Solar-Powered Success

September 1, 2011

It was a match made in start-up heaven. Doug Anderson, MBA '11, and Paul Clark, MBA '11, were looking for a real-life project to apply the skills they'd honed in the business school's venture launch pathway. UO architecture professor Ihab Elzeyadi was looking for a way to commercialize the SolarStream Awning, an innovative three-in-one green building product he had recently developed. Brought together through Oregon BEST--the nonprofit organization that pairs university researchers with business talent--the team created a business plan that won them a spot in the Cleantech Open semifinals this past June. Their prize? A $10,000 software package plus spots in this summer's Cleantech Open National Academy, a "boot camp" for aspiring entrepreneurs.