entrepreneurship

This student is tasting start-up success with a meal delivery service for seniors

sholla4 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:33:08 +0000

This student is tasting start-up success with a meal delivery service for seniors sholla4 Mon, 03/23/2026 - 13:33

Starting a business is a delicate task. Even if you get the measurements just right, without a dash of innovation, a sprinkle of luck, and a heaping spoonful of courage, it’s likely to go straight from the oven to the bin.

Zachary Suh prepares food in the College of Public Health's Nutrition Kitchen. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Zachary Suh, however, is mastering the recipe.

Suh, a marketing major in the Costello College of Business, member of the Honors College, and a University Scholar at 91��, founded HomePlate, formerly Elderly Eats, in his sophomore year. It’s a meal service for seniors that provides medically thoughtful and culturally relevant meals made fresh and delivered right to their doorstep.

The idea first took root during COVID-19 lockdowns, when Suh’s grandmother moved in with the family as her Alzheimer’s reached late-stage. “My mom, who is a George Mason professor, became her full-time caregiver,” he said. "Caregiving takes a huge physical and emotional toll. I wanted to help her in any way I could.”

Leaning into his love for cooking, Suh took over making all the meals for his family: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He discovered that his grandmother was most interested in Korean food. “Even with her cognitive decline, you could tell she enjoyed those meals much more,” he said.

This discovery led him to another: a major gap in senior food delivery. “At one point, we looked into meal service for seniors, but we couldn’t find anything that did culturally relevant meals,” he said.

Suh is familiar with start-ups: his older brother, Jeremy Suh, founded an AI company while in college. “He’s a big inspiration for me, very much my mentor,” Suh said. “We talked about this idea for a food delivery service, about how I could bring this onto a larger scale.”

And from those conversations, Suh was encouraged to apply for the 2024 Patriot Pitch competition, hosted by Costello College of Business. HomePlate won first place in the General Entrepreneurship Track and was selected as a Mason’s Choice Award Prize winner, earning Suh $7,000 to start turning his idea into reality.

“From the very outset, what impressed me most about Zach was his unwavering commitment to helping caregivers and seniors by providing them with nutritious, culturally relevant meals that could be consumed at home,” said Jerry Pierce, MBA ’92, a retired KPMG partner and professor of accounting at Costello. “His passion for helping others is always on full display and was a big reason the audience selected him for the Mason’s Choice Award.”

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Previously, HomePlate provided meal plans with an in-house demonstration of meal prep. Now, they’re transitioning to a fresh meal delivery service. Suh works with a registered dietician to craft meals that meet the variety of dietary and health needs of senior populations, such as diabetic restrictions, sodium control, low cholesterol, and general wellness. During the pilot program in March, HomePlate focused on Korean meals with hopes to expand to other cuisines in late 2026.

For Suh, now a junior at George Mason, this shift lets him get back to doing what he loves: cooking. He is making all the meals from scratch in partnership with Kitchen of Purpose in Arlington. “You’ll see me at every stage,” he said. “In the grocery store, in the kitchen, delivering the meals, and then taking the trash out after.”

Being both a student and a business owner is certainly a balancing act. Suh said that it wouldn't be possible without the phenomenal support from George Mason. Costello’s Office of Career Services and Jeremy Plotnick, director of minor programs for Costello, have been key supporters. Plotnick mentored Suh and helped him register his work on the business as an internship, allowing him to prepare for the relaunch while earning academic credit toward his degree. Working in the MIX incubator connected him to student and alumni entrepreneurs. Professors have offered advice. Even while studying abroad at Mason Korea, he was able to network and pitch his business through the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as attend a one-week accelerator program in Australia.

“I don’t think you get this level of care and mentorship at other universities,” Suh said. “Being a George Mason student gives you access to this unparalleled network of professionals who have so much knowledge."

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George Mason delivers first commercialization under Virginia’s Lab-to-Launch initiative

Katarina Benson — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:27:52 +0000

George Mason delivers first commercialization under Virginia’s Lab-to-Launch initiative Katarina Benson Wed, 02/25/2026 - 14:27

91�� has become Virginia’s first R1 research institution to commercialize a product under the state’s new Lab-to-Launch initiative, marking an early milestone in the commonwealth’s push to accelerate university research into the market.

Anthony Fung. Photo provided

In January, the George Mason Research Foundation entered into a license agreement with serial entrepreneur Anthony Fung and his company Valorlox LLC for the patented technology GMU Dynamic Low Visibility Pneumatic Cofferdam, a coastal resilience system designed to protect against flooding. This is the first commercial product to move forward under the new statewide commercialization framework.

Invented at George Mason by George L. Donohue, professor emeritus and founding director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at the College of Engineering and Computing, the cofferdam is an inflatable, permanently anchored system that when deployed creates a water-tight barrier in under 16 minutes without heavy equipment to protect vulnerable communities from most flood events. When not deployed, the system functions as a low-profile boardwalk, blending into waterfront environments rather than standing as a permanent wall.

The cofferdam’s potential to protect communities from floods while supporting economic growth is what attracted Fung, the Valorlox LLC founder and the commonwealth’s former deputy secretary of technology.

His support—as well as that of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and Mason Enterprise—has helped move the project toward commercialization. Valorlox is the first company in Virginia to complete a Virginia Fast-Track License, which enables them to apply for up to $50,000 in VIPC commercialization funding.

“The cofferdam project brings together everything I’ve learned about business, government, innovation, and solving real problems,” said Fung. “It’s exactly the kind of challenge I want to tackle.”

The cofferdam’s commercialization demonstrates how the Lab-to-Launch initiative is intended to work: university research, streamlined licensing, and experienced entrepreneurs working together to move innovation into the marketplace. The team is currently working on a prototype.

George L. Donohue. Photo provided

Developed through a collaboration between VIPC and the state’s six R1 research university partners—91��, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary—the Lab-to-Launch initiative aims to significantly increase the number of startups emerging from Virginia’s universities and help move technological breakthroughs to the marketplace, through a “fast track license.” Instead of taking months, a licensing agreement can now take weeks.

“It’s been a strategy for the last five years,” said Paula Sorrell, George Mason’s associate vice president for innovation and economic development. “George Mason has created several programs to support the lab-to-market activities by providing wrap-around services for faculty. This not only helped build the pipeline of technologies ready for market and created the support system to make them successful, but then got this first technology through this terrific new state program.”

Designed for both commercial and residential use, the cofferdam system has potential applications for protecting homes, apartments, airports, military bases, hospitals, data centers, power generation facilities, tunnels, bridges, and rail systems.

“The potential for property damage avoidance in the future is hard to estimate, but could be huge,” Donohue said.

The invention has been years in development and Donohue shares the patents with former students, now George Mason alumni Adel Youssef, BS Systems Engineering ’20; Lucciana Remy, BS Systems Engineering ’20; Faris Masri, BS Systems Engineering ’20; and Murat Gokturk, BS Systems Engineering ’20.

The George Mason Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and aiding research and scientific investigation at George Mason. GMRF manages patents and commercializes intellectual property by negotiating licensing agreements with motivated entrepreneurs and members of the business community. George Mason has a number of technologies moving toward commercialization through the Lab-to-Launch initiative.

Mason Enterprise^TM is the host to federal, state, and local programs that support a portfolio of more than 33,000 start-ups and small businesses across Virginia. Last year participating companies received more than $2.8 billion in follow-on funding, and more than 58,000 entrepreneurs, small business owners, students, and research faculty attended workshops and educational programs, received individual counseling, were assisted with product development, resided in an incubator, or received intellectual property advice.

The commercialization of the cofferdam technology also supports Building a Climate-Resilient Society, one of the six interconnected solutions of George Mason’s Grand Challenge Initiative, a comprehensive research framework to secure the future we want. Learn more.

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George Mason alum wants coffee to create intentional moments of rest

Katarina Benson — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:15:08 +0000

George Mason alum wants coffee to create intentional moments of rest Katarina Benson Wed, 02/18/2026 - 15:15

Michael J. A. Davis, BA Integrative Studies ’09, roasts coffee using the time-honored pan-roasting tradition of beans tumbling in a pan as the smoke rises like incense. What once fueled his long workdays eventually became his antidote to corporate burnout. In fall of 2024, he brought that transformation back to 91�� in a bag labeled “Brave & Bold.”

After Davis graduated from George Mason in 2009, he began working in corporate branding for government and public and private sectors. Over time, his work evolved to sit at the intersection of branding and inclusion, helping Fortune 500 companies think through equitable design.

Davis created a special flavor for George Mason, called Brave & Bold. Photo provided

“Through all of those projects, coffee became like a battery pack to keep me awake, productive, and delivering on time,” said Davis. “That's how a lot of us in the Western hemisphere kind of relate to coffee.”

That relationship shifted in 2015, when Davis first encountered the pan-roasted coffee in the back kitchen of an Ethiopian café in Falls Church, Virginia. Watching the beans being roasted in small batches made coffee feel less like a commodity and more like an art. That visit sent Davis on a journey into coffee’s deeper history.

“Through research, conversations with friends of the Ethiopian and Somali communities in Virginia, and time spent learning from family members in the countryside of the Dominican Republic, I came to understand coffee’s long history of traditional roasting and brewing is very much alive,” said Davis. “These communities don’t treat coffee as something to rush through; it’s intentional, it’s communal.”

As his corporate career intensified, coffee became a grounding ritual. Working as a consultant, Davis spent his days in what he recalled were emotionally draining conversations with executives while advocating for marginalized communities.

“Those conversations really beat me up and really took a toll on my mental health and my emotional health,” said Davis. “But during those years, roasting coffee was a ritual of rest for me.”

After leaving the corporate world in 2023, Davis founded Tinycup Coffee to share the idea that coffee is much more than fuel for productivity.

"Tinycup preserves this long history of coffee in Black and Brown communities in the global south by teaching Western coffee drinkers to change their relationship with coffee,” said Davis. “Our mission is to help coffee lovers to experience coffee, not as fuel to power through the Monday morning grind, but as a ritual of rest and restoration.”

In summer of 2024, Davis partnered with George Mason to create a co-branded coffee. He tested his flagship Tinycup roast with members of the George Mason community, refining the flavors to reflect the university’s character. From there, he turned to branding, naming it “Brave & Bold: The Patriot Roast” in collaboration with David Atkins, executive director of brand development and licensing at George Mason’s Office of University Branding, who initially introduced the co-branding opportunity to Tinycup.

TinyCup coffee is pan-roasted, a specific technique. Photo provided

For Davis, the name nods to George Mason’s history while centering on the community who carries that legacy forward, and he hopes Tinycup becomes a reminder that being “Brave & Bold” can also mean choosing rest.

For students considering becoming an entrepreneur, Davis shares some advice he wishes someone had told him: “Don’t let hustle culture convince you that rest is ‘lazy’—protect your energy like it’s the most important asset you have. You have more time than you think, so give yourself permission to step back, breathe, restore—those quiet moments are what keep your creativity, joy, and heart alive and well for the long term.”

Brave & Bold: The Patriot Roast coffee blend can be found online and at on-campus convenience stores. A percentage of sales is returned to the university.

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The George Mason alumni behind SOSS Bros and their secret sauce

Katarina Benson — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:30:05 +0000

The George Mason alumni behind SOSS Bros and their secret sauce Katarina Benson Mon, 02/02/2026 - 11:30

For the 91�� alumni founders of SOSS Bros, it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight—but it was lunch.

In their first year, Hesham Hafez, BS Community Health ’09, and Lance Ahmadian, BS Finance, Management ’12, went head-to-head in an eating competition at the Taco Bell in the Johnson Center. “We had a competition for who could eat the most chalupas. And we both ate, like, eight, and then we died,” Lance said, laughing.

Despite the pain, the experience cemented their friendship, which grew to include Hesham’s brother Karim Hafez, BS Civil and Infrastructure Engineering ’12, MS ’13. Along with being fraternity brothers at George Mason’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, the three bonded over food.

“We’re all foodies,” Hesham said. “When we sit and eat a meal, we see it as kind of a sacred moment.”

From left, Lance Ahmadian, Hesham Hafez, and Karim Hafez in the Johnson Center Market with their SOSS. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

That pursuit of a perfect meal—and the perfect accompanying sauce—was the initial spark behind SOSS Bros. The recipe for SOSS—which stands for smoked original secret sauce—originated with Hesham, who’d perfected it over the years and would often share it with family and friends. Lance was immediately hooked: “It was unhateable.”

It took a few more years to convince Hesham to take the product commercial, but once he and Lance committed, they were all in—and they leaned on Karim to corral and guide their creativity.

“I’m the part of the business that is more coming from an engineering background,” Karim said. “I put all the operational and logistics stuff together.”

Still, challenges awaited, especially as the trio looked for partners to scale up production. “Ninety-nine of them said ‘No, we can’t do this the way that you guys want to do it. It’s not going to work,’” Karim said. But the trio refused to compromise on ingredients or their recipe. Their grit and persistence paid off when they at last found a bottler willing to do it their way.

Their first public event was in May 2025 in Richmond, Virginia. “We did over 2,000 samples,” Lance said. “And I can count on one hand how many people said they didn’t like it.”

And they gained even more fans when they brought the sauce along to a Patriots men’s basketball game at EagleBank Arena. Fast forward six months and many conversations with George Mason’s Intercollegiate Athletics and David Atkins, executive director of brand development and licensing at George Mason’s Office of University Branding, and the Brave & Bold blend of SOSS was born. An official collaboration between SOSS Bros and 91��, the blend can be found online and at on-campus convenience stores. A percentage of sales go back to the university.

SOSS Bros couldn’t be more homegrown. All three grew up in Northern Virginia, and their existing roots in the area played a major role in their decision to come to George Mason. They also cite the university’s ample and diverse social opportunities. “I wanted to be part of a community,” Lance said.

Karim credits opportunities through the Volgenau School of Engineering for his career after graduation. “I spent about seven years with Turner Construction, and I think George Mason really set me up,” he said, mentioning hands-on experiences like concrete testing and bridge design that gave him the skills he needed as a civil engineer.

He continues to use these skills as a consultant while working for SOSS part-time. Lance works full time in commercial real estate as a senior investment associate for the Greysteel Company, where he’s worked since graduating from George Mason, and Hesham works for SOSS full time.

Asked about their advice for current Patriots, all three mention patience and determination. “You have to give a minimum of six months…to what you’re doing,” Lance says. “You can't just do something and give up and try something else, because you haven't given it time.”

As for the secret sauce that makes up SOSS Bros? “We're a team that has a ton of fun,” Karim said. “I think we're truly the definition of work hard, play hard, but we really do play first—I mean, eat first.”

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Costello-inspired entrepreneur fuels success through hydration and hustle

Katelynn C Hipolito — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:32:57 +0000

Costello-inspired entrepreneur fuels success through hydration and hustle Katelynn C Hipolito Thu, 01/22/2026 - 13:32

While growing up, Jheen Oh’s parents always prioritized health, especially his father. “He was always into the latest health trends and products and natural remedies,” he said. With that health‑conscious mindset already in place, Oh had a breakthrough idea while working for a startup in 2017.

Jheen Oh standing in front of his product, Susosu Water. Photo provided

“I realized that a lot of these major water brands are really just made from purified water, which now people are starting to realize it’s just another word for manufactured tap water, which doesn’t provide you the hydration nor the health benefits that you think it does,” he said.

With the help of his father, he launched Susosu Water, the only naturally sourced mineral water from a 600-foot underground source in South Korea, infused with extra hydrogen for a much healthier hydration.

Before enrolling at the Costello College of Business at 91��, Oh was often told by his parents that he was destined to work in business.

“It wasn’t until getting to George Mason that it really clicked and activated my passion for business, with aspects like building relationships, networking with the right people, and hustling,” he said.

Those connections helped him land a position at his first startup and helped him discover the kind of work that he was passionate about.

“It wasn’t until getting to George Mason that it really clicked and activated my passion for business, with aspects like building relationships, networking with the right people, and hustling.”

— Jheen Oh

The COVID-19 pandemic became a major turning point for Oh and Susosu Water, presenting both challenges and opportunities. As consumers rapidly shifted to online shopping, Oh saw a growth of approximately 295% in revenue, prompting him and his business partner to quit their full-time jobs and focus on Susosu. When issues with their Amazon storefront temporarily halted their momentum, they were forced to pivot.

“We had to figure something out, and it was from a simple Google search when we realized that we had to start getting into the wholesale part of our business and started developing that and partnered up with a local food and beverage accelerator program based out of Washington, D.C.,” he said. “We got our big break from Giant Foods, which is huge for us, especially in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, and that’s when we actually got a partnership with UNFI, which is the largest natural and organic distributor.”

At the same time, they were able to get their Amazon account restored, allowing Susosu Water to evolve into a business driven roughly 40% by e-commerce and 60% by wholesale. Susosu Water can be found in approximately 650 retail stores, including the Giant in Fairfax’s University Mall, with growth continuing to accelerate.

Oh reiterates the importance for Costello students to take advantage of their networks, connecting with their classmates, faculty members, alumni, and community partners.

“You’re paying to be around a lot of high-level people, and you just never know who’s going to contribute to your career post-graduation or even during school to set you up for what you want to do,” he says. “One of the core foundations of entrepreneurship is really networking and relationships.”

Along with attending networking events, he encourages students to take as many internships as possible to gain experience, expand skill sets, and explore their passions. Through Handshake, he has hired numerous George Mason students as interns.

Additionally, Oh is excited to return to campus to mentor young entrepreneurs for the upcoming Patriot Pitch Competition, an experiential learning opportunity where students compete for prize funding to launch their business ventures.

As Susosu Water continues to grow, Oh hopes his path inspires Costello students to stay bold, stay connected, and pursue opportunities with the same drive and determination that transformed his vision into reality.

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The MIX: Where George Mason students turn ideas into impact

ckearney — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:41:10 +0000

The MIX: Where George Mason students turn ideas into impact ckearney Mon, 01/05/2026 - 13:41

At 91��, innovation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a culture. One of the campus spaces championing this culture is the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), a hub where creativity and entrepreneurship intersect.

Computer science student Jagan Yekturi (left) took third place in the student track at the annual Accelerate Investor Conference. Photo provided

MIX programs, such as the MIX Incubator, the Student Innovators Launchpad, and featured programs working with drones, robotics, and other technologies, help George Mason students transform their bold ideas into real-world solutions with guidance from experienced mentors, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities.

In November 2025, George Mason student innovators made waves at the annual Accelerate Investor Conference, a two-day event held at Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, which brought together investors, founders, and thought leaders. Among 50 start-ups and more than 20 student teams, four teams from the MIX Incubator and its Student Innovator Launchpad program—AccelP3 (bioinformatics and computational biology PhD students Morolake Okanlawon, Yingjie Zhang, and Hsuan Chih Kuo), Aniwear (mechanical engineering student Josh Peterson), Anvil Labs LLC. (electrical engineering students Justin Luckenbach and Chelsea Camacho-Zambrana), and EduVerse (computer science student Jagan Yekturi)—had the opportunity to pitch their ideas in the student track. These teams showcased cutting-edge solutions, from bioinformatics tools to heating and cooling wearable tech.

Yekturi’s EduVerse, earned third place and an $1,000 prize for its platform connecting students and recruiters. “The MIX Incubator strengthened my ability to define a clear Ideal Customer Profile and align my solution directly with customer pain points,” Yekturi said. “The feedback and support accelerated my learning far beyond what I expected.”

“The biggest benefit for us was getting a chance to network with people in our industry who could help us take our business to the next step,” said Luckenbach, co-founder of Anvil Labs LLC.

Doctoral student Morolake Okanlawon (with microphone) presents on behalf of the AccelP3 team at Accelerate Investors Conference. Photo provided

The MIX experience goes beyond competition. Through integration with the National Science Foundation I-Corps program, students gain exposure to lean start-up principles, customer discovery, and commercialization strategies—all essential for scaling a business.

Gisele Stolz, senior director of Entrepreneurship Programs and director and co-PI of George Mason’s I-Corps Program; Sampson Addo, program manager of the I-Corps Program; and Minjin Batzorig, the MIX’s program and operations coordinator, manage and provide support for these programs. Mentors like George Siragusa of the Virginia Small Business Development Centers, Adam Phillips of AthletesInnovate, and Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program mentors Elizabeth Pyle and William McPheat provided invaluable guidance throughout the journey.

The MIX Student Innovators Launchpad is designed to help junior and senior undergraduate, masters, and PhD students transform ideas rooted in tech and deep-science research into viable businesses. Participants learn about customer discovery, market evaluation, and commercialization strategies, emphasized through integration with the NSF I-Corps program. The program culminates in a showcase where students pitch to a panel of investors, industry professionals, and entrepreneurs, making the Accelerate Conference a natural extension of their entrepreneurial journey.

Doctoral student Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan took first place for breast cancer screening technology at the Pitch Enterpreneur competition in November. Photo provided

The MIX Launchpad concluded in November with a Pitch Entrepreneur Competition, where AeroHealth, led by civil and infrastructure engineering PhD candidate Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, won first place for her innovative approach to breast cancer screening.

“The MIX Pitch Entrepreneur Competition showed me that success comes from stepping out of comfort, embracing challenge, and growing through failure,” Shan said.

Looking ahead, the MIX Student Innovators Launchpad is recruiting for its Spring 2026 cohort. Applications are open until mid-January, and accepted teams will kick off on February 6. This program prepares students for opportunities like Patriot Pitch and other funding opportunities. Interested? Apply here.

To learn more about entrepreneurship opportunities at George Mason, contact Batzorig at mbatzor@gmu.edu.

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A new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship opens in Mason Korea

ckearney — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:09:27 +0000

A new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship opens in Mason Korea ckearney Thu, 11/20/2025 - 12:09

As Korea and the United States deepen their cooperation in technology and entrepreneurship, Mason Korea has opened a Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) in Songdo. This center is the global extension of the center of the same name at the Costello College of Business in Fairfax.

Center director Sungyee Kim talked about the mission of the center and its plan for future programs at the opening. Photo provided

The new center connects two campuses across two continents. Together, they will expand entrepreneurship education; strengthen collaboration among universities, industry, and research institutions; and help Korean start-ups reach global markets.

“The launch of CIE in Korea marks a meaningful step in linking Korea and the United States through a global entrepreneurship platform,” said Joshua Park, campus dean of Mason Korea. “By connecting Songdo with Northern Virginia, we hope to build an innovation network where students, researchers, companies, and institutions can collaborate and grow together.”

The opening ceremony brought together representatives from Fairfax and key partners across the region. David Burge, vice president for enrollment management at George Mason, and JK Aier, senior associate dean at Costello, joined leaders from the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, the Incheon Global Campus Foundation, Seoul National University, Incheon Technopark, Inha University, domestic start-up support teams, and student entrepreneurs.

Sungyee Kim, the new center’s director, talked about the mission of the center and its plan for future programs. “We want to create programs that help students shape their ideas and support companies as they grow beyond Korea,” she said. “By tapping into George Mason’s global network, we aim to nurture innovative talent and contribute to a sustainable start-up ecosystem.”

Built as a global hub, CIE Korea will focus on fostering Korea–U.S. entrepreneurial talent, advancing applied research through partnership with industry and research institutions, and supporting Korean start-ups as they explore overseas markets. The center plans to provide education and mentoring, guidance on business models and commercialization, and support in law, compliance, and intellectual property, along with soft-landing and investment-network services for global expansion.

Looking ahead, CIE will strengthen support for entry into the U.S. East Coast through George Mason’s Northern Virginia International Soft Landing Accelerator (NISA) and develop a model aligned with Incheon’s specialized industries. It also plans to expand joint research with faculty and regional partners, building what it envisions as a “global entrepreneurship innovation belt” that links Songdo and Northern Virginia.

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A new era of global growth: George Mason and Naugen launch international innovation accelerator

ckearney — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:54:56 +0000

A new era of global growth: George Mason and Naugen launch international innovation accelerator ckearney Tue, 11/18/2025 - 10:54

This month, a new Northern Virginia International Soft-Landing Accelerator (NISA) program, designed to help start-ups from around the globe find guidance, connections, and lab or office spaces at no cost, was launched to help develop new technologies in life sciences.

Participants in the six-month program will have access to George Mason’s cutting-edge labs. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Applications are now open for the first NISA cohort. Participants in the six-month program will have access to 91��’s cutting-edge labs, research, and strong business and government network across the region, propelling ideas from lab to market quickly. Selected companies can work from lab or office space at Endeavor234 and Centerfuse while drawing on support from local legal, financial, real estate, and accounting partners to ease their move into the community.

The program is led by George Mason in partnership with Naugen, a global innovation accelerator recognized for helping ventures enter and grow in untapped markets, at its Science and Technology Campus, located in the heart of the new Innovation District, founded by Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and George Mason. Naugen and George Mason are collaborating with regional economic development groups and private-sector partners on the initiative.

“Many international start-ups bring outstanding technologies, but they often face challenges with the U.S. investment landscape and limited networks. NISA exists to bridge that gap,” said Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen. “By combining Naugen’s global expertise with Northern Virginia’s thriving ecosystem, we are building a launchpad where international innovators can put down U.S. roots and scale into true worldwide enterprises.”

NISA is also partnering with Mason Korea to help South Korean founders explore opportunities in the United States. At Mason Korea, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), led by the Costello College of Business, introduces early-stage start-ups to the fundamentals of building and testing their ideas through workshops, pitch events, applied projects, and one-on-one guidance. CIE also works with teams that are beginning to look abroad, helping them understand what it takes to reach the U.S. market and linking them with NISA and contacts in Northern Virginia’s start-up ecosystem.

“We meet talented founders every day in South Korea who are eager to take the next step,” said Joshua Park, campus dean of Mason Korea. “CIE pushes them to think more deliberately about their idea, their timing, and the direction they want to take.”

From left, Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation at 91��; Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen; and Joshua Park, campus dean of Mason Korea, at the NISA launch. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“NISA, along with investments in expanding the life science ecosystem and establishing the Innovation District, is helping build a destination for next-generation companies from around the world in Northern Virginia with benefits across the state,” said Christina Winn, executive director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. “Propelling this sector and bolstering the local entrepreneurial network is creating a vibrant place where industries and communities succeed together.”

Part of NISA’s funding comes from the George Mason-managed Innovation District grant, a $3.9 million investment from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development that strengthens and diversifies Virginia’s economy and fosters the creation of high-wage jobs in strategic industries. Virginia plays a key leadership role as part of the Biohealth Capital Region and is home to the nation’s third-largest biopharma cluster.

“Our goal is not just to attract businesses. We want them to see Manassas as home,” said Patrick Small, economic development director for the City of Manassas. “That means matching founders with the right resources and making sure their employees have access to excellent schools, welcoming neighborhoods, and the amenities that make people want to stay and build their future.”

“NISA participants can take advantage of George Mason’s world-class core facilities, including our biocontainment facility and CAP/CLIA-accredited laboratory,” said Amy Adams, executive director of the Innovation District and George Mason’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation. “George Mason helps innovators shorten the journey from concept to commercialization through pairing these resources with top-tier expertise.”

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Commonwealth Cyber Initiative helps launch new start-ups

Katarina Benson — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 16:06:56 +0000

Commonwealth Cyber Initiative helps launch new start-ups Katarina Benson Tue, 11/04/2025 - 11:06

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Accelerator (CCI+A) program is a jam-packed, five-month innovation program that’s fueling cybersecurity entrepreneurship across Virginia. It’s teaching professors and start-ups what it takes to bring technology to market, including how to pitch to a panel of investors and industry leaders.

“Supporting cybersecurity start-ups and bringing ideas out of universities and into the marketplace are an essential part of the CCI’s mission,” said Luiz DaSilva, executive director of CCI. “We’re excited to help these start-ups reach their milestones and create new opportunities and jobs in the commonwealth.”

The program began at 91�� and has expanded statewide. It’s co-funded by the CCI Northern Virginia Node and the CCI Hub.

Rui Ning of DeepScan presenting their pitch. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

"Since its launch at 91�� in 2022, CCI+A has accelerated 34 technologies from across Virginia," said Liza Wilson Durant, CCI Northern Virginia Node director, associate dean of strategic initiatives and community engagement at George Mason, and College of Engineering and Computer professor. "Each year we've seen the teams increase their customer engagement and elevate their competitive pitch performance. It's exciting to see several entities undergo acquisition and see the impact of the program on Virginia economic development."

The CCI+A program works on two tracks—the CATAPULT Fund supports teams emerging from Virginia public research universities and the ASCEND Fund focuses on start-up teams collaborating with faculty subject matter experts. The teams receive up to $75,000 to help them commercialize their technology.

CCI funded 10 projects this year. On October 16, teams from both tracks competed to pitch their start-ups to a panel of investors and industry leaders. The winning team from each category received an additional $5,000 in funding.

The CATAPULT winning team is DeepScan, led by Rui Ning, an assistant professor in computer science at Old Dominion University (ODU). The team also includes Maia Lin and Yao Wang from ODU.
The ASCEND winning team is Glacier21, a start-up led by CEO Ren McEachern, a former FBI agent. Team members include Robert Appleton, Mike Borowski, Neil Alexander, along with George Mason professor Foteini Baldimsti.

The CCI+A program is coordinated by Gisele Stolz, senior director of entrepreneurship and innovation at George Mason.

Meet the Winners

DeepScan

While artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a requirement on our smartphones and other devices, security is lagging, said Ning, DeepScan team lead. Hidden triggers can hijack behavior, and many apps ship models that are easy to tamper with. DeepScan promises to protect on-device AI without slowing down performance. First-time winner Ning is a veteran of CCI+A and put what he learned from a past program to good use.

“The program taught me how to communicate technical ideas in a way that connects with broader audiences,” Ning said. “I’ve always been curious about entrepreneurship because it feels like a natural way to translate research into something that can make a difference. It’s another path to extend our impact beyond papers and grants.”

Glacier21

Glacier21 is focusing on combating illicit cryptocurrency activities. The platform integrates data from such sources as social media, data leaks, and the deep/dark web to uncover complex connections between crypto wallets, businesses, and individuals.

Glacier21 presented their platform focused on combating illicit cryptocurrency activities. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

CCI+A helped the team with the execution, McEachern said. “When we were lucky enough to be selected into the CCI+A program, it didn't just open up some resources; it opened up access to people and vast networks that totally changed our strategy and our thinking.”

Foteini Baldimsti, an associate professor of computer science at Mason, worked with Glacier21 to provide technical expertise. “It's very nice to see how your academic work can help a start-up and give technical knowledge,” Baldimsti said. “But I think it's also very interesting as an academic to learn from this project and from the CCI+A program about how you can bring your own ideas and how you can participate in one of the next cohorts and be on the other side as the founder of the company. I think this experience has been very, very valuable.”

In This Story

Liza Wilson Durant

Foteini Baldimtsi

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Guiding innovation: Meet the George Mason mentors helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into impact

ckearney — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:31:31 +0000

Guiding innovation: Meet the George Mason mentors helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into impact ckearney Wed, 10/08/2025 - 15:31

In the heart of Northern Virginia’s Innovation District, you can feel the buzz of ideas turning into action. Labs hum with experiments, whiteboards fill with sketches of prototypes, and the seeds of new ventures begin to grow. Guiding these entrepreneurs and inventors are TJ Master and Elizabeth Pyle, mentors with the Virginia Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP).

TJ Master. Photo provided

Their job? Helping early-stage entrepreneurs transform vision into viable business strategy.

For both Master and Pyle, mentoring is more than advising—it’s about meeting founders where they are, asking tough questions, and helping them navigate the uncertain early stages of growth.

“I’m a go-to-market expert,” Master said, describing his background that spans Business-to-Consumer, Business-to-Business, and Business-to-Government sectors. “At ICAP, I work with teams from ideation through scaling. Most teams come in with an idea of their initial market and value proposition—I help them test those assumptions and figure out how to turn early interest into a go-to-market plan that makes sense.”

Master’s experience is hard-earned. He helped lead a global communications company from start-up to more than $100 million in annual revenue across six countries—culminating in a NASDAQ IPO. Now, his focus is on using that experience to fuel others’ success. “Working within a community of peers fosters collaboration and shared learning,” he said. “Founders get access to objective guidance in a space where everyone’s trying to solve similar problems.”

For Pyle, mentorship has always been about helping ideas find traction in the real world. Over the past two decades, she’s worked with start-ups and growth-stage companies in tech and health care, supporting founders as they turn ideas into sustainable businesses.

Elizabeth Pyle. Photo provided

As chief operating officer of Aperiomics, Pyle led operations and regulatory strategy. Before that, she helped shape the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Virginia (UVA), directing the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps site program and serving as associate director for technology entrepreneurship at UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Today, through her consulting firm, Pyle & Associates, she supports companies across industries in interim leadership roles. At ICAP, “I typically work with first-time founders and later-stage teams, faculty spinouts, and start-up to early-stage companies in life sciences, tech-enabled, and government-adjacent sectors,” Pyle said. “My focus is helping them optimize business models, prepare for funding, and build teams that can execute.”

Both mentors say that while funding is often the first thing founders mention as a challenge, it’s not the only hurdle.

“Many teams haven’t deeply defined the problem they’re trying to solve,” Pyle said. “They focus on the technology instead of the customer’s pain. What they really need to do is set the tech aside and validate the problem—understand who has it, what it looks like, and how it affects workflow.”

Hiring and limited lab space can also slow momentum.

Still, for both mentors, the region’s innovation energy is unmistakable. New initiatives like Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Lab-to-Launch program, which aims to streamline commercialization processes across Virginia’s universities, promise to make it even easier for entrepreneurs to turn ideas into impact.

“It’s an exciting initiative,” Master said. “It introduces a transparent and founder-friendly approach to licensing and tech transfer across the state, helping both researchers and entrepreneurs move their products forward faster.”

And while the innovation landscape is changing—particularly with artificial intelligence accelerating product development and investor expectations—Master sees opportunity in the shift. “Investors are asking for stronger growth signals earlier,” he said. “AI raises the bar for lean teams and drives faster hypothesis testing. That creates pressure and opportunity.”

For founders who don’t have a technical background, Pyle has simple but powerful advice: Build your team. “Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses,” she said. “Recruit people who can fill the gaps. Investors back teams who they feel can execute.”

Her second piece of guidance: Keep listening. “Leverage customer discovery interviews,” she said. “Talk to potential users, test assumptions, gather data, and refine the problem you’re solving.”

That focus on curiosity and adaptability is exactly what the Innovation District, led jointly by George Mason, Prince William County, and the City of Manassas, and anchored by George Mason’s Science and Technology Campus, hopes to cultivate—a community where researchers, students, and entrepreneurs collaborate to build something bigger than themselves.

Through ICAP, Virginia-based founders have access to free resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities designed to turn great ideas into market-ready ventures.

Master and Pyle are both on site to meet with founders and teams in the Innovation District. Learn more and register to for ICAP program benefits and mentorship through the Virginia SBDC website.

To connect with Master and Pyle, entrepreneurs can sign up for the Innovation District newsletter by emailing ibhi@gmu.edu.

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