The early years of Dr. Sahin's entrepreneurial career overlapped with the final years of his academic career which began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and continued at MIT with interleaved periods at Robert College of Istanbul, Harvard University, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The Arbor/BP Telecommunications platform developed at Kenan Systems based on early forms of AI and Big Data, later renamed Kenan/BP by Lucent, now serves over one billion telecom subscribers globally.
In June 1999, based on his dual positions as President of Kenan Systems (now a Lucent subsidiary) and as a VP at Bell Labs, he established the Joint Development and Delivery Center (JDCC) at Murray Hill, opposite to the Bell Labs facility assigning 50 staff from Bell Labs that had generated an array of software innovations and 50 staff from Kenan Systems who had a proven track record of converting innovations into software products.
The Arbor/BP platform was used as the framework with a variety of plug-and-play applications modules running in an operating system coming from Bell Labs.
Having completed two full years and also disagreeing with some of the new Lucent executives on voice vs data as strategy, he left in December 2000 to pursue other pathways which led to TIAX and then CAMX Power.
Shortly after leaving Lucent/Bell Labs, Dr. Sahin founded TIAX (2002) which purchased the lab-based Technology and Innovation (T&I) unit of the fabled Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL) established by Mr. Little in 1886, run by him until 1935, owned by MIT until the 50’s, when it became an employee-owned global company.
Dr. Sahin transformed the TIAX/T&I combination to mature select early-stage technologies in energy, chemistry, materials, and functional wearables to be IP-protected, de-risked, and production-ready for its industry partners to make and sell.
These globally patented cathode chemistry inventions, licensed by Panasonic Energy, Samsung, LG Energy Solution, Umicore, L&F, EcoPro BM, BASF, and others, have become central to Lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, minimizing Cobalt, increasing performance and reducing costs.
Designed specifically for pilots in Air Force ejection seat aircraft, the IAE is a custom-fit, multi-layer system of gear consisting of survival equipment and protective clothing.
Depending on the aircraft, location, and mission, the ensemble can efficiently layer up to seven pieces of gear or components, while reducing bulk and improving aircrew mobility.
Dr. Sahin serves/served on the boards of MIT (life member), Argonne National Lab, NEMA, Council on Competitiveness, Boston Symphony Orchestra (Advisory), Boston Museum of Fine Arts (Advisory), American Field Service (AFS), Bolte Medal and others.
[citation needed] In 2006, he was given the Golden Door Award by the International Institute of Boston in recognition of his achievements as both an entrepreneur and an academic.
In 2007, TIAX was recognized as one of the Global Growth companies by the World Economic Forum, and Dr. Sahin was invited to Davos-East held in Dalian, China to address Innovation.
Dr. Sahin has been granted global patents in the areas of computer communication networks and lithium-ion batteries, and has numerous academic publications.
He is actively supporting an initiative at the Resources for the Future (RFF) that the real clear and present danger is climate and weather volatility, a much more immediate consequence of global warming.
Lean Startup to Lean Company to Rich Exit, ForbesBooks, March 26, 2024 Lean Startup to Lean Company to Rich Exit: A Guidebook, ForbesBooks, November 19, 2024 Restoring an American Industrial Legend: TIAX and the Arthur D. Little Company, Joseph Priestley Society Lecture at the Science History Institute, January 18, 2024 Innovation and the University-Industry Interface, Xconomy, February 19, 2008 Our Innovation Backlog, MIT Technology Review, December/January 2003 MIT keynote address, 10th annual 50K Entrepreneurship Competition, 1999 MIT keynote address, 11th annual MIT Enterprise 11th Satellite Broadcast Series, October 5, 2000 New Directions in Services Management, with Mitra, et al,Bell Labs Tech.
"Kenan Şahin RA 60 Honors His Parents: Making a Major Gift to Robert College" (PDF).