The Innovation Campus in Burlington, MA (ICBM) is a hub of revolutionary technology, where campus-based startup companies develop a wide range of products for market. The Innovation Campus currently houses 19 spinouts—most of whose founders are faculty or alumni— with the goal of expanding opportunities for collaborative, solutions-focused research.
The ICBM celebrates its companies that have graduated from their space on the Innovation Campus to commercial production. The companies range in specialization, from machine learning to wireless drones, to life sciences. Companies that have graduated include Until, URSA, and Boston Materials, among others.
Untill – Food and Beverage Manufacturing
One of the ICBM’s long-time collaborators has recently adopted a new name and location. Untill, formerly known as Evergreens, has graduated from its spinout space on the Burlington campus to a commercial facility in Hudson, Massachusetts.
Led by Northeastern alum Ahmad Zameli, untill began as a one-person operation in 2016. Within four years, the company was able to grow 100,000 pounds of produce per year. While located at the Innovation Campus, then-Evergreens began producing kale, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, and more through the use of vertical indoor farming. Zameli reveals that untill intends to add strawberries and basil to its already impressive list of products.
Zameli and his team believe that fresh and delicious produce should be available to all. Over the course of 4 years researching plant science, they invented and patented autonomous farming technology that “allows us to grow food anywhere in the world at wholesale levels, allowing us to be cost-competitive compared to conventionally grown produce.”
URSA – Unmanned & Robotics System Analysis
David Kovar, CEO of URSA—another graduated company—explains that they are now a member of the ASSURE project, with the FAA’s Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The UAS Center of Excellence is one of more than a hundred leading industry and government partners comprising the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence. URSA is a data security software company that has revolutionized the platforms used to analyze and address anomalous UAS behavior.
Boston Materials – Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
Though Boston Materials has graduated, it won’t be far from home. The company will be opening a new 40,000-square-foot factory in Billerica, MA later this year–within a few miles of the ICBM. Boston Materials’ inventive approach to carbon fiber produces stronger, lighter, and more sustainable material. Through its founder, Associate Professor Randy Erb, the company developed a proprietary process that upcycles carbon fiber scrap into high-performance materials and parts. Their materials are applicable in a variety of industries, with uses ranging from consumer electronics to hydrogen fuel cells, and more. Several blue-chip companies have successfully tested Z-axis Fiber in their products and are quickly moving towards high-volume deployment. Throughout its time at the ICBM, Boston Materials has raised close to $15M in VC funding and scaled to a nearly 30-person headcount.