O'Shaughnessy Ventures Awards $100,000 Fellowship Grant to Interaction Designer Using Plants to Revolutionize Data Management

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May 31, 2024, 08:41 ET

Monika Seyfried Will Use Her Grant to Research Using Plants for Sustainable Data Storage

GREENWICH, Conn., May 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC ("OSV"), an investment firm that empowers creators, has awarded an O'Shaughnessy Fellowship to Monika Seyfried, an interaction designer based in Poland.

Seyfried will leverage the biotechnology expert community to conduct technological research into storing digital data in plants and living organisms. She will build a scientific research venture aimed at transforming how we interact with data and addressing the significant carbon dioxide emissions caused by data storage.

2024 O'Shaughnessy Fellow, Monika Seyfried

Seyfried is a multidisciplinary interaction designer whose research focuses on leveraging living systems and the natural world to develop sustainable data storage technologies. She is the co-founder of the Grow Your Own Cloud initiative, which is developing clean data solutions via DNA data storage in plants. Grow Your Own Cloud was awarded the Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022 Award by the Falling Walls Foundation and was a winner of the 2019 United Nations Unite Ideas Circular Economy Challenge. Seyfried's work has been recognized by organizations such as the World Economic Forum and the World Government Summit.

OSV's founder and CEO, Jim O'Shaughnessy, commented, "In an era where global data creation and consumption is increasing, this potentially groundbreaking research could revolutionize how we interact with and store our data, ultimately leading to significant environmental benefits. We are hugely impressed by Monika's achievements, accolades and vision, and we look forward to supporting her over the coming months."

Seyfried said, "I am thankful to Jim for supporting groundbreaking ideas that could change the way we interact with the world. I am honored to receive a Fellowship, and I hope to pave the way for data storage via plants and living organisms to create a positive impact on our environment."

About the Fellowship Program

OSV launched the O'Shaughnessy Fellowships in 2023. It is a one-year program for ambitious people who want to build something great. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and access to OSV's network of founders, investors and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life. More information about last year's Fellows is available on OSV's website.

In 2024, OSV will award ten $100,000 Fellowships. Applicants for the Fellowships will also be considered for its sister program, the O'Shaughnessy Grants. Under this program, OSV will make twenty additional $10,000 grants to promising creators, who will also be provided with access to OSV's network.

Applications for the 2024 Fellowships are now closed and will reopen on January 1, 2025. Creators interested in learning more can visit OSV's website.

About O'Shaughnessy Ventures

OSV is a creative investment firm that empowers and inspires creators to bring their ideas to life. Founded by Jim O'Shaughnessy, a pioneer in quantitative investing, founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, and author of four books on investing, OSV aims to provide financial support and to partner in growing the next life-changing creative ideas.

OSV combines Jim's deeply rooted interest in all things art, science, investing, and tech with his long-held desire to establish scenarios designed to help promising creators and their inspiring ideas succeed, regardless of age, location, job history, or level of education. For more information, visit https://www.osv.llc.

Media Contact:
Ena Gong
O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC
(917) 355-7420
[email protected]

SOURCE O'Shaughnessy Ventures