Querrey InQbation Lab: New Accelerator Opens to Fuel Faculty Members’ Research-based Entrepreneurship
The Querrey InQbation Lab will give these entrepreneurial faculty the resources to realize their potential and maximize the benefits to society.”
The evolution of Northwestern University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem continued in Spring 2022 with the debut of the new Querrey InQbation Lab in downtown Evanston. Aiming to become a magnet for research-based entrepreneurship, the InQbation Lab is designated for the translation of Northwestern-created technologies. It supplies early-stage companies affordable lab space alongside programming support and access to translational talent and resources. With its proximity to campus, collaborative environment, and targeted programming, the InQbation Lab will help fuel the growth of promising startups, energize faculty entrepreneurship, and further expand Northwestern’s impact on society.
The InQbation Lab offers its residents a growing network of enthusiastic mentors consisting of seasoned entrepreneurs, industry executives, and venture capitalists as well as seminars and workshops focused on key topical areas of commercialization and entrepreneurship. Additional programs include a Summer Scholars program pairing resident startups with Northwestern undergraduates as well as independent studies for Kellogg MBA students to work with resident startups.
To further increase the translational pipeline, the InQbation Lab will also offer entrepreneurial fellowships for recent STEM PhD graduates and MBA graduates seeking to commercialize Northwestern research as well as an annual fellowship designed to cultivate female faculty entrepreneurs. In addition, foundry space equipped with shared lab equipment will be available to early-stage startups looking to quickly validate their concepts, while INVOForward, a multi-week program for pre-company teams to explore pertinent milestone questions, will continue in therapeutics, digital healthcare, and other industries as well.
The InQbation Lab’s earliest residents are:
- Building next generation lithium-ion batteries (Volexion)
- Perfecting wearable technologies to monitor chronic medical conditions (Rhaeos)
- Designing cell-free biosensors for rapid detection of water contaminants (Stemloop)
- Developing materials for next-generation radiological imaging (Actinia)
- Providing powerful platforms for cell and gene therapies (Syenex)
- Creating novel implantable medical devices (HemoRhythmics)
- Manufacturing high-purity proteins (Opera Bioscience)
“Northwestern innovators are pushing the bounds of science and engineering through discovery, collaboration, and promising ventures. The Querrey InQbation Lab will give these entrepreneurial faculty the resources to realize their potential and maximize the benefits to society.” - Kimberly Querrey (’22, ’23 P), Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee Chair, Northwestern University Board of Trustees.