Sister and brother team Teresita Cochran-Jesser and Samuel Cochran joined the Incubator in September 2005 with their company, SMIT: Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology. They are currently working on their first product, “Grow,” an ivy-like solar panel system that attaches to the side of buildings. A labor of love, “Grow” evolved out of a combined thesis effort, and attempts to engage the overlap of nature and the man-made environment. Encouraged by Deb Johnson, Director of the Incubator, the product was displayed at the ICFF and received rave reviews from architects and the team decided to submit a business plan to the Incubator.

SMIT is currently in the midst of turning their concept into a reality, both in the physical and commercial sense, as prototyping efforts coincide with patent establishment and marketing visions. The incubator network has been a huge advantage, they say, connecting them with the right people, from solving legal issues to finding investors.

Samuel and Teresita admit that green thinking is in their blood. As children, their mother often brought them to her native India where they began to appreciate living with few resources and with avoiding waste. Their father is an architect and peace core volunteer, and their great grandfather built the famous Cochran windmills, once a staple of the mid western landscape.