Mike Stacey

Chicago, IL (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal

Lono LLC

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Location: Chicago
Industry: Design
Year Founded: 2007
Number Employees: 1-10 people
Description: Lono LLC is a start-up company founded by students from University of Notre Dame. The founders are Will McLeod (BS ’08 -Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design), Ryan Tatzel (BS ’09 - Chemical Engineering) and Michael Stacey (MBA ’07). The team won top honors in the McCloskey Business Plan Competition in April of 2007, sponsored by the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Notre Dame. In June of 2007 the team created Lono LLC and has continued to further research and product development efforts, funded through a grant from the National Collegiate Innovators and Inventors Alliance. Successes continued for Lono as they gathered state-wide recognition and top honors recently in the Indiana Collegiate Idol Competition, sponsored by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, held in November of 2007. In the last year 15 months they have developed 5 prototypes focused on the home and RV industries. The R&D efforts have been funded through a combination of grants and business plan competitions through the following organizations: National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance : (URL removed) Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies- Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame (URL removed) Indiana Economic Development Corporation (URL removed) Lono’s first product line, “SmarterShade” is an aftermarket window treatment solution, similar in concept to the emerging technology being called “smart windows” but designed to be easy to install for less cost than smart windows. The first generation of SmarterShade is a framed pane, similar a storm window of window screen that can be fit into the existing window track or frame. It is lightweight, and made of a semi-rigid sheet of scratch resistant plastic. This pane is designed so that it will selectably tint at the push of a button. SmarterShade not only gives the user the ability to tint the window, but also to control the level of tinting. A window can go from nearly clear to dark. Our products can be applied to windows that are positioned in difficult places, or where a traditional blind or shade is not a practical solution.