New fellows join Los Alamos deep-tech entrepreneur program

The New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (LEEP) announced the fellows in its 2024 cohort. LEEP is launching its third year. The Los Alamos National Laboratory program provides a two-year fellowship for entrepreneurs focusing on deep tech for national security. The fellows are:

● Devin Fell of Sentiré Medical, developers of PerfAlert, a monitoring system making laparoscopic surgery safer by detecting life-threatening bowel perforations.

● Ilayda Samilgil of LLume, creators of Light Lace, a stretchy fabric equipped with fiber-optic sensors that measure the vital signs and physical performance of soldiers and athletes.

● Benjamin Schafer of MicroAvionics, inventors of lightweight platforms that can levitate and carry payloads in the upper atmosphere without any power supply or moving parts.

Deep tech refers to technological solutions to society’s biggest challenges, including chronic disease, climate change and clean energy, space systems and the need for next-generation materials and computing. Deep tech is often pioneered by startup companies with the freedom to be innovative, and partnering with a national laboratory such as Los Alamos can help them move faster, according to the lab.

More than 70 innovators from across the nation applied for the program last spring.

Incoming fellows will interact with an experienced network of mentors and business resources, including Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, and participate in a curriculum tailored to support high-tech business growth. Fellows are also paired with laboratory scientists in a Cooperative R&D project to accelerate demonstration of a viable product.

Applications for the fourth New Mexico LEEP cohort opened in late February. For more information, visit nmleep.com.