“As long as they are not carried into practice, inventions are economically irrelevant. And to carry any improvement into effect is a task entirely different from the inventing of it, and a task, moreover, requiring entirely different kinds of aptitudes...”
Joseph SchumpeterEconomist and Political Scientist
Helping Start-ups Get Started
CHALLENGE: When Massachusetts-based, Aspen Aerogels’ developed its new Spaceloft© technology to manage and conserve energy for a wide range of industrial and consumer markets, it entered an unfamiliar market. While the company was the leading provider of aerogels (nano technology) in easy-to-apply blankets and fabricated packages, it had not worked with the electric utility industry before and needed help breaking into this market.
SOLUTION: Recognizing the value of marketing its new technology to electric utilities, Aspen Aerogels’ sought SMLC’s help to identify key targets within the industry in the hope of finding a demonstration project partner to prove the technologies benefits. SMLC helped Aspen Aerogels prepare tailored promotional materials, identify productive industry events, schedule meetings with key utility staff and initiate discussions about utility weatherization rebate programs.
SUCCESS: With SMLC’s support, Aspen Aerogels’ demonstrated its technology in partnership with one of the largest electric utilities in the Unites States.