Husk Insulation, devoted to energy efficiency and conservation through the manufacture and deployment of high-performance insulation, was awarded the grand prize today in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Clean Energy Competition. The winning team received a $200,000 cash prize, plus substantial awards including legal advice and administrative support to help launch a successful business.
The MIT Clean Energy Prize is a national student competition that provides capital resources and mentoring to help the next generation of entrepreneurs jumpstart business ventures that promote clean energy innovation. The finalists for this year’s Clean Energy Prize included: Husk Insulation (University of Michigan); Process Water Absorbers (MIT); Troy Research Corporation (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute); Sun Point (MIT and Yale); and Levant Power (MIT).
Driven by a diverse team of University of Michigan graduates, Husk Insulation plays in the rapidly growing market for advanced insulation, part of the $7 billion insulation market. Husk’s innovative and patented solution converts agricultural waste into cost-effective vacuum insulated panels, a type of high grade insulation that delivers up to 10 times the insulative effectiveness of conventional insulation. Husk answers the global demand for energy by delivering energy efficiency that could reduce US energy consumption by more than 57 billion kilowatt-hours. Husk’s products will serve a variety of markets, including refrigeration, housing and transportation.
Congratulations to Ian Daily, Erica Graham, Shally Madan, Siddharth Sinha and Elizabeth Uhlhorn from the University of Michigan!