FirstIgnite
AI-Powered Business Development for Scientific Organizations
FirstIgnite is an AI software company built specifically for helping universities identify and connect with companies interested in partnering on research. Users enter a description of their research and are matched to the markets, companies and contacts most aligned with potential partnership. Their customers include University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Johns Hopkins APL, University of Chicago and Georgia Tech.
Jobs at FirstIgnite
Active Founders
Chase Bonhag
Former VC investor in university research (Illinois Ventures) and corporate innovation (TechNexus). Very focused on building tools to help scientific companies grow faster.
Cody Pawlowski
Cody is the Co-Founder and CTO of FirstIgnite: the #1 tool for university-industry collaboration. While attending UIUC, he cofounded his first startup, Convey, and ultimately dropped out to pursue the venture full-time. The social listening platform predicted major elections such as Brexit and netted partnerships from political campaigns to drive outreach strategy. He's now focused on using AI to help research institutions partner with industry—getting more breakthroughs to market.
