E-Mow is pioneering the use of biomass powered robot platforms.  Their pilot product is a biomass-powered robot harvester that produces pelletized agricultural products directly from standing crops, using the crop to power the platform through on-the-fly thermochemical fuel synthesis.  This technology has high impact in renewable fuel production, livestock feed production, and rural micro-grid power solutions.  Although the fuel technology is not new, the guidance technology is state of the art.  E-Mow plans to use vision-based navigation to improve the platform safety by classifying obstacles, improving group vehicle behaviors, and as a method of species identification for selective harvesting.

“The LITE group has shown a great understanding of the importance of entrepreneurship in an academic setting. Their mentoring and events have helped clarify the objectives of my business and technology. They have helped me identify opportunities for funding and assistance that I would not have known about otherwise. Connections with other entrepreneurs that I met through LITE have proved invaluable. I hope that other departments at Mason can follow the LITE example and build a vibrant entrepreneurship community. The LITE Pitch IT Competition was the best academic pitch event that I have attended. The venue was well selected, the advertising and schedule were well coordinated, there was adequate coordination during the selection of the presenters, and the judges provided relevant feedback. I hope to be able to attend future events from the LITE lab.”

Jason Force, Founder

Mason 3D LLC is on a mission to make complicated and expensive 3D printing technology accessible and affordable for the general public. Mason 3D offers 3D printing, 3D design, and education and training services. Their goal is to bring new 3D printing technology to anyone who wants to imagine, innovate, and create.

“Working with LITE has been extremely helpful with the start-up of our 3D printing service. From the very insightful advisers to the great Pitch IT Competition they held, LITE has provided us with resources that have been crucial to our foundation. THANK YOU!”

John Hill, President and CEO

Bringing transparency into the financial system requires a technological solution. ARIMA Ventures, LLC. seeks to create a decentralized peer-to-peer financial exchange. Every node in the network is capable of posting its own buy and sell orders; why couldn’t each user also see the offers of each other user as if each user was an exchange? This frees investors from the limitations of the conventional structure; no systematic price scalping, no dark pools, no flash crashes. We eliminate the middle-man; in the age of the internet, we no longer have a need for a ‘market’ — the internet is the market.

“The LITE has been a great resource for showcasing some of my ideas. Great feedback from some very intelligent and experienced people. I loved the first Pitch IT Competition, it was a great opportunity to reach out to the entrepreneurial community at GMU and practice my pitch for Angel VCs. I very much look forward to further interaction with the LITE team and seeing just how far ARIMA Ventures can go with their assistance!”

Joseph Vesley, President