Garage Member's Start-Up Competes in the Cherokee-McDonough Challenge Finals

by Moaad Benkaraache, EI Marketing Assistant

Last week, I had an opportunity to attend the finale of the Cherokee-McDonough Challenge, an accelerator targeted at environmental business ventures. I had the privilege of listening to a few well-established speakers such as Tom Darden, the founder and CEO of Cherokee Investment Partners, and William McDonough, a globally recognized leader in sustainable development.

The main reason I attended the finale, however, was because one of the finalists of the Cherokee-McDonough Challenge was fellow WolfPack and Entrepreneurship Initiative member: Brian Iezzi. As a founder of Platinix, a company specialized in developing catalysts for hydrogen generation, Iezzi got to showcase his start-up to potential investors and the public. 



Brian Iezzi

Although Iezzi spent most of the past few months working on his start-up with the Cherokee-McDonough Challenge, he credits the Entrepreneurship Initiative with providing many necessary resources that Platinix needed during its infancy. Even though Iezzi's venture is now incorporated and investor-ready, Brian assured me that he would still be working in the Garage periodically. So you might run into Brian Iezzi at the Garage, and if you do, I'm sure he will take time out of his busy day to tell you more about Platinix.