Kailey Shara, ATLAS PhD student, takes home top awards from both NVC 14 and New Venture Launch class, winning $17,500 for her startup, Chembotix
Kailey Shara, ATLAS PhD student and a member of the Emergent Nanomaterials Lab,won $17,500 from three 鶹ѰBoulder business competitions, includingNew Venture Challenge 14, for Chembotix, a startup offering a chemical automation robot to acceleratechemistry research and the discovery of new molecules.
Shara won first place at the NVC14 ($5000) and the NVC14 Championship Audience Choice Award ($1000). She also secured two first-place wins associated with 鶹ѰBoulder's New Venture Launch class ($11,500) taught by Jeff York, associate professor in the Leeds School of Business, and funded by the .
"For a fully remote team that was almost entirely assembled during the pandemic, it's an exciting moment for us to see our work starting to pay off," Shara said. "Chembotix is based on my PhD work at the ATLAS Institute, so this win also helps to validate a problem I care deeply about—widespread adoption of laboratory automation.”
The prize moneywill be used topay for materials to finalize the team'sprototype hardware, she said.
Through Chembotix, Shara is developing a robotic automation platform to dramatically speed up chemistry research and development. Shara’slaboratory automation research is the premise for the company, and Shara is the company's CEO.
Kailey Shara
The companyhas received support from VEX Robotics, and 鶹ѰBoulder students are assisting with mechanical, electrical and softwareengineering. Chembotix'sfirst provisional patent is in progress with Venture Partners and a second is on the way.
This is Shara's second time as anNVC participant: Last year she and her advisor, Carson Bruns, made it to the semifinals.This year her team has expanded to include eight teammates and threeadvisors, RobertDobkin, founder of the Intuitive Foundation, Kevin Noble, founder of Red Rock Rebels, and Bruns.
For 14 years, the New Venture Challengehas been 鶹ѰBoulder’s premier, cross-campus entrepreneurial program and competition, giving aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to build a startup through outstanding support and mentorship. Participants represent majors and departments from across the university.
NVC connects the 鶹ѰBoulder campus with the Boulder community to develop and fund innovative ideas. Participants attend year-round events, network and collaborate with mentors to refine their ideas and form startup teams to pitch for funding (up to $100,000!) at the NVC Championships.
The goal of the New Venture Launch class is to translate an existing product, serviceor opportunity into a real, functioning venture. Over the course of the semester, New Venture Launch teams have been competing for more than $25,000 in non-equity funding. The Robert & Kathleen Dobkin Intuitive Foundation, which is providing the funding, pairs up “young, bright entrepreneurs in business and science to help them achieve greatness together.”
Shara emphasized that she hopes her success will inspire more women to enter entrepreneurship. “There are many brilliant women out there who can and will achieve great things through their work,” she said. “Always put yourself out there. You never know when an idea in a lab can become something more.”
ATLAS students who have successfully competed in past NVCsinclude the team co-led by Cody Candler, MS-CTD '20, and Ruhan Yang, MS-CTD student, winning fourth place and taking home $12,500 in NVC 12. Ted Thayer, MS-CTD student, and two team members won fourth place and $7,500 at the NVC 11.