her research: “There were many other things that I learned from my mother and my grandmother, very valuable. And so, I think transferring knowledge from one generation, of our parents and our grandparents to our children…I think that’s very valuable. We should not lose that ever.”
     
    Dr. Norma A. Alcantar is a Professor of Chemical, Biomedical & Materials Engineering at the University of South Florida. She is internationally known for her breakthroughs using plant-based technology to decontaminate water. Her research and applications are crucial to future global sustainability and advances in biomedical applications for Alzheimer’s and cancer.
     

    In this episode, Alcantar reflects on her recent induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame and shares her research on biomaterial from cactus plants with host Richard Miles.

    25 min

About The Inventivity Pod

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The Inventivity™ Pod, is a one-of-a-kind auditory experience brought to you by the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Florida! A podcast that celebrates innovation and…