One year from launch, Mineral Sciences LLC, continues to grow.

We recently caught up with Dr. Mark Krekeler, Chairman, CTO and Co-Founder of Mineral Sciences LLC. Dr. Krekeler is a Professor in the Environmental Science and Policy department at Mason. Dr. Krekeler’s work at Mason centers around investigating the crystal chemistry of clay minerals in an effort to explain variation of bulk physical properties of these materials. He uses transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction techniques in his studies. An additional theme in his work is using clay minerals in environmental applications, both as high-end nanotechnologies and as simple environmental technologies that can be readily implemented in developing countries.

1. Well, it has been a little over a year since you spun out your research to create Mineral Sciences LLC. What has been the single biggest hurdle that you have had to overcome in your first year of operating a business?

There are actually a number of things that are challenging in this type of business operation. The absolute key was finding the right people to work with. My co-founders Steve Elmore and Cynthia Tselepis were the right fit for a number of reasons. I had the chance to train them as students in mineralogy and crystal chemistry, they had a strong interest in developing useful technologies that would help people and the environment. Furthermore together we are a great balance of personalities with skeptics and optimists combined. A major challenge was getting the background to effectively interact with business professionals. I have an extensive background in private mineralogical consulting and I had worked for a business between my graduate degrees but I had very little knowledge of business models, legal issues and management execution at the onset of Mineral Sciences. GMU’s Tech transfer office and the Mason Enterprise Center filled those gaps. Just as it would be very foreign for a MBA to walk into an X-ray diffraction lab to do mineralogical analysis, so is it with a scientist walking into the business environment. The resources at Mason were absolutely critical in bridging that unfamiliar territory. Of course a key catalyst for moving forward was assembling a management team for such a novel market. Once we had a few people on board immediately things began to develop at a more regular pace. It truly takes a wide range of expertise to make a startup company develop. We continue to look for the right people to augment our overall skill set.

2. We scanned your website (http://mineralsciencesllc.com) and noticed that your flagship technology is called Countersol. This product is a counter-terrrorism application which is a specialized nanoparticle-rich liquid which sequesters radiological dirty bomb materials, biological powder weapons, and poisonous powder materials. This product would seem to be of great interest to local and state government agencies. Have you had interest from the government sector?

We have talked to the Fairfax County Hazmat response team, a world renowned emergency responder organization and have had some positive feed back. We have briefed key personnel at the Pentagon, the combat terrorism working group and the EPA. We have submitted and continue to submit proposals to federal agencies. One market we are focusing on in addition to the Federal government is New York City. Here we are looking at a number of opportunities to help fight terrorism and protect emergency responders.

3. We also noticed that your company provides pro bono consulting work for environmental technologies to be used in the developing world. Are there any projects that you are working on currently?

Constructed wetlands are the only real viable technology for treating sewage and wastewater in rural areas in developing regions. In the case of the Yucatan these systems are also key in protecting the Meso-American Reef which is the major driving force of tourism and thus the economy in the region. Myself, and co-founder Cynthia Tselepis as well as two other GMU students Mikhail Samsonov and Jill Lepp will be going to the Yucatan this August to investigate geologic materials to improve constructed wetlands throughout the region. John Casey of the Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) will be part of the team as well. Our goal in this work is to provide technical expertise that would not otherwise be available, and then work with non-profits and other organizations to develop sustainable businesses centered on these technologies overtime. This is an exciting example of collaboration between MEC, the research part of the university and a spin out company.

4. When you formed your company, you brought in a local entrepreneur to be your CEO. How did you come to that decision, and has that been an advantage for your company?

[I think I already addressed this in the first question somewhat – We are looking for a new CEO – he had to quit because of health and family reasons] However, I can speak to the control issue. From the onset, our advisors told us repeatedly that a main reason for failure in start up companies is the inventors try to be business people as well. Cynthia, Steve and myself knew what areas we were strong in and did not want to necessarily dilute that strength by overextending ourselves. If your goal is to make the business grow one worries less about control and more about executing the right decisions to make things grow. We have a commitment to make our technologies fly. Bringing in the right people and letting them do what they excel at is critical for long term success.

5. What advice would you offer to other aspiring faculty that want to create a company from their research?

The absolute fundamental first step is finding people you trust to work with who you know will stick with you in tough times. If this type of business approach was easy, everyone would do it. The majority of start up companies fail and it requires an level of conviction to execute success. To paraphrase Bobby Knight – Lots of people want to win, few are willing to prepare for it. Be prepared for some conflict. You have to be thick-skinned about criticism which you will receive from other faculty, although many faculty members support this type of endeavor. I have run into a few old-fashioned types. It is important to be clear how a company will have a positive impact economically with the academic unit a faculty is in. It is also important to communicate the vision of the company to the academic unit. Doing this type of endeavor requires 90 hour weeks. My model is that I spend about 60 hours per week on academic duties and then spend 30 hours a week on company matters. Scheduling regular time with family and friends is key to keeping this pace up for extended periods of time. Work in the early morning and late at night, break things up.

 

To learn more about Mineral Sciences LLC, please visit their website: http://www.mineralsciencesllc.com

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