By Xinni (Sunshine) Chen and Danielle J. Im
Crimson Staff Writers

After Harvard graduate students Benjamin C. Schaefer and Angela Feldhaus spent six years studying the physical mechanisms behind lightweight flight devices, they decided to translate their findings into a new invention.

With their research in hand, they approached Harvard’s Office of Technology Development to license their invention for commercial use. Four years later, Schaefer and Feldhaus not only secured a patent, but also launched start-up company Rarefied Technologies to commercialize their invention.

Schaefer credits the OTD — which helps researchers coordinate corporate partnerships, intellectual property management, technology commercialization, and startup formation — with Rarefied Technologies’ launch.

“It was really helpful in bridging the gap between lab and launch,” Schaefer said.

Read the full article here