Big Ideas Lab podcast takes on tech spinoffs and partnerships

“It’s about the individual narratives and stories of the technologies that connect LLNL activities to something that people see and touch every day — that is priceless,” said IPO Director Matthew Garrett. “Technologies emerging from LLNL could have an impact on many challenges, and we facilitate that.”

IPO’s mission is to bring these breakthroughs to market through research collaborations, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. Partnerships at LLNL can range from start-ups and large enterprises, to universities, other national labs or a government agency, with the aim of growing the U.S. economy. Tech transfer takes many forms and might include a company licensing Lab-owned technology, accessing LLNL’s unique facilities for technology maturation, collaborating on a multi-party research project or supporting LLNL scientists interested in entrepreneurship.

One person who did just that is James DeMuth, a former-LLNL-scientist-turned-entrepreneur. While looking for an alloy to withstand the extreme heat of National Ignition Facility experiments, he and several LLNL co-inventors figured out a way to speed up 3D printing. DeMuth then co-founded Seurat Technologies, which licensed LLNL’s additive manufacturing technology for high-volume 3D metal printing in aerospace, auto and electronics.

“The Lab was able to provide effectively a safety net: an entrepreneurial leave of absence,” DeMuth said. “LLNL and IPO helped create an environment where I felt I could take a risk that I otherwise might not have taken.”