Wakonda Technologies was founded in 2005 by Dr. Les Fritzemeier and Professor Ryne Raffaelle of the Rochester Institute of Technology. The company was established to exploit the intersection of their respective skills in metallurgical processing and advanced photovoltaic devices. Wakonda was started in Rochester NY and used the facilities at RIT, Cornell University and several government agencies to conduct proof of concept experiments. In 2008, the company moved to Massachusetts to accelerate product development and early commercialization. Wakonda has received several honors over its short history, winning the first ever Golden Horseshoe Business Challenge in upstate NY and being named the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007.