Albert Einstein is said to have been unable to balance a chequebook or ride a bicycle. And yet, he is credited with some of the most important ideas and discoveries of the 20th century, including the Theory of Relativity.

Is it possible for one person to contain all the skills necessary to turn ideas into successful inventions or companies? The University of Toronto’s Impact Centre hopes to foster such well-rounded individuals, or pair them with teammates who possess complementary skills.

Just one of the University’s many entrepreneurship hubs, the Impact Centre is set to graduate the latest cohort of scientists-turned-entrepreneurs this week from its four-week summer incubator program, Techno.

The graduates – who include two U of T Engineering alumni this year – took part in a variety of sessions, from talks on intellectual property strategy, fine-tuning their value proposition and management 101 to networking events. They also had opportunities to work with experienced mentors to apply the lessons to their own emerging companies.

Here’s a look at two Techno participants from U of T Engineering and their innovative projects:

Oleg Chebotarev (MechE MASc 1T2): Human tissue and blood simulator

Oleg Chebotarev, a recent master’s graduate, developed a research tool that simulates human tissue and blood. He believes it can help pharmaceutical companies reduce the development costs for new drugs.

“I am excited to be part of a community of experienced entrepreneurs who are willing to help in my business plan development,” said Chebotarev. “Their network will help in my search for additional team members as well as ensure I have the best plan and pitch to raise funds to support my prototype development.”Chebotarev says he enrolled in Techno with an established technology and a desire for hands-on training in business fundamentals and a network of experienced individuals who would be able to support his technology’s development.

In recognition of this work and its far-reaching commercial potential, Chebotarev was recently awarded a $32,000 U of T Heffernan Commercialization Fellowship, which supports researchers turning technologies developed in university labs into businesses.

Richard Medal (ECE 1T2+PEY): Custom electronics lab kit

Alumnus Richard Medal participated in Techno to develop and refine the product he and his two co-founders developed: a custom electronics lab kit that allows users to experiment with various circuits and electronic components.

“I was excited by the Techno program because it offered the full range of business education programs, mentoring, prototyping facilities, and a supportive community all under one roof,” said Medal.

After graduating from electrical engineering in 2013, Medal’s team and their project caught the interest of leaders in U of T’s electrical engineering department, which was interested in modernizing their undergraduate laboratory courses.

Medal soon realized that although his team had technical expertise, they lacked the business experience to become truly sustainable. While speaking with a friend who knew participants from a previous Techno session, Medal learned about the Impact Centre and the programs it provides to U of T students and graduates.

For Medal – and the rest of his Techno cohort – the four weeks spent developing their startups with The Impact Centre could mean the difference between a short-lived idea and a sustainable company.

“Participating in Techno will allow my team to focus on developing our business to ensure that we identify the best market opportunity and have the tools to expand.”