TriboTEX impressed the audience and judges at the Palouse Challenge on Thursday with a nanotechnology that repairs machines while making them more efficient and safer for the environment. The Pullman-based startup won first place.
The Palouse Challenge was the culminating event of the five-day Be The Entrepreneur Bootcamp™, hosted by the Palouse Knowledge Corridor. Thirty-two teams spent the week honing their business plans and learning from regional leaders about entrepreneurial success. TriboTEX was one of six finalists selected to pitch to investors in the Palouse Challenge, a Shark Tank-style business plan competition held at the SEL Event Center.
TriboTEX engineered super-lubricative nanoparticles that self-arrange into a diamond-like coating on machines to reverse wear and reduce friction. "Our technology has applications in virtually any industry, because friction and wear are universal problems," Creative Director Isaiah Qualls told judges.
Their automotive product, CarBoss, will be available to consumers in August. CarBoss is an easy-to-use and environmentally-safe engine additive that restores performance, improves fuel economy, and reduces exhaust emissions and engine noise.
"If every car in the United States used CarBoss, our energy savings would be greater than the output of solar, wind, and hydro energy, combined," said Qualls at the competition. For drivers, it does more than save money at the pump; it makes engines last longer and run stronger.
TriboTEX thanks the Palouse Knowledge Corridor and its sponsors for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the Northwest.
About TriboTEX
TriboTEX was founded in 2010 by Pavlo Rudenko, PhD, at Washington State University. The company develops solutions for friction and wear to make our world more powerful, efficient, and sustainable.