2014 archives: grantees


VentureWell identifies and supports STEM student innovators as they move from initial idea to raising their first seed round. Each year, we make a select number of investments in alumni startups from our E-Team program. We offer matching seed stage funding to startups that have secured a sophisticated lead investor and can illustrate the impact of their solution and clear growth through their VentureWell experience. We make these investments through a donor-advised fund at ImpactAssets.


AccuSpine

A probe to assist in correct placement of screws during spinal surgery

A new type of detonation engine that produces power more efficiently than conventional combustion engines

Airity Technologies

A device that selectively kills infection-causing microorganisms without damage to cells or tissue

Ambercycle Inc.

A way to break down waste plastics into high-value commodities without fossil fuels

Better Together

A service that will link together home-owning senior women with younger women looking for affordable housing

BioMetrics Analytics E-Team

A minimally invasive motion-sensing technology that will help clinicians accurately measure and track the gait and upper extremity movements of patients with Parkinson’s Disease

A biodegradable alternative to fiberglass insulation

Blue Defibrillation

A low-cost, rugged Automated External Defibrillator

A device that will provide surgeons with real-time information about the surgical field as they operate

Calientamigos

A three-part system that gives poor families access to hot water

A suite of products to improve the quality of life of children and families affected by pediatric sleep disorders such as night terrors

Classroom to Makers Week (C2MW)

A set of integrated year-long extracurricular activities culminating in a Makers Week

Contour Medical

A rib retractor that conforms to the shape of each patient’s body in order improve outcomes after thoracotomies

D&P Bioinnovations

A new therapy for esophagus surgery patients that involves regenerating normal esophageal tissue through stem cells

Design of Electric Hybrid Vehicles

A course to support students from product ideation to the development and commercialization of products for hybrid vehicles

Developing World Biomedical Device Innovation Co-op Program

A new biomedical device design and innovation program focused on Tanzania

Development of Multidisciplinary Engineering Creativity and Innovation Course

A bridge course in which skillset-balanced E-Teams will develop entrepreneurial projects with social/environmental impact

E-Mow: Biomass-Powered Robot Harvester

A self-fueling, self-guided drone harvester that produces biomass pellets

Easy Suds

A low-cost device that will automatically release soap out of a faucet

EatSafe

A handheld, contactless device that gauges the amount of bacterial growth on food

Education of Engineering and Business Students for the 21st Century: A Paradigm Shift

Integrating engineering design skills with entrepreneurial creativity by placing engineering and business students on the same projects in the same physical space

Elegus Technologies

A new ion-conducting membrane for lithium-air batteries

EMotorUS

An on-board diagnosis system for hybrid and electric vehicles that can provide early fault warnings, improving reliability and safety

Entrenous

A solution for ostomates that reduces discomfort and embarrassment from pouch ballooning and gas odor through more effective and flexible adsorption of gasses and odors

Entrepreneur’s Journey

Adapt the Lean Startup I-Corps curriculum to a pilot course tailored for Missouri S&T students

Entrepreneurial Enhancements to the Product Innovation Lab

Enhanced team-building and mentoring for an existing product innovation course at NCSU

Flash Connect

A program supporting E-Teams in a variety of ways on campus, including courses, mentoring and mini grants

Fluid Screen (IMF Devices)

A portable device that can detect small amounts of pathogens in large volumes of liquid

Garage Physics

A place where student entrepreneurs can prototype inventions

Green Energy Storage Technology (GEST) Moveable Grid

A battery unit designed for use in Haiti that can be charged from either 220 V sources or direct current sources

HiComm LLC

A communication platform that links service partners to communities-in-need around the world

ICAT: A Talent Accelerator at the College of Charleston

An online accelerator curriculum, prototype funding and early seed funding for College of Charleston E-Teams

IDEA Labs

A new course and seminar series in which students will work with clinician mentors to identify problems and develop solutions

A disposable radiofrequency ablation (RFA) probe that destroys residual cancer cells around the site of a breast cancer lumpectomy

Innoflow

A device that props open the prostatic urethra in order to enable a patient to urinate

Innovating Molecular Prototyping through Experiential Learning (IMPEL)

A new experiential learning program in molecular prototyping and biomanufacturing for undergraduate students

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate Program

A new certificate program in innovation and entrepreneurship for undergraduate students focused on the translation of scientific discovery to the medical marketplace

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Certificate Program

An interdisciplinary and experiential certificate in I&E

Innovation and Translation Studio for Biomechatronic Design in Neurorehabilitation

A new biomechatronics design course emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship

Integrative, Multidisciplinary, Entrepreneurial Capstone Experiences

A revised engineering capstone course built around Lean LaunchPad methodology

IntelliCoat

A low-cost, environmentally friendly coating system for steel structures

IntelliDrain

A device designed to analyze the composition of the air emerging from leaks in patients that have undergone lung resection surgery

Intestine Perfusion, Preservation, and Transportation Device (IPPTD)

A device that will improve small intestine transport for transplantation

Linking Entrepreneurship and Innovation Across Disciplines and Programs

Establishing a university-wide culture of entrepreneurship and innovation at RPI with a focus on projects with positive environmental and social impact

Longhorn Grand Challenges Scholars Program

A program to focus students on the entrepreneurial aspects of solving the National Academy of Engineering’s 21st Century Grand Challenges

A non-invasive, non-hormonal device solution for breast cancer survivors.

MetaHelmet

A deployable head protection device to reduce trauma due to falls from unexpected muscle contraction and loss of consciousness during seizures in epileptic patients

Minimally Invasive Toroid System (MITS)

A non-surgical solution for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH

Mobium Solutions

A modular attachment for consumer 3D printers which will allow them to print continuously in assembly-line fashion

Neurotek

A tremor-reducing wrist brace that uses small frictional pistons to reduce unintentional movement and give patients the ability to perform fine motor tasks

New Aegis

A foam composite for football helmets that reduces impact forces by 30%, offering better protection against concussions

Nonspec

A low cost, durable prosthetic for developing countries that can “grow” with a child, decreasing the number of prosthetics s/he requires over time

Nutriflow

A feeding system for infants in the NICU that increases the nutrients and fat content ultimately delivered

Oculens

Individually tailored, custom 3D-printed lenses for cataract surgery patients

A hand-held diagnostic instrument for prescribing corrective lenses that is smaller, less expensive, faster and more accurate than currently existing devices

PathMeT (Pathway Measurement Tool)

A device that can measure compliance of sidewalks and pathways for current Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines

Clothing integrated with resistance bands that will increase muscle activation and energy expenditure during movement

QRSTee by CardioGuard

A wearable cardioverter-defibrillator that maintains contact with the patient’s skin to detect heartbeat, determines whether the patient has a life-threatening arrhythmia, and delivers shocks to the heart if necessary

R-ARM

A robotic arm that attaches to the back of a wheelchair

RapiDose: A Mobile Medication-dosing Tool

An app to help clinicians in low-resource settings dose medications more efficiently and with greater accuracy

A new drug delivery technology that will simplify drug reconstitution between a lyophilized drug and water at the point of care

Siren Weather Analysis Application

A tool built to prevent weather-related accidents within the trucking industry by automatically alerting dispatchers of weather conditions

Smart Appliance Technology

A smart microwave, capable of reading QR or UPC labels on packaging

Social Innovator OnRamp at UC Berkeley

A sequential program for socially focused E-Teams working on new products

SolVia Solar

A solar drip irrigation system for small-plot farmers

Detects post-operative complications for patients that have undergone surgeries in which arteries and veins are joined together

StartR Accelerator

A free, six-month accelerator program held twice a year

Stasys

A less invasive solution which mimics the therapeutic effects of surgery by preventing absorption of nutrients in the proximal gut and blocking key hormonal pathways, leading to diabetic remission

TextUp

A text-messaging platform to improve communication between the homeless and near-homeless served by social service providers

UGA Medical Innovation Studio: Student-run Incubator for Medical Device Innovation and Entrepreneurial Translation

A Medical Innovation Studio to support teams of student entrepreneurs in developing new ventures

Ukweli Test Strips

Low-cost urinary tract infection diagnostic test strips

University-wide Initiative: Social Innovation at Illinois

Supporting early-stage socially focused E-Teams at UIUC

An innovative stent that employs a proximity sensing system to help surgeons more precisely localize and avoid the ureter during surgery

VibroDynamics

A compression garment that uses vibrations to create better blood flow along a patient’s legs, preventing varicose veins from worsening

A new probe that will allow surgeons to more accurately place pedicle screws during spinal fusion procedures

ZYMtronics Catalytic Systems, Inc.

A cost-effective means of removing phenols from wastewater

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