3 2 C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 2
"I never
had a doubt
I could go the extra
mile, do the hard
work." – Nicole Wagner
Challenge competition. She had an opening in her schedule and
found NASA and Boeing were making a presentation down the
hall. ere, she found both a way to test production in a gravi-
ty-free environment and a way to pay for it.
It was the proverbial game-changer.
LambdaVision won the Boeing award in that Mass Challenge,
providing cash and a relationship with Space Tango, a Ken-
tucky-based expert in space operations and logistics. at all led
to LambdaVision gaining a research spot aboard SpaceX 16 in late
2018.
Wagner is quick to credit her willingness to work hard and try
new things. Birge sees something else: "She sees tie-ins where there
were none."
Either way, what followed were scientific and business success-
es. And a new role for Wagner.
Learning Curve
Back in 2013, she had completed her Ph.D., a landmark that
coincided with LambdaVision's move from Birge's lab to a spot in
UConn's Technology Incubation Program in Farmington.
e new venture was still feeling its way but it was clear
someone needed to take the lead on the business side. Wagner
was willing. Birge recalls being dubious about naming a CEO with
no business experience. But Mark Van Allen — then president of
UConn Ventures, in charge of spinning off faculty research into
new startups — eased Birge's concerns and endorsed Wagner for
the CEO role.
For her part, Wagner readily acknowledges a steep learning
curve. She tells of Googling acronyms investors were using, even as
she was pitching them via Zoom.
It's worked, and she credits a host of mentors through
Connecticut's strong entrepreneurial infrastructure that includes
Connecticut Innovations and CTNext.
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