For Release Time: June 1, 2020
Intelligence and National Security Association, in collaboration with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recognizes Botanisol
Washington D.C. — June 1, 2020 — We are proud to announce that Botanisol Analytics has been recognized as a 2020 Innovators’ Showcase Honoree! Each spring, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) and the Intelligence and National Security Foundation (INSF) partner with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to create a forum through which industry and academia can share their IR&D projects with key government S&T and procurement officials.
Botanisol Analytics was selected as a 2020 Honoree for its innovation and forward thinking in biological threat detection. Congratulations to the team, especially Dr. Zach Brooks who has been the driving force behind this effort! As always, Botanisol Analytics is dedicated to advancing the national security mission and we look forward to future opportunities to work with our government partners. To learn more about the Innovators’ Showcase, visit www.insaonline.org/showcase. Asked about the award, Chief Executive Officer David Talenfeld responded, “We are thrilled to receive this important recognition for our work. It’s always a team effort starting with James Foley, our Chief Technology Officer and the rest of our R&D staff. We have an incredible team, including former Fortune 100 directors, serial entrepreneurs, distinguished military officers, and some of the best chemistry, optics, and medical diagnostic researchers in the world. Our machines use a new optical wavelength which makes them between 2,000 – 6,000 times more sensitive than the prior state of the art, and they have the potential save and protect lives, anywhere the light shines.” Botanisol Analytics makes portable, automated chemical and biological threat detection systems.
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is the leading nonpartisan, nonprofit trade association for driving public-private partnerships to advance intelligence and national security priorities. INSA has more than 160 corporate members and enjoys extensive participation from senior leaders within the public, private, and academic sectors. Members include current and former high-ranking intelligence, military and government agency leaders, analysts, and experts from industry and academia.
INSA programs and policy councils offer unique professional networking opportunities that foster greater public understanding and appreciation of the work conducted by the intelligence and national security communities and their private sector partners.
Founded in 2017 by David Talenfeld and James Foley, Botanisol Analytics is on a mission to “Illuminate the Unknown” ® and is currently working on scanners for COVID-19 and other pathogens. The company’s key enabling technology was invented by Tom Milster at the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. The portable device can be operated anywhere by non-medical personnel and provides results about chemical and biological threats in real-time. It can be used by law enforcement, military, and first responder communities to protect key personnel and critical infrastructure in the event of a chemical or biological incident, and has other applications in nearly every industry.
The company’s work is funded by a grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Biosurveillance Unit. This research was, in part, funded by the U.S. Government. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.