Praveen and Anju Chawla are no strangers to the University of Cincinnati’s penchant for collaboration. The husband and wife duo are alumni of the university, and their two children are Bearcats as well.
Now, they are embarking on yet another adventure with UC: their business, Edaptive Computing, Inc. (ECI) joined the UC 1819 Innovation Hub within the Uptown Innovation Corridor this past fall.
In a new partnership with UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the minority and woman-owned business is working with engineering students to help solve real-world problems, offering opportunities for students as well as growing ECI’s own talent pipeline. Locating in 1819 provides space for students and faculty to collaborate with ECI and other industry partners and translate ideas to market.
“We already have been collaborating with UC for many years through a variety of research projects; this further enhances that collaboration by having the ability to work with faculty and students more closely at 1819,” noted Praveen, who is the company’s president and CTO. Anju is the majority owner of ECI and serves as its CEO.
ECI, headquartered in Dayton, is a defense contractor that focuses on creating solutions that exist in the IoT (Internet of Things) space. It generates solutions for customers in optimization, assurance, automation and integration of complex processes and systems.
By collaborating with university researchers on a variety of projects, ECI has been able to leverage innovative research and development for ground-breaking product ideas and solutions for its customers. Its main clients include sectors within the Department of Defense, such as the Air Force, Navy, Army, Missile Defense Agency and Defense Health Agency.
The new office within 1819 allows ECI to introduce graduate and undergraduate students to its work, which creates more opportunities for ECI to hire students post-graduation—a process that is mutually beneficial for UC students and the organization. ECI also compensates students in the form of tuition reimbursement and stipends, so they receive financial support for their efforts.
The Chawlas are confident their new space will help foster partnerships with other 1819 tenants, a list that includes Kroger, Cincinnati Bell, Procter & Gamble and Cincinnati Financial. 1819 allows tenants to interact with each other and with university talent to collaborate, accelerate and solve today’s complex problems while creating product solutions. 1819 also contributes to the development of a world-class innovation ecosystem in the city.
“There’s a specific synergy here that’s created by our fellow tenants,” said Praveen. “We feel this space, and Uptown Cincinnati, will lend us great opportunities for collaboration in the future.”
To learn more about Edaptive Computing, Inc., visit http://www.edaptive.com.