Alumni Link

News about our community and beyond

Alumnus’ Company Lands Top Prize at Clean Energy Competition

After two rounds of pitching to a panel of expert judges, Skyven Technologies, founded by Dr. Arun Gupta PhD’12, landed top honors and the $1 million grand prize at the 76West Clean Energy Competition in Binghamton, New York.

Dr. Susan P. Bratton PhD’97

Dr. Arun Gupta PhD’12, CEO and founder of Skyven Technologies, speaks at the 76West Clean Energy Competition. (Photo by Allison Usavage via Skyven.)

“The prize money will enable us to have a greater impact in the fight against climate change while growing a vibrant business,” said Gupta, who is also Skyven’s CEO. His Dallas-based renewable energy company specializes in creating fuel-less heat for industrial manufacturing, producing thermal energy using the sun.

“All of the items around us — whether it’s the clothes you wear, the paper you’re writing on, the food you eat — all of that requires an incredible amount of heat to manufacture,” Gupta said. “And today, that industrial heat is being produced by burning some sort of fuel, which is creating a substantial portion of all carbon emissions and pollution on the face of the earth.” 

Skyven is working on a solution to produce heat in the form of clean energy, but the heat coming directly from the sun doesn’t yield the extreme temperatures needed to operate at the industrial manufacturing level. The company has circumvented this obstacle by developing proprietary technology that uses solar panels to raise the temperature to those required for manufacturing.

“We’re able to produce high-temperature heat in our solar panels at about three times the efficiency of a regular solar panel, and we can capture three times more energy from the same amount of sun,” Gupta said.

Gupta launched Skyven soon after receiving his PhD in electrical engineering in 2012. The company has been primarily focused on research and development but is now preparing to introduce its product to the marketplace.

Since graduation, Gupta has remained engaged with UT Dallas, particularly through a connection to the University’s Blackstone LaunchPad, a campus-based entrepreneurship program designed to support and mentor students, staff and alumni.

“UT Dallas is changing so much, and not just through the addition of buildings but what the University is doing and how it is expanding,” Gupta said. “Three or four years ago, the startup assistance wasn’t really available. And now, between the Venture Development Center, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and LaunchPad, the University has provided a lot of opportunities and resources to their alumni and students.”

As a new member of the Venture Development Center, Skyven will soon be participating in a clean energy incubator program with UT Dallas, providing opportunities for Gupta and his team to engage further with University resources.

Media Contact: Alexandra Hopkins, UT Dallas, 972-883-5488, alexandra.hopkins@utdallas.edu

Alumni Link

This email newsletter is delivered full of stories of interest to the University's graduates.
Browse all issues »

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Alumni are automatically subscribed to the Alumni Link upon graduation. The open subscription service also lets anyone subscribe at any time.
Subscribe | Unsubscribe

CONTACTS

Interested in connecting with a specific school or have a question? Please visit the Office of Alumni Relations page to find the appropriate contact.

Connect

The University of Texas at Dallas

Office of Development and Alumni Relations
800 West Campbell Road, DGA10
Richardson, Texas 75080
(972) UTD-ALUM | alumni@utdallas.edu

© 2017 The University of Texas at Dallas