Boyd Street Ventures recently announced that it is investing in VesprSolar, a solar tech company that continuously works to streamline the entire photovoltaics (PV) installation process. The company is most well-known for the V-ClampTM, which is an innovative technology that was developed by Dr. Andrés Cavieres, an Associate Professor in the Division of Architecture. The V-ClampTM Panel Attachment System makes PV installations faster, more secure, and less costly.
Boyd Street Ventures is a local investment firm that provides funding and guidance for startup companies that are created within OU or founded by alumni. The company strives to draw attention to up and coming companies so that they can rapidly scale. The company is joining VesprSolar in their mission to transform solar panel installation technology across the globe.
The Founder and Managing Partner of Boyd Street Ventures James H. Spann Jr. expressed his excitement for the partnership: “We are very impressed with the level of innovation VesprSolar is injecting into the $1 billion-plus addressable market for solar panel installation. Between their leadership team and their advisors, they have a great grasp of not only the industry’s challenges but potentially disruptive solutions to those challenges.”
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
