It’s not always what you know, but who you know

Have you ever been in the right place at the right time for serendipitous good fortune? Carla Spina, research scientist for Exciton Technologies Inc., had such an experience earlier this year that all started at a ‘speed dating’ event.

Nancy Collier, TEC Edmonton’s Student Entrepreneurship Manager, met Spina at a WISEST networking event where University of Alberta researchers and early career professionals had two minutes to talk to industry mentors.

Spina, who was completing her PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, was looking for opportunities to move from academia to industry. After a two minute meeting with Collier, she was hopeful that although there were no jobs at TEC Edmonton, they might be able to answer some of her questions on intellectual property and business and give her direction as she continued to look for opportunities to enter the biotech industry.

At a meeting Collier arranged with TEC staff, Spina explained what her background was and to her surprise Dr. Randy Yatscoff, a TEC Executive-in-Residence (EIR) asked her, “Would you like a job?”

“I was so shocked because I hadn’t come there expecting to be considered for a job,” Spina said, “but it was just the opportunity I was looking for.”

As a TEC EIR, Yatscoff works with early-stage companies providing consultation and mentorship. In the case of Exciton, as their Executive Chair, he told Spina that she might be just the person they were looking for as a research scientist and immediately took her to Exciton’s office, located in the TEC Centre.

Spina turned out to be the perfect fit for the research and development arm of Exciton, which specializes in unique nano-silver applications such as wound care and disinfectants.

Support from TEC Edmonton didn’t stop there. Dean Zargoza, a TEC Market Analyst helped Spina write a grant proposal for Alberta Ingenuity’s Research & Development grant, which she was awarded.

“Dean was able to help me convey the business potential of the research in a clearly defined manner,” Spina said. “It is easy to get caught up in the research and not think about the business applications. Dean helped translate the technical language to something that could be universally understood.”

Spina hopes more people choose to take advantage of the services and help that TEC Edmonton offers, especially for students.