嘿嘿视频

Campus tech incubator graduates first tenant

Hear this: Dysonics, a startup based on audio technology research conducted at the University of California, Davis, is the first company to "graduate" from the 嘿嘿视频 College of Engineering's fledgling high-tech business incubator, the Engineering Translational Technology Center, also known as ETTC. After less than a year of incubation, Dysonics secured $750,000 in funding from angel investors, enough to set out on its own.

鈥淲e are very pleased to see Dysonics, our first 鈥榞raduate,鈥 exit with a solid financing round under its belt,鈥 said Harris Lewin, vice chancellor of research at 嘿嘿视频. 鈥淲e are proud of the pioneering research conducted by Professor Ralph Algazi and his colleagues in the College of Engineering that made this successful spin-off possible,鈥 he added. 鈥満俸偈悠 has a long track record of translating cutting-edge research into technologies with strong commercial potential, and we expect to see many more such new ventures being formed from the quality research being pursued by our faculty.鈥

The Engineering Translational Technology Center was established in 2010 to help technology startups, based on intellectual property developed at 嘿嘿视频, attract support from external financial investors. The ETTC provides member companies with campus space close to the college鈥檚 laboratories as well as support, mentorship and introductions to potential investors and strategic partners.

Members are selected for admission into the business incubator through a review process that includes an assessment of the commercial potential of the faculty research and its readiness for commercial development.

鈥淲ithin the incubator, professors can stay close to their research and teaching while they develop their ideas, and students can get experience in translational technology research," said Bruce White, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at 嘿嘿视频, director of the ETTC and former dean of the College of Engineering. 鈥淭he center identifies and nurtures promising research in the college, then supports faculty in the early stages of turning their academic research into commercial products.鈥

Dysonics was founded in 2011 by Algazi of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Robert Dalton Jr., an alumnus with a master's degree in engineering from 嘿嘿视频, and Richard Duda, a former research scientist at 嘿嘿视频.

The company, which has relocated its headquarters to San Francisco, is developing products for reproducing three-dimensional, immersive sound over headphones. The technology is based on 嘿嘿视频 patents stemming from years of work conducted in Algazi's laboratory at 嘿嘿视频.

鈥淭he experience of hearing sound involves more than reproducing some acoustic vibrations at their source," Algazi said. 鈥淭he shape of the head and ears, motion of the listener, and the acoustics of the room all play a role in the experience.鈥 Algazi's research has explored how to capture and reproduce these nuances, for a more realistic, immersive listening experience.

Dysonics plans to market its technology initially to mobile device users seeking a richer, more engaging listening experience and new ways to interact with their content on their devices. Companies can also use the Dysonics technology for better audio quality for existing media and to develop new audio products and services.

Two other companies are currently being nurtured in the incubator. These are PutahGreen Systems, which makes software to dramatically reduce the energy needed to run networks by consolidating data traffic at less busy times, and Inserogen, which aims to grow vaccines for animal and human diseases in tobacco plants. Several other campus startups are being evaluated for potential admission into the ETTC.

The ETTC is one of several initiatives being undertaken at 嘿嘿视频 that are designed to foster entrepreneurial activities and translational research on campus and facilitate effective technology transfer and new company creation as a means of achieving the university鈥檚 mission of service to people and society. Since 2004, more than 40 new companies have been spun off from 嘿嘿视频 research. The university held 375 active patents at the end of the 2011 fiscal year.

Media Resources

Andy Fell, Research news (emphasis: biological and physical sciences, and engineering), 530-752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu

Bruce White, College of Engineering, (530) 752-6451, brwhite@ucdavis.edu

Ralph Algazi, Electrical and Computer Engineering, (530) 752-8066, vralgazi@ucdavis.edu

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