NanoHorizons
About NanoHorizons
Founded in 1998, NanoHorizons focuses on nanotechnology applications in
the drug discovery, microelectronics, consumer products and health care
industries and has licensed a comprehensive portfolio of nanotechnology
intellectual property from the Penn State Research Foundation. Its
research and development team continuously produces additional real-life
solutions using nanotechnology in applied materials science.
NanoHorizons’s product and application introductions include: noble
metal nanoparticles, including the brand SmartSilver™; QuickMass™ for
mass spectrometry, which addresses the need for more cost effective
compound screening in pharmaceutical research and increased drug
discovery capacity; and nano-material based humidity sensors in
applications such as environmental control, respiration monitors and
medical diagnostics.
Business Challenge
NanoHorizons received a notice of allowance from the US Patent Office
for an innovative nanoscale photovoltaic cell design, enabling dramatic
improvements in solar cell efficiency and breakthrough reductions in
fabrication costs. Yet, at the time of the patent issuance, the company
had decided to focus most of its energies on the development of
SmartSilver™, a nanoscale-engineered antimicrobial solution for fibers
and fabrics.
However, given the extraordinary need for new alternative energy
solutions and a market crying out for cost and efficiency gains in
photovoltaics, NanoHorizons needed to make the most of the new patent,
hopefully finding a partner company or purchaser to develop the
technology.
Hart-Boillot Strategy
Hart-Boillot’s Creative Services team designed graphics to illustrate
NanoHorizons’ new way of structuring a photovoltaic device, while our PR
team drafted a compelling press release to be launched to trade and
major business publications worldwide. Hart-Boillot also followed up
with key media, leveraging the agency’s relationships to garner the most
appropriate coverage for the announcement. The diagram was used to
illustrate the difference between conventional photovoltaic technology
and NanoHorizons’ new technology for the less technical media persons.
Results
The news garnered significant media coverage in both trade and business
media online, in print and in key blogs, including: grokenergy.com, Free
Energy Newsletter, nrel.gov (National Renewable Energy Laboratory),
redorbit.com, highbeam.com, cleanenergyblog.ca and many more. The media
attention created a critical mass of search-engine optimized content,
enabling potentially interested parties to easily find and learn about
NanoHorizons’ new technology.
Within fourteen months, Hart-Boillot was able to announce an exclusive
licensing agreement with Solarity, a developer and manufacturer of
photovoltaic cells.
