Someone asked me, “Jean, what are you doing with Graphene?” I was at my weekly real estate investing meeting when a fellow real estate investor asked me about the Facebook Check-in post I made while at the “Global Graphene Expo & Conference” held by the National Graphene Association.
The answer is, I’m also a Technology Commercialization Specialist.
What is Technology Commercialization?
Think of it as a business that is based on a Technology product or service. The inventor that has 25 patents but no money to show for it, the researcher that discovers a novel way that disrupts people’s lives, but can’t communicate the solution in a way to create revenues. It’s the bridge between the idea or invention, and the business.
As you can imagine, being a brilliant inventor without knowing how to build a business will not create revenues, much like not knowing basic business principles when getting into real estate investing will result in many hard lessons for the investor, especially if they were told by some “guru” that they can get rich in Real Estate Investing.
Why Graphene?
To get back to the question, what am I doing with Graphene? As you know I network in several capacities. My Master’s Degree in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin has blessed me with a great network of Alumni that all have various backgrounds and connected with various disciplines, one being Graphene.
When I connected with an Angel Investor here in Austin, he asked for my help setting up the Investor Session Pitch at the NGA Event this past week. Given my background both in technology commercialization, and holding events (remember the “Field Trips” I used to host?), I was able to reach out to several qualified investors, venture capitalists and connect them with the best and brightest graphene startups. The investor pitch session went well. The investors were engaged in the presentations and I received feedback that some investors wanted to follow up with several of those that pitched their businesses.
Needless to say, what I’ve learned about Graphene is phenomenal. The cream of the crop of the Graphene Industries were at the event, and I was told I was only “one handshake away from a Nobel prize winner”.
I was honored to help such a professional organization, the National Graphene Association, whose mission is to commercialize graphene applications.
What is Graphene?
I am not a scientist, and I don’t need to be a scientist to understand how a technology combined with a great business model can create massive revenues. I’m sure you can find more information in-depth at the National Graphene Association, but here is a synopsis of it’s capabilities:
- 200 times stronger than steel
- 100,000 times thinner than human hair
- 1000 times more conductive than silicon
- 1,000,000 times higher current carrying capacity than copper
- and more…
Entrepreneurs Wear Many Hats
I began this blog in 2009 to share my learnings and experiences in real estate investing. I hope you’ve enjoyed the experiences I’ve shared, and also hope you don’t mind as this blog transitions to incorporate other revenue generating venues.