Nano-tech startup builds $400K lab in Sarasota

SARASOTA — A startup that aims to bring nanotechnology from the lab to the marketplace, US Nano, has moved its corporate headquarters to Sarasota from South Bend, Ind.

Two Ph.D. scientists and an engineer moved with US Nano to Sarasota, according to a release, and the company recently hired two more technical employees. The firm plans to hire eight more people this year, the release adds, and two more next year. It moved into a 5,000-square-foot building north of downtown Sarasota, where it spent $400,000 to build a state-of-the-art nanotechnology lab, including $200,000 in specialized air-handling equipment to provide a clean environment.

Sarasota County officials approved a grant of $3,000 per new job created for US Nano.

“Sarasota is not only a beautiful location, but there is growing high tech industry in the region,” US Nano vice president Louise Sinks says in a release. “Being part of Florida's High Tech Corridor is extremely appealing to any high tech startup. The network of resources available is extremely attractive.”

US Nano develops flexible electronic devices based on nanomaterials printed on plastic. The proprietary nanomaterial are nanowires, which the firm says are able to measure and manipulate light and heat, a significant commercial development. Industries the firm can target with this technology, according to the release, include energy, consumer devices, health care, communication and defense.

US Nano recently won a $750,000 National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant and has also secured $1 million from investors, the release states. The firm's president and co-founder, according to its website, is Alexey Gusev, who is also CEO of Ultrafast Systems, a Sarasota-based firm that designs and manufactures optical spectrometers with high time resolution.