Exciting new companies at NJIT's small biz incubator get 100K in grants

Applechem CEO Samuel Lin, PhD, of Paramus, founded the company in 2003 to develop, manufacture, and market proprietary specialty materials to the global cosmetic and toiletry market.

For this project, Applechem worked with the US Department of Agriculture to develop a patent-pending technology to convert natural, renewable vegetable oils with advanced polymers into NatureVgelTM gels, a unique material with gel and elastomer properties. "This project has two goals," said Lin. "They are to develop and promote new value-added applications of US-produced vegetable oils and to replace petroleum-sourced materials with bio-based and renewable sourced materials."

NatureVgelTM can be used to control the rheology, enhance the texture, touch, feel, and active delivery for personal care lotions and creams, along with personal cleansing products like shower gel and for hair. "The material is so new," added Lin. "It can even be used for clear gel candles! We feel that our NatureVgel has great potential for many creative applications across many different industries."

The purpose of the SBIR Bridge Grant program is to increase the success and maximize the growth of small New Jersey companies in moving from an early to later phases of their projects.

NJIT, New Jersey's science and technology university, at the edge in knowledge, enrolls more than 8,000 students in bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in 92 degree programs offered by six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College and College of Computing Sciences. NJIT is renowned for expertise in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and e-learning. In 2009, Princeton Review named NJIT among the nation's top 25 campuses for technology and among the top 150 for best value. U.S. News & World Report's 2008 Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges ranked NJIT in the top tier of national research universities.