Austin, TX — The University of Texas at Austin proudly announces that Dr. Devrim Ikizler, a distinguished lecturer and CEO of Intelligent Analytics and Modeling (IAMECON), has been accepted into the inaugural National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National I-Corps™ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) cohort, taking place this summer. This recognition underscores Dr. Ikizler’s dedication to innovative research and entrepreneurial excellence.
Dr. Devrim Ikizler, EL
IAMECON, under Dr. Ikizler’s leadership, embarks on this transformative journey with a robust and dynamic team. As the entrepreneurial lead, Dr. Ikizler is joined by economist Liam Jay, who acts as the technical lead, and Alex Shahrestani who serves as the industry mentor.
Dr. Ikizler has focused on computational industrial organization. Over the past 13 years, he has established himself as a consultant and expert witness in the legal industry, testifying in federal courts against major corporations such as Walmart and Amazon. Since founding IAMECON in 2018, he has successfully delivered multiple technological solutions to clients, ranging from browser-based dashboards to economic damage simulators. His exceptional work has garnered over $1.5 million in national research grants in the past five years.
Liam Jay, TL
Liam Jay brings extensive expertise in economics and finance, with a master’s degree in applied economics and finance as well as a bachelor’s degree in math and economics from UC Santa Cruz. Since September 2022, he has been pivotal in managing the IAMECON Phase I project, bridging the gap between software development and research. His role involves developing relevant economic models and ensuring seamless collaboration across teams.
Alex Shahrestani, Mentor
Alex Shahrestani, the latest addition to the IAMECON team, joined as an industry mentor in May 2023. A law graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, Alex has a wealth of experience in technology-forward startups within the legal industry. As the managing partner at Promise Legal, he focuses on innovative legal solutions for businesses. His expertise will be instrumental in guiding IAMECON towards commercial and technical success.
IAMECON is dedicated to revolutionizing the legal industry with their browser-based economic analysis software tool. Designed for small to midsize law firms specializing in personal injury and employment lawsuits, the software aims to streamline the process of damage assessment and discounting. By pre-processing, augmenting, and standardizing various data sources, IAMECON offers a customizable and user-friendly interface that caters to multiple stages of the litigation process.
IAMECON currently has a web-based MVP application ready for internal testing on wrongful death cases, with plans to extend to employment cases in 2024. This development places IAMECON ahead of their Phase I application timeline. Future enhancements will address specific customer needs and pain points identified through the I-Corps program and pilot release.
The I-Corps program will enable IAMECON to gain a deeper market understanding by focusing on three key areas: the process of estimating damages by lawyers, the in-house evaluation process for law firms, and the economic and statistical modeling helpful in building legal cases. Insights from customer interviews will guide the optimization of user inputs, ensuring that the tool remains flexible and precise at various stages of litigation.
Dr. Ikizler’s acceptance into the NSF National I-Corps™ SBIR program marks a significant milestone for IAMECON and the University of Texas at Austin. With a strong, experienced team and a clear vision for their innovative tool, IAMECON is poised to make a substantial impact on the legal industry. This achievement reflects the University’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and translating cutting-edge research into real-world applications.
