Trash2Cash-Energy, LLC awarded $5,000 grant for Stage 1 of the program
By Lauren Golin
USF Research News
TAMPA, Fla. – University of South Florida startup company, Trash2Cash-Energy, LLC, was recently selected for Stage 1 of NCIIA’s E-Team Program in the spring 2013 cycle. The company was one of only 40 teams chosen for this national program.
Trash2Cash has licensed from USF a proprietary gas to liquid process that converts naturally produced landfill gas to hydrocarbon fuels specific to the customers need, such as gasoline, diesel, or aviation fuel.
From left: Babu Joseph, Syed Gardezi and John Kuhn
Trash2Cash was founded in 2012 by Assistant Professor John Kuhn and Professor Babu Joseph, USF student Syed Gardezi, and recent USF graduates Timothy Roberge and Devin Walker. The company’s gas to fuel technology is a revolutionary, patent pending process that not only provides a renewable source of energy but greatly reduces the amount of emissions produced by the landfills.
NCIIA’s E-Team Program was launched in fall 2012 to provide early-stage support and funding for collegiate entrepreneurs working on market-based technology inventions. E-Team grants have been funding collegiate student and student/faculty teams to move ideas out of the lab and classroom and into the marketplace. The E-Team Program also provides expert entrepreneurial and venture coaching, experiential workshops, and a potential investment opportunity to help realize the commercial success of technology inventions and innovations.
As a NCIIA E-Team, Trash2Cash will participate in a three-day Venture Lab workshop which will take place Aug. 2-4 and will focus on accelerating the company’s project to better position the technical and commercial aspects of their innovation.
"We are very excited to be selected as a NCIIA E-Team," said Kuhn. "We anticipate that this opportunity will strengthen Trash2Cash-Energy’s business growth and ties to USF as we continue forward toward our goal of renewable fuels from landfill gas."
Lauren Golin can be reached at 813-974-0102 or lgolin@usf.edu.