Inno New Mexico, a new platform focused on local innovation, has announced their Inno Under 25 list and local entrepreneurs Amelia Bierle and Alissa Chavez have been selected. The Inno Under 25 list recognizes young, innovative trailblazers in New Mexico who have started their own companies, created new products, or solidified a leadership role in an emerging sector, all before the age of 25. UNM Rainforest Innovations has worked with both Bierle and Chavez in the past through the Lobo Rainforest I-Corps program and Comcast Pitch Competition.
No matter your age, entrepreneurs face a plethora of challenges when it comes to turning creative ideas into a reality. The young trailblazers featured on the Inno Under 25 list are especially inspiring because they illustrate how seemingly small ideas have the ability to grow into impactful products. There is no age limit on innovation and if these young innovators can accomplish this much by the age of 25, imagine what else they can accomplish in the next 25 years.
Amelia Bierle has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Mexico and is currently studying public policy. She is the co-founder of Thuvia Systems LLC, a startup developing an innovative “smart inhaler”. The inhaler integrates sensors to improve inhaler technique which aims to improve clinical outcomes and create better adherence habits for asthma patients. Bierle and co-founder Christian Slough also participated in the Spring 2021 Lobo Rainforest I-Corps cohort led by UNM Rainforest Innovations and UNM’s Innovation Academy. The I-Corps program supports students in bringing their innovative technologies to market. Bierle is actively working on Thuvia Systems and works at a local stealth startup focused on revolutionizing digital health.
Alissa Chavez is currently working on her master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Mexico and runs Assila LLC. The company was started to commercialize her product called the “Hot Seat” which is an alarm system placed under a child’s car seat to prevent parents from accidentally leaving their children in hot cars. She came up with the idea for a middle school science fair project and started the company when she was 18. Her newest project is called EasyFlo: a baby bottle that incorporates baby formula directly in the bottle to reduce plastic waste. For this idea, she participated in a Comcast Pitch Competition in December of 2019, sponsored by Comcast and Nusenda Credit Union, where she won second place for her idea. The competition was co-hosted by UNM Rainforest Innovations and UNM Innovation Academy.
See also Collin Krabbe’s September 13 article, “Inno Under 25: Amelia Bierle created a company that helps people catch a breath of fresh air” on the Albuquerque Business First website here: https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/inno/stories/awards/2021/09/13/inno-under25-amelia-bierle-thuvia-systems.html
See also Collin Krabbe’s September 15 article “Inno Under 25: From the inventor of the Hot Seat, Alissa Chavez preps her latest invention,” on the Albuquerque Business First website here: https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2021/09/15/inno-under-25-alissa-chavez.html
To read about all honorees on the Inno Under 25, visit: https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/inno/stories/awards