UbiQD Honored with a Northern New Mexico 20/20 Award

UbiQD, LLC, a low-toxicity, low-cost quantum dot manufacturer, was recently recognized with a Northern New Mexico 20/20 Award that identifies high-growth companies driving regional economic growth. This award follows on the heels of a general upswing in UbiQD's business. The company closed a new investment round, bringing the total financing to more than $700,000; welcomed Dr. Matt Bergren as its Director of Applied Physics; and announced company founder Dr. Hunter McDaniel was selected to speak at the 2016 annual Quantum Dots Industry Forum in Newport Beach, California.

Since 2012 the Northern New Mexico 20/20 Awards have recognized 32 businesses for creating jobs and bringing revenue to the region. In addition to UbiQD, six other recipients are recognized in 2015: AllTherm/Solar Logic, Fast Ditch, Santa Fe Spirits, Seamless Medical Systems, Taos Herb Company, and Taos Mesa Brewing. UbiQD was the only Los Alamos-based company recognized at the 2015 awards ceremony, which took place in Santa Fe and welcomed Congressman Ben Ray Luján serving as keynote speaker. Bobbie Ferrell, Constituent Services Representative for U.S. Senator Tom Udall read a letter of support for the campaign from his office.

"In northern New Mexico, small businesses are the backbone of our rural communities, and it's important to recognize the job creation they bring to our regional economy," said Val Alonzo, interim executive director of the Regional Development Corporation. "On average, our 20/20 companies add more than 60 jobs annually and increase revenues and attract additional funding by $10 million."

To qualify, companies were required to have a proven and developed product or service, two or more customers with 50 percent or more of their revenues coming from outside New Mexico, financial profitability and a solid plan for growth. A range of local elected officials, city and county governments and entrepreneurial support organizations provided the nominations, and each candidate went through a competitive screening process.

Built on technology licensed from Los Alamos National Laboratory, UbiQD's quantum dots have lower toxicity and lower cost compared to current market offerings. Growth is anticipated in a number of industries—security inks for currency and brand protection, luminescent pigments for personal care products and design, and luminescent solar concentrator windows for net zero buildings. In addition to receiving a Northern New Mexico 20/20 Award, UbiQD was also a 2015 Venture Acceleration Fund winner, a grant program hosted by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, and last month was named one of the top 10 quantum dot companies by New Materials News.

The company recently completed its latest round of financing totaling $330,000, with more than $700,000 raised since its inception in 2014. In October of this year UbiQD also welcomed Dr. Matt Bergren as Director of Applied Physics, who will oversee materials characterization and composite development. Before joining UbiQD, Bergren held postdoctoral positions at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) studying carrier dynamics in solar cells and at the Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics, an Institute of Basic Science at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea. Bergren is highly experienced with ultrafast spectroscopy experiments and emission properties of quantum dot solutions and thin films, as well as nanocomposites. He received his bachelors of science in engineering physics at Colorado School of Mines and his PhD in applied physics from the Colorado School of Mines in 2014 while performing research at NREL in Golden, Colorado.

"This fantastic recognition of UbiQD as a high-growth business in Northern New Mexico emphasizes the importance of recent developments at the company," said Dr. Hunter McDaniel, UbiQD founder and president. "Last week we closed a round of financing from angel investors that enables us to accelerate into 2016, targeting a few key markets. Additionally, we brought on Dr. Matt Bergren as our Director of Applied Physics. He's a leader in characterization of emerging nanomaterials and puts UbiQD at the forefront of ultrafast optical processes in quantum dots."

This March, UbiQD will present at the Annual Quantum Dots Forum in Newport Beach, California, organized by Smithers Apex. The two-day event will cover market opportunities, developments in technologies, end-user opportunities and challenges, innovations in applications and environmental issues related to quantum dots.

For more information about UbiQD, visit www.UbiQD.com.

About the Northern New Mexico 20/20 Campaign

The Regional Development Corporation of Española launched the campaign in 2012, which was created to recognize at least 20 companies who are on track to double their workforce and/or revenues before the year 2020. Key partners in the Campaign are Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Los Alamos County, New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and Technology Integration Group (TIG). To qualify, companies must have a proven and developed product or service, two or more customers with 50 percent or more of their revenues coming from outside New Mexico, financial profitability and a solid plan for growth. Visit www.NNM2020.org.

About the Regional Development Corporation (RDC)

The Regional Development Corporation is a non-profit economic development organization based in Española, New Mexico with a mission of creating jobs and attracting additional revenue to the northern New Mexico region. Visit www.RDCNM.org. 

About Smithers Apex

Smithers Apex is a global business that provides events, market research, publications and strategic and technical consulting to an expanding list of niche, emerging and high growth industries, including home and personal care; lighting, imaging and displays; plastic electronics and alternative energy. For more information about Smithers Apex, please visit www.SmithersApex.com.

About UbiQD, LLC
UbiQD, LLC is a New Mexico limited liability company established in 2014 to commercialize a disruptive nanotechnology developed at M.I.T. and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The company, located at the New Mexico Consortium Laboratory in close proximity to Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, manufactures inexpensive, high-performance, low-hazard quantum dots in the dry northern New Mexico climate. The company recently won a LANS Venture Acceleration Fund award, was named a top ten quantum dot company by New Materials News, and has raised more than $700,000 from private investors. More information about can be found at www.UbiQD.com.  

Media Contact: Hunter McDaniel, UbiQD, (505) 310-6767, hunter@ubiqd.com

Originally published on PR Newswire.