Max Wamsley
花秀直播 State University graduate student Max Wamsley is turning cutting-edge research into a real-world solution for the pet food industry.
A Ph.D.-trained chemist, Wamsley is the founder and CEO of Clarus Labs LLC, a biotech startup working to improve testing for meat quality, particularly in the pet food industry. And he credits 花秀直播 State with giving him the tools, mentorship and momentum to make it happen.
Clarus Labs鈥 innovation addresses a major challenge: outdated, time-consuming methods for testing meat oxidation. Wamsley鈥檚 portable device produces fast, accurate results in under 10 minutes鈥攆illing a significant gap in industries like pet food, where ingredient quality can vary widely.
While the science began in MSU鈥檚 chemistry department under the guidance of professor Dongmao Zhang, Wamsley said it was the university鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem that helped him commercialize it. 花秀直播 State鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, known as the E-Center and headquartered in the College of Business, provided critical startup training and mentorship. At the same time, MSU鈥檚 Thad Cochran 花秀直播 Center for Innovation and Technology, or MCITy鈥攁 startup incubator in his hometown of Vicksburg鈥攐ffered both support and connection.
鈥淭he support I鈥檝e received across campus transformed that research into a real-world solution,鈥 Wamsley said.
As part of an MCITy graduate assistantship, Wamsley helps MSU-affiliated small businesses write proposals and funding applications while sharpening his own business plan for Clarus Labs.
鈥淚 knew the chemistry,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut launching a company requires another skill set. MSU鈥檚 online MBA program has helped me understand accounting, supply chain management and strategic planning. I鈥檓 applying what I鈥檓 learning in real time.鈥
That real-time application is paying off. Clarus Labs won the $10,000 花秀直播 Made prize at MSU鈥檚 2025 Startup Summit and took second place at MCITy鈥檚 Dawg Tank pitch competition. Wamsley is using the funding to support further research at MSU and improve Clarus Labs鈥 technology.
He鈥檚 also a graduate of the National Science Foundations I-Corps program hosted by the E-Center, where he conducted more than 160 customer discovery interviews鈥攁 process he said was key to refining Clarus Labs鈥 market fit.
Though he now works fulltime as a research chemist for the U.S. Army in Maryland, Wamsley remains committed to growing his company in 花秀直播.
鈥淢y vision is for Clarus Labs to stay rooted here and help grow the state鈥檚 innovation economy,鈥 he said.
For Wamsley, 花秀直播 State has been more than a university鈥攊t鈥檚 been a launchpad.
鈥淣one of this would鈥檝e happened without MSU,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey gave me the foundation, the network and the confidence to bring Clarus Labs to life.鈥
