NYU Shanghai Students Awarded Technology Grant

The creators of Aeolian Air Butler are hoping to take their smart air-purifying roving system from the classroom to the marketplace thanks to a new $5,000 grant.

NYU Shanghai students Xiaoyue Gong ’17, Yuting Gong '17 and Yu Zhou '17, and NYU Stern’s Andrew Chee '16 were awarded the funds along with development support by VentureWell’s E-Team Grant Program -- a nonprofit backing emerging innovators with potential for positive social and environmental impact.

Having previously won the 2015-16 NYU Reynolds Changemaker Challenge (CmC), the team is on a roll, with a total development fund now topping $15,000.

The students headed to Cambridge, MA to develop their prototype as part of VentureWell’s three-stage program that provided experimental workshops, veteran coaching and investment-readiness training to help their product reach its full commercial potential.

With this support, these young innovators, who enjoyed invaluable mentorship and coaching from NYU Shanghai’s Professor Matthew Belanger and Professor Adam Brandenburger, hope to change how the world breathes indoors.

“We envision an international future for Aeolian to combat air pollution across countries and continents,” said Gong.