In the world of nanotechnology, big things are happening in tiny packages.

If you're not deep into science and tech geekdom, nanotechnology essentially is the manipulation of matter at molecular and submolecular levels to create products that never existed before. It can also involve improving everyday items to make them more durable and lighter.

That's the beauty of science -- improving and creating new things in ways we never could imagine. And with innovation comes huge opportunity for science-minded entrepreneurs.

"You have innovators and researchers who are not only developing new concepts ... some of them take that know-how and translate it to business and entrepreneurship," says Alain Kaloyeros, a professor of nanoscience and CEO of New York's SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Entrepreneur visited SUNY's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany, N.Y., where we spoke with several entrepreneurs who have built businesses from the innovations they are creating in science labs.

Check out a short video to find out what these brilliant minds are up to.

Related: In Nanotech's Small World, Big Opportunities Abound