The 2025 Innovate New Mexico® Technology Showcase brought together the state’s leading research institutions to showcase new advancements in research and technology. The event, which attracted over 150 attendees both online and in-person, included investors, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, local start-up companies, and members of the business community.
Held at the Event Center at Sandia Golf Club on Tuesday, March 4th, the event featured five panel discussions, a keynote address by Mahmoud R. Taha, PhD, PE, a lunchtime panel on venture capital in New Mexico, and ample networking opportunities during scheduled breaks.
View the recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJGrGCJVmU
Welcome Remarks and Keynote Speaker
The welcome remarks were delivered by Nora Sackett, the Director for the Office of Strategy, Science & Technology for the New Mexico Economic Development Department, followed by the keynote address, The Journey of a Faculty Entrepreneur, presented by Mahmoud R. Taha, PhD, PE.
Dr. Taha is a Distinguished Professor and Regents’ Lecturer for the University of New Mexico’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Taha has more than 25 years of experience in research and development at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and he brings a wealth of knowledge on using polymer materials and nano-technology. In addition to his role at UNM, he is the CEO of TS-Nano, an ESG energy and climate tech company that manufactures nano-modified polymer. This is used to seal abandoned oil and gas wells to fight methane emissions and mitigate climate change. Dr. Taha is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (FACI), and a licensed Professional Engineer in the U.S. and Canada.
Panel Discussions
Throughout the day there were five panel discussions along with a panel of sharks to provide clarifying questions after the discussions. The sharks included Mike Freeman, CEO of Innosphere Ventures, and Alejandro Muñoz Mendieta, Co-Founding Managing Partner of No Border Ventures.
Energy & Water Panel, moderated by Sandra Begay, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories. Members of the panel included:
- Feng Chu, Scientist, P-4 Thermonuclear Plasma Physics, Los Alamos National Laboratory – PLX, Plasma-Jet-Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion
- Ansel Blumenthal, R&D, S&E Mechanical Engineer at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility, Sandia National Labs – Agrivoltaics & Food Processing Through Thermal Energy Storage (TES)
Biosciences & Agriculture Panel, moderated by Devin Fell, Vice President of Engineering at Sentire Medical Systems. Members of the panel included:
- Christina Salas, Associate Professor, The University of New Mexico – Dynamic Prosthetic Interface for Competitive Cycling: Enhancing Performance for Transfemoral Amputee Athlete
- Weston Medlock, Program Manager Sr., New Mexico State University – Path to Plate: An online marketplace making local food accessible
Lunch Panel – Venture Capital in New Mexico, moderated by Lisa Kuuttila, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer of UNM Rainforest Innovations. Members of the panel included:
- Adam Hammer, Co-Founder and CEO, Roadrunner Venture Studios
- Katie Rice, Managing Partner, Tramway Venture Partners
- Mike Freeman, CEO – Innosphere/NSF CO-WY Climate Resilience Engine, General Partner – Innosphere Funds
Aerospace & Space Panel, moderated by Chris Corbine, Director of Student Entrepreneurship Programs at the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University. Members of the panel included:
- David Mitchell, Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Mexico State University – Lowering the power consumption of resilient next-G communications and storage devices
- Micco Estrada, Research Engineer, COSMIAC, The University of New Mexico
Quantum & Artificial Intelligence Panel, moderated by Jake Douglass, a Technical Business Development Specialist for Sandia National Laboratories. The member of the panel included:
- Susan R. Atlas, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Center for Quantum Information & Control, and Quantum New Mexico Institute – “A tale of two technologies”: Quantum materials design and quantum computing in the age of AI
Closing Remarks
Brian Birk, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Sun Mountain Capital, wrapped up the event with closing remarks, reflecting on the highlights of the day.
Innovate New Mexico® would like to thank the supporters of this year’s event including the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, the New Mexico Economic Development Department, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, NASA, Sandia National Laboratories, and Spaceport America.
Read more about the event, including the exhibitors and partners on the Innovate New Mexico website here: https://www.innovatenewmexico.com/2025showcase/
