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Kodak alum wins entrepreneur award
Kodak alum wins entrepreneur award
An Eastman Kodak Co. alum and serial entrepreneur has been selected as the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society.
Kenneth Reed spent three decades in Kodak research laboratories before applying his chemical expertise in nanophase materials for new applications and new business development. Initially working in a lab at Rochester Institute of Technology, Reed in 2007 co-founded his first company, Cerion Energy, to commercialize an additive for diesel fuel that improves fuel efficiency.
Cerion was one of the first companies to exit RIT’s Venture Creations Technology Business Incubator in 2007. In 2011 Reed co-founded Cerion NR, that was focused on therapeutic treatment for central nervous system diseases, and in 2012 he founded Cerion Enterprises, a generalized nanocatalyst company.
In 2014 Reed left Cerion and established research & development and manufacturing facilities in Eastman Business Park to pursue his entrepreneurial interest. He formed his fourth company, ZeroValent NanoMetals in 2016.
“Ken has been diligent in his work to bring his discoveries out of the lab and into the market where they can have bigger impacts on society,” said Mike Riedlnger, commercialization programs manager at High Tech Rochester, in a statement. “This is a significant challenge since his work involves nanomaterials and chemistries that require financial investments and infrastructure that are well beyond those required for web and mobile app development that are in the public view.”
Reed’s work with Kodak resulted in 22 patents and induction into the Kodak Inventors Hall of Fame. The ACS award will be presented at the section’s annual recognition dinner at the Brook House Oct. 11.
Follow Velvet Spicer on Twitter: @Velvet_Spicer
(c) 2017 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-363-7269 or email [email protected]
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