Tech entrepreneurship takes root
A Blacksburg-based startup thrives with help from cs/root, an entrepreneurship program that’s taking applications through October.
Constructing more energy efficient buildings and retrofitting older ones to reduce emissions could have big impacts on climate change. A Blacksburg entrepreneur has developed a software company to help architects meet that need with help from a Commonwealth of Virginia entrepreneurship program offered through the Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science.
Rick Fenrich, an aerospace engineer by training who worked in additive manufacturing on the West Coast before coming to Blacksburg, said he had tapped a handful of Virginia business development resources to help develop his company, xStar Research, before finding cs/root.
Named for the root file in computer science that sits at the top of the hierarchical file structure, cs/root “represents the starting point or foundation,” cs/root Program Director James Harder said. “We like the term because it means growth from the start, which is what we’re trying to accomplish by helping students, faculty, and the community kickstart computer science focused businesses.”
The program kicked off in 2023 through a GO Virginia Region Two grant to support and encourage computer science-focused entrepreneurship. Local entrepreneurs and Virginia Tech students and faculty are invited to apply to join the program’s twice-yearly cohorts, which provide
- Mentorship and advising from seasoned technical founders
- Hands-on training and support to brainstorm, encourage, develop, and implement new technical ideas
- Networking opportunities that encourage community among computer science-focused entrepreneurs
Making a startup run
Commercial and residential buildings account for more than 30 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But reducing emissions over a building’s lifetime can be difficult for architects and builders.
“It’s largely a building design problem,” Fenrich said. “You would think information on how much a building design will cost, how much energy it will use, and similar figures would be readily available, but they’re not.”
Energy and carbon analysis of building designs and materials can slow a project down and are often foregone, leaving future cost savings and a reduced carbon footprint on the table.
“So our goal is to bring that information to the forefront of the design process and give that real-time feedback, so people can design more affordable, more sustainable buildings that meet the goals and requirements of the stakeholders and client,” Fenrich said.
Over the past year with help from the cs/root program, Fenrich has developed software that architects and designers can use to assess sustainability and energy efficiency at every step of the process. He has partners using the software for free and providing feedback through a pilot program, with an eye to rolling out a paid licensing service soon.
To date, 13 teams — a mixture of groups and individuals — have gone through the program, Harder said. They fill out a simple application form and, if accepted, are assigned a mentor in their area of specialty and meet several times a month.
“Overall, cs/root grows the culture of entrepreneurship in the department,” Harder said. “Students hear from speakers and alumni about their careers in startups, we offer classes to help students learn the process of entrepreneurship, and we provide direct support to early-stage businesses to foster their success.”
Fenrich is the first graduate of the program to open a company, Harder said. Others are on the horizon, and several are applying to national and regional business accelerator programs.
Fenrich said cs/root got him started with a space in COgro, a coworking program in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center that offers flexible office space and resources designed for startups, seed companies, and entrepreneurs. And the program hosted get-togethers between the cohort members, investors, and business owners. These experiences have had long-lasting effects.
“From them I learned a lot about how to actually make a startup work and avoid common pitfalls other people have run into,” Fenrich said. “The most valuable aspect was mentorship. I still meet every two weeks with one of my mentors from cs/root, who is in the venture capital entrepreneurship world.”
Applications for the cs/root winter cohort will be accepted through Oct. 31.
