Scott Institute and CMU Alumni Showcase Startup Innovation at NREL Industry Growth Forum
By Katelyn Haas-Conrad
Scott Institute’s Reed McManigle attended the NREL Industry Growth Forum this April to discuss the portfolio of various CMU startups and research in the energy and cleantech space. CMU alumi Kwaku Jyamfi (E&TIM ‘20), CEO of Farm to Flame Energy, Mark Kovscek (BS Mathematics and Industrial Management ’92), Founder and CEO of Conservation Labs, and Sam Pardue (MBA Tepper ’98), Founder and CEO of Indow, represented their startup companies to more than a dozen investors and corporations.
Kwaku Jyamfi (E&TIM ‘20), CEO of Farm to Flame Energy, represented his startup and participated in one-on-one meetings with investors. His company manufactures smokeless and odorless biomass-powered generators.
Mark Kovscek (BS Mathematics and Industrial Management ’92), Founder and CEO of Conservation Labs, gave a pitch presentation to investors. His company uses sensors and machine learning to monitor water usage and detect leaks in real time.
Sam Pardue (MBA Tepper ’98), Founder and CEO of Indow, gave a pitch presentation to investors. His company manufactures and markets window inserts which press inside window frames without a mounting bracket to give the comfort and efficiency of high-end replacement windows.
In its 27th year, the Industry Growth Forum (IGF) is the premier event for cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, and experts from industry and the public sector to build relationships, showcase innovative technologies, and identify disruptive business solutions. The IGF builds on decades of technical expertise and market analysis accumulated at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the nation’s only federal lab dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency research.