Accomplishing a dream can stop you in your tracks, which is where Krumm found himself when he learned his startup, Sironix Renewables, had received its first bit of funding. Years of coursework and research had led him to this standstill, but only for a moment. He hopes to grow the small company, which develops new environmentally friendly and safe chemicals from plants for industrial and consumer products.
He first became interested in chemical and energy alternatives while participating in a race car engineering program as an undergraduate. Designing the fuel system sparked his interest in alternative fuels, and during graduate school, he focused on catalytic reaction engineering for renewable fuel and chemical technologies.
Running a startup has given Krumm the freedom to define his own problems and come up with his own solutions. He explains, “Seeing all of the smaller tasks and projects come together into a company vision is hugely inspiring.”