Gainesville startup Florida Sustainables won the second annual $50,000 Cade Prize for Innovation earlier this summer.

Professor Stephen Miller (left) and grad student Ryan Martin accept the Cade Prize for Innnovation on June 11, 2011. [Photo: Doug Finger / The Gainesville Sun]

The company, formerly called Sestar Sustainables, was created by University of Florida chemistry professor Stephen Miller and graduate student Ryan Martin. It creates sustainable materials, particularly biodegradable polymers that are designed to replace petroleum-based plastics.