The University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute consistently ranks among the top 10 entrepreneur programs for both undergraduate and graduate students, but the U’s entrepreneurial spirit extends beyond students enrolled in those programs.

When Nick Witham, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student in the bioInnovate track at the U, was looking to enroll in graduate school, he didn’t know much about entrepreneurship or how to translate his research into a commercially viable product, but he knew the U was one of the best places to learn how.

“I figured the best way to learn it is to do it,” Witham said.

The bioInnovate track for biomedical engineering graduate students is built around helping students learn how to identify clinical needs and then develop medical devices with real commercial potential. On top of the entrepreneurial training in his Ph.D. program, Witham has co-founded multiple companies, participated in multiple programs with Lassonde and more.

Witham’s research has focused on artificial muscles and biosensors. “My Ph.D. thesis is on artificial muscles made out of polymers like fishing line,” he said. “My research focus has been on making them biomimetic so that they can be used in prosthetics and also be mass producible so that using them in prosthetics is actually a future reality.”

His research into these artificial muscles could also have an application in renewable energy and recently placed first in the Wilkes Center Student Innovation Prize. “My muscles are activated by temperature changes. Every day, the earth gets hotter and colder. Well, you could use that to spin a turbine and generate renewable energy,” Witham said. “By making them both cost less and work better, we think we have a new viable form of renewable energy outside of wind, solar and hydro.”

Hear about Witham’s award-winning innovation on U Rising

On the other side of the coin, he is diving into the biosensors with a company he co-founded and leads as the CEO, Gaia Technologies. Witham and his company have received about $100,000 by participating in the U’s entrepreneurial programs like Get Seeded, Bench to Bedside and the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge.

Balancing both his graduate work and entrepreneurial endeavors has sometimes been a challenge, but Witham said his academic mentors have generally been supportive, especially his advisor Florian Solzbacher—who is the electrical & computer engineering chair and a professor, as well as a co-founder of U spinout Blackrock Neurotech. “I'm going to the U to learn, and this is something I see as critical in my career to learn and I don't see a better way to learn it,” Witham said.

Since starting at the U in 2018, Witham has learned a lot about entrepreneurship, including:

• How to find suppliers during COVID or contractors within a budget.
• What technologies or products fit the startup environment versus a larger company.
• How to pitch your startup to investors and then take their feedback.
• How to protect your ideas through patents.

“I can definitely say that entrepreneurship is challenging and understanding it makes you a better engineer,” Witham said. Even with the challenges, Witham said he has remained motivated to democratize technology and “make things not only work better but cost less.”