Karen Torrejon spent the last year raising half a million dollars for her biotech startup. At the same time, she’s finishing her doctoral degree in nanotechnology.

Torrejon, who earned a bachelor’s in chemistry and physics at the University at Albany, considers herself a scientist first, then an entrepreneur. The two pursuits are intertwined. Her startup Glauconix, which develops technology to test new drugs to treat glaucoma, grew out of her research at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

After Torrejon published a paper and heard from national pharmaceutical companies, she realized there was a place for her research in industry. Her next step was to enroll in an entrepreneurship course at SUNY Polytechnic.“I’m not an entrepreneur by trade,” Torrejon, 27, says. “I consider myself a scientist, but I knew I needed those concepts and basic ideas on how to bring a product to commercialization.”

Colleges are strengthening the programming and resources available to students interested in starting companies. These degree programs, accelerators and extracurricular activities fold students into the area’s startup community. This has a twofold benefit. It allows students to see the resources in the area and introduces business leaders and investors to the next generation.

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