Jose Alfaro, an assistant professor of practice at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has pioneered new ways to harness sustainable energy from bio-waste through innovative gasification technology. In 2020, Alfaro—a U-M William Davidson Institute (WDI) Senior Research Fellow—began collaborating with WDI to commercialize the technology through a new company called Poas. As we explain in this video, the Institute explored multiple pathways for moving the technology from prototype to business. This included identifying the countries with the best market potential as well as market entry strategies and suggesting refinements to the business model. Alfaro was awarded a grant from the Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Innovation Hub for AgBio at Michigan State University to advance his work towards commercialization.

Read more: The Business of Biowaste: Developing a Profitable Model for Off-grid Energy