The Warehouse partners with NASA to launch technology mentoring into Colorado business

By: InnovatioNews Wednesday June 3, 2015 Tags: Loveland, The Warehouse, Kelly Peters, NASA, Jay Dokter, David Lung, Joe Shaw, Dan Kamrath

LOVELAND -- The Warehouse, the region’s newest business accelerator, announced a partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that will provide space agency know-how to area businesses for the purpose of economic growth and creation of primary jobs.

The Warehouse, 1215 S. Grant Ave. in Loveland, has been selected to be NASA’s first “Adopt-an-Accelerator” in the nation.

“NASA’s agreement to make The Warehouse their first Adopt-an-Accelerator in the nation is a proud moment for all of Northern Colorado,” said Kelly Peters, The Warehouse’s executive director.

“This Warehouse tool will allow our region’s firms to have access to some of the world’s brightest researchers.”

Peters said select clients of The Warehouse will have the opportunity to get up to 40 hours of NASA assistance in developing technology, solving problems, and consulting that can push companies far beyond their capabilities. “NASA wants to see commercial solutions developed that grow primary jobs in our region and technology that could possibly help NASA in space,” she said.

Peters said there is an “open call” for companies across Colorado to apply for the NASA program.  A  Loveland company – Ensign Power Systems – will be the first to pilot and benefit from the newly formed program.

Ensign Power Systems, a maker of custom power supply products, was founded in 1995.

“Ensign Power Systems is pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with representatives from the NASA engineering team,” said Dan Danowski, company president.

“We feel it a great privilege to have this opportunity. We hope that this initial collaboration will set the foundation for a successful relationship with NASA in transfer of technology for commercialization of new business opportunities and products for Loveland and Northern Colorado.”

The Warehouse will work with NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio and receive technical advice from David Lung, DA2 Ventures, who has extensive experience working with the space agency.

“We are most pleased to have signed this formal agreement with The Warehouse accelerator,” said Joe Shaw, director of Venture Development and Partnerships at NASA Glenn.

“The agreement will lead us to working with members of The Warehouse accelerator community and apply NASA technical expertise to help solve company technology problems and therefore contribute to regional economic development by the Northern Colorado private sector.”

The Warehouse accelerator, founded by Jay Dokter and Dan Kamrath, aims to help successful startups achieve the next phase of development by commercialization of their products and services.  “Having additional technology resources available to growing companies is a huge asset to our region” said Dokter, “We are pleased to work with such a fine organization as NASA.”

Dokter is also CEO of YouSeeU, a software company that provides leading educators a video-based assignment platform that results in authentic assessment, deeper student engagement, and higher levels of personalized instruction. YouSeeU is a graduate of the Innosphere, a business incubator located in Fort Collins.

The Warehouse's primary funding source comes from the Loveland Development Fund (LDF) with collaboration and support from the City of Loveland and other organizations. The Warehouse provides select incubator graduates and stage II companies access to an integrated regional ecosystem. This includes expert advice, capital, supply chain partners, research resources, market connections, and physical resources for the purpose of accelerating their revenue growth, scale-up, and growth of primary jobs. The Warehouse is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and is eligible to receive funding through sponsorship, in-kind donations, grants, and government sources.

For more information or to apply for the NASA assistance program, visit www.WarehouseInnovation.org.

About the Author: InnovatioNews

InnovatioNews is an online news magazine spotlighting innovative companies, products and people in Colorado. Launched in June of 2012, the site is the recipient of multiple awards.