|
Xerox and PARC on Comeback Trail with Cleantech and Other Technologies
Tom Foremski, SiliconValleyWatcher, March 6, 2008
Excerpts from the post:
Tuesday I had dinner with Sophie Vandebroek, CTO of Xerox and Scott Elrod, who heads up the hardware laboratory at PARC.
Famously infamous
PARC is famous for developing many of the personal computer technologies we take for granted such as the graphical user interface, laser printer, ethernet networking, object-oriented computer languages, and many other advances.
PARC is also infamously known for an inability to commercialize its technologies, allowing Apple, and others, to build large businesses based on its computer technologies.
PARC spun out
In 2002 Xerox spun out PARC as a wholly owned subsidiary. "PARC was spun out so that we could harness the entrepreneurial spirit of our staff. When you hire exceptional people you don't want to narrow their focus on technologies that are just useful for Xerox," says Sophie Vandebroek, CTO of Xerox. "You want to be able to allow them to find commercial opportunities in adjacent sectors."
PARC has been inviting VCs to learn about its technologies and it has also been bringing in visiting experts in areas such as solar cells, and manufacturing, to help its researchers create commercially viable products...
"In solar cells the electrical wires that connect the cells prevent sunlight reaching part of the cell. By printing finer wires we can increase the efficiency of solar cells by as much as 8 per cent," says Mr Elrod. "We are also incubating several startups at PARC and have one successful startup, SolFocus that has already raised $80m in funding."
Cleantech innovations
Cleantech is a big driver for innovation at PARC...
|
