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Strategic Polymer Sciences Inc.

State College, PA - Nov 12, 2009. Ralph Russo is a Silicon Valley veteran who was on the frontlines of the dawn of the personal computer working for Apple. Russo still lives there, even though he works in State College as president and CEO of Strategic Polymer Sciences. Russo may want to consider making the move permanent to PA, considering the company's recent growth accomplishments.

The company, a Penn State University spinout founded by Russo and PSU professor of electrical engineering and material science engineering Qiming Zhang in 2006, develops new materials and device technologies that it believes will revolutionize energy storage and generation and medical therapeutics. Applications include lowering the cost and increasing the efficiency of hybrid electric vehicle engines and implantable cardiac defibrillators.

Strategic Polymers completed a successful Series A funding round of $3 million last year and is prepping to initiate a Series B round of funding in early 2010. The company has commercialized its capacitor line and will now look to do the same with its actuator line. Its actuators are placed in medical devices like catheters and also energy harvesting devices, giving SPS two big targets.

The company started with high-energy density pulse power capacitors that are used in weapons systems or other applications that demand a very high energy burst or large energy storage released in milliseconds. Series B funds will help the company market the technology to specialty companies that power grid electronics and capacitor manufacturers. Funds will also help the company expand from its current 14 employees.

Long-term, Russo has a small team working his partner's invention of polymers that can transfer heat out of one area and make that area cool, or vice-versa. The hope is to do preliminary proof-of-concept on the technology, which may still be five years away.

Used with permission of Keystone Edge from the November 12, 2009 edition.