VentureWell Voices

In this special bonus episode celebrating VentureWell’s 30th anniversary and National Inventors' Month , Phil Weilerstein, VentureWell president and CEO, sits down with Robert "Rob" Lemelson, professor, filmmaker, board member of The Lemelson Foundation , and son of inventor Jerome “Jerry” Lemelson. Together, they reflect on the origins of their organizations, from The Lemelson Found...

Drafty windows account for nearly 30% of U.S. home heating and cooling energy use each year—but a solution is in reach. AeroShield Materials has developed a transparent aerogel for double-pane windows that can boost thermal efficiency by up to 65%, outperforming triple panes while remaining thinner and lighter. In this episode, co-founder and CEO Elise Strobach walks listeners through her journey...

Entrepreneurship rarely looks like the highlight reel, and Véronique Peiffer knows that firsthand. A mechanical engineer, biotech founder, author, and mother, Véronique has navigated the sweaty-palms reality of building a company with limited resources, growing and managing a team before you can afford employees, and staying afloat while juggling a never-ending to-do list.  In this episode, Véroni...

From a childhood fascination with jet engines to leading a company that builds contact-free monitoring technologies for machines operating in extreme conditions, Reamonn Soto’s founder journey defies the usual playbook.  A dad, Marine veteran, and self-described unlikely college graduate, Reamonn co-founded Sensatek to create sensors that can survive and thrive in environments where almost nothing...

What if building a startup isn’t just about having a good idea, but about finding your place in the market? Adam Stager, co-founder and CEO of TRIC Robotics, began his entrepreneurial journey designing robotic technology for the defense industry. But through customer discovery, he realized the same technology could have a lasting impact in agriculture. Today, TRIC Robotics is helping farmers reduc...

While 95% of corneal illnesses are either preventable or treatable, there are millions of people waiting for a corneal transplant. After identifying a gap in the corneal donation process, Katie Solley, cofounder and CEO of Eyedea Medical, has been working with her team to make corneal surgery more accessible worldwide. In this episode, Katie shares how customer discovery helped her team refine the...

From a $30,000 prototype built in a parking lot to manufacturing devices in a 5,000-square-foot facility, Micah Ulrich, CEO of Flux Hybrids , knows a thing or two about launching a venture. Flux Hybrids develops plug-in hybrid conversion kits that allow gas or diesel vehicles to run on electricity when available, reducing the need for gas. In this episode, Micah shares his entrepreneurial journey...