UCF License Deal Puts Student-Led Spin-Out on Fast Track

(ORLANDO)- The University of Central Florida (UCF) has signed a license agreement with an award-winning student-led spin-out company that is looking to expands the market for its spray-on battery coatings.

(ORLANDO)- The University of Central Florida (UCF) has signed a license agreement with an award-winning student-led spin-out company that is looking to expands the market for its spray-on battery coatings.

The agreement gives Mesdi Systems, Inc. the tools it needs to scale-up manufacturing of its proprietary battery coating to include new markets such as the glass that is used building construction. Mesdi Systems specializes in the production and implementation of advanced spray equipment used to manufacture nano-materials and ultra-thin coatings.

“Mesdi is a clear example of the benefits of helping our student entrepreneurs enter the marketplace,” said Svetlana Shtrom, director of technology commercialization at UCF.

The company is now in position to dominate the world market in the production of large-area electrospray coating equipment that can be used to lower the manufacturing cost of high-technology products such as lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, fuel cells, and energy efficient glass. The spray technology can also improve the quality of medical products such as pharmaceuticals.

Mesdi’s Chief Technology Officer, Brandon Lojewski, co-developed the idea for Mesdi while working on the spray technology as a research assistant in Weiwei Deng’s Droplet and Energy Lab. Lojewski realized the great potential for this technology in large-scale industrial applications and formed Mesdi by winning a $10,000 award in the inaugural Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Megawatt Ventures competition.

Lojewski explained, “I am very fortunate to have the resources provided by UCF's Office of Research and Commercialization and Venture Lab. Being a UCF student and an entrepreneur allowed me to leverage assistance with company formation, venture pitch coaching, document preparation, and introductions to a network of professional start-up mentors. The relationships with these mentors led to building the Mesdi executive team and has moved the company forward in many aspects.”

Mesdi went on to win $100,000 in the DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition last year and has recently opened a manufacturing center in Brevard County.

Since the license was signed, Mesdi initiated a strategic partnership with a key player in the field of energy storage. It is Mesdi's goal to manufacture key materials and components in next-generation energy storage devices such as lithium-ion batteries and super-capacitors. Future plans for Mesdi are to implement advanced spray processes for nanotechnology and advanced materials in a wide variety of medical, industrial and energy applications.

50 Years of Achievement: The University of Central Florida, the nation’s second-largest university with nearly 60,000 students, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. UCF has grown in size, quality, diversity and reputation, and today the university offers more than 200 degree programs at its main campus in Orlando and more than a dozen other locations. Known as America’s leading partnership university, UCF is an economic engine attracting and supporting industries vital to the region’s success now and into the future. For more information, visit http://today.ucf.edu.