MyophonX

Solutions for silent speech production lack innovation, cultural acceptability, and often involve invasive surgery. MyophonX is cutting-edge wearable technology for silent communication, with applications to stroke and laryngectomy patients as well as voice searching.

Singularity

Harvard University

Singularity Energy, a cutting-edge grid decarbonization platform, developed by experts from Harvard, MIT, and Johns Hopkins, successfully closed a $4.5 million Seed Round with contributions from Spero Ventures and Energy Impact Partners, among others on January 27, 2022. Their platform, backed by real-time carbon dioxide signals, optimizes energy resources through carbon forecasting and optimization algorithms, enabling companies to balance emissions management and economic benefits. They recently welcomed Tesla co-founder and Spero Ventures partner Marc Tarpening to their board of directors. Singularity Energy has forged alliances with the New York Power Authority & EPRI and also obtained a $1.2 million NSF Grant in May 2022.

SOVE

University of North Carolina

SOVE is making a new approach for orthodontics. Traditional braces have never been comfortable or attractive, therefore there has been a large movement in the market towards invisible braces. However, many current 'invisible' alternatives suffer from a range of compromises that can make them under-perform. SOVE is developing the 2Insight, a two-stage orthodontic system that eliminate the problems associated with esthetic orthodontic appliances.

Nanochon

George Washington University

(Update: The company raised $2.7M Series 1 venture funding from Mountain State Capital, Kyto Technology, and Wealthing VC Club on August 10, 2022.) Knee cartilage injuries in young active people have unique challenges that do not face older patients. The treatments need to be able to withstand intense activity and last for years. There is currently no gold standard treatment, with all solutions having significant drawbacks in price, recovery time, and/or longevity of treatment. Nanochon has developed a 3D printed synthetic cartilage replacement which is inserted with minimally invasive surgery and encourages new tissue growth, extending the lifetime of the treatment.

PETcoil

[Update (8.2023): The company raised $3.5 million of seed funding from Industrial Technology Investment, StartX US and Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in August 2022.] PETcoil enables healthcare providers to offer PET/MRI scans with better imaging quality for a fraction of the cost compared to existing solutions. Commercial integrated PET/MRI scanners cost ~$6M + ~$2M for required room renovations, an unaffordable cost for many institutions. PETcoil's patented portable PET insert can be placed into any existing MRI scanner, enabling it to perform simultaneous PET/MRI at 1/8th of the cost compared to integrated systems. A proof-of-concept radiofrequency (RF)-penetrable PET insert has been developed and successfully tested, supported by grants from the NIH, Stanford Bio-X & Biodesign programs, and the Coulter Foundation.

Cycladex

Northwestern University

(Update: Sept. 2021 - Cycladex has completed construction of a production facility in the US that will use the company's novel gold recovery technology. The company uses a novel, patented chemical process to recover precious metals by cutting leach time from 30 hours to 6 hours on average. The development of the technology was supported by the National Science Foundation SBIR program and from investors in the UK.) Gold mining has been a historically low innovation industry. The industry standard is to use a cyanide process to isolate gold, which is expensive and potentially dangerous. Cycladex has created a method to isolate gold in an inexpensive, environmentally-friendly way.

Synaural

Northwestern University

The Synaural platform uses engineered acoustic probes to elicit specific neural activity within the brain. A robust, easy to use, non-invasive headset records the neural activity and patented algorithms extract unique metrics that provide objective insight to the subject’s neural health and can be used to guide treatment in a meaningful, measured way. To date, the metrics have demonstrated enough specificity to be correlated with various conditions e.g. concussion, learning disabilities (e.g. Autism, reading, dyslexia), and hearing.

Cayuga Biotech

University of California, Santa Barbara

Cayuga Biotech is a preclinical therapeutics company developing therapies for bleeding disorders. Our lead candidate is a platelet-like drug that accelerates clotting in the presence of injury. Cayuga has already held its pre-IND meeting with the FDA and received guidance on the GLP trials required for IND approval. The Cayuga team is made up of PhD scientists who developed CAY001 during their PhD research. We have two KOLs who are experts in the field of hemostasis and have overseen clinical trials on anticoagulant reversal drugs. Our regulatory strategy is developed by an advisor who spent 23 years at the FDA in CDER. Our manufacturing advisor has overseen 9 drugs reach clinical trials and 4 drugs receive approval. Our business advisors have overseen 4 successful business exits worth over $1 B. Cayuga has raised over $2 MM from DARPA and the Army. We are raising a round to complete the remaining IND-enabling studies, add experienced drug developers to the team, and prepare for the first in man trial.

bioProtonics

University of California, Santa Barbara

[Update (8.2023): SBIR/STTR funding total - $150k, Venture funding total - $2.86M] Many diseases can only be diagnosed properly by looking at sections of the tissue post-mortem or from invasive biopsies. Imaging of subtle textural aspects of tissue is not possible due to low resolution in magnetic resonance (MR) images. bioProtonics has developed a method to measure tissue texture using MR data without the need for rendered images. In many diagnostic workflows, the bioProtonics technique could replace biopsies. Such applications include neurodegenerative disease, liver disease, osteoporosis, cancer, lung disease, prostate disease. (Update 2019 - 2021: $1,049,785 + $782K Seed Funding)

Vine Robot Technologies

University of California, Santa Barbara

Soft robotics shows promise for creating robots which are better able to navigate narrow and variable environments. The vine robot is able to extend its length many thousands of percent its body length with an internal pressurized vessel, which can be manipulated to change the direction of the robot tip. In testing, the vine robot is able to navigate through small passages and can even autonomously navigate towards light source with the addition of a camera.

PionEar Technologies

Harvard University

Ear infections are the number one cause of doctors visits worldwide, affecting 700 million people each year. Chronic ear infections are often treated with the insertion of a tympanostomy tube into the ear drum. While these help to drain fluid, they often come with complications which can result in follow up surgeries and hearing loss. The PionEar tympanostomy tube technology addresses the most common complications by changing the geometry and materials of the tube to enhance fluid transport and reduce the chances of biofilm formation.

LiMAX Biosciences

Harvard University

Update 10.22 - Limax has raised $2m in funding, which supported the launch of topical and internal hemostat programs. The company is seeking $6m in seed funding to support first human trials, followed by a $12m series A round to support clinical trials and commercial launch. Limax Biosciences has developed a biodegradable adhesive hydrogel for advanced bleeding with strong and rapid adhesion to wet tissue surfaces. According to Limax CEO Ben Freedman, 30% to 50% of surgeries today are associated with bleeding-related complications, costing the health system between $10,000 and $15,000 per case in hospitalization and prolonged hospital stays.Wounds outside and inside the body are common and can be devastating. Wound adhesives have not been able to compete with suturing due to lack of strength and flexibility. LiMAX has developed a gel adhesive using biomimicry which is able to outperform existing medical adhesives in strength and flexibility.

NanoStem Biotech

Rutgers University

Dr. KiBum Lee of Rutgers University is developing a nanoscaffold material and system that would enable effective stem cell therapy and drug delivery. The innovation promises functional recovery in patients with central nervous system injuries--like spinal cord injuries--for which there are no effective treatments today. Features of the nanoscaffold include 3D biomimicry, stem cell/neuronal differentiation, ECM-protein binding affinity, efficient drug loading/sustained delivery, and MRI-based monitoring capability.

OptoVibronex

Rutgers University

The current standard for distinguishing between benign and cancerous skin legions require an invasive skin biopsy followed by a waiting period for lab results for diagnosis. OptoVibronix is eliminating the need for invasive skin biopses to diagnose a skin legion as cancerous or benign. The technology scans the skin legion and results in a diagnosis in just 15 minutes. By avoiding skin biospy, it improves the patient experience and efficiency of diagnosis and reduces healthcare costs.

AnelleO

University of North Carolina

[Update (8.2023): SBIR/STTR funding total - $2.17M] AnelleO is harnessing the advancements in the speed and scale of 3D printing technology for novel solutions in Women’s Health. AnelleO’s Intravaginal Rings (IVRs) offer a unique platform for sustained delivery of therapeutics – a non-invasive, self-administered and retrievable platform that can deliver drugs over a period of weeks or months. AnelleO is a medical device company that is developing a 3D printed intravaginal ring that can be used as a platform for treating a wide range of women's health conditions. Their first product, AnelleO PRO involves the only single administration of progesterone for infertility. Their technology enables controlled drug-release kinetics with up to 100% drug release, as well as rapid manufacturing and custom sizing. The manufacturing method allows for formulation of biologics and drug combinations not possible with traditional technologies.

KayoThera

Princeton University

(Update - 4.22: KayoThera closed an $8 million Series A round of financing. The financing was led by Accelerator Life Science Partners (“ALSP”) with participation from BioAdvance and 7G Bioventures. KayoThera will focus its therapeutic development efforts on its lead oncology program to further advance the technology towards a product that will benefit patients with late-stage and metastatic cancers.) Kayothera is leveraging cutting-edge discoveries to develop therapeutics for cancer patients who currently receive terminal diagnoses. Our two pipeline candidates target solid tumors to 1) inhibit tumor survival mechanisms in advanced or chemoresistant disease, 2) deplete immunosuppressive Regulatory T cells to restore anti-tumor immunity. With these first-in-class small molecule therapeutics, we aim to give hope to patients with intractable cancers.

Aero Therapeutics

Yale University

Aero Therapeutics is helping physicians in low-resource settings treat neonatal respiratory issues with their sustainable, rugged and affordable devices. ​Their current device oxygenates, warms, humidifies, and sterilizes air before it is delivered in a single, compact, and mobile enclosure. ​Developed iteratively in Ethiopia, their final prototype demonstrates comparable performance with commercially available devices at ~1/10th the cost.

Tendo Technologies

Princeton University

(Update: Raised an estimated $2 million from Rhapsody Venture Partners and Tyche Partners in 2023). Founded in 2017, Tendo Technologies is an innovative firm emerging from the Marcus Hultmark research lab at Princeton. The company specializes in advanced flow sensing/measurement technology. The scalable technology uses nanoscale conductive ribbons to achieve extreme sensitivity for gases and liquids. Tendo's tech, packaged with tailored components for specific applications, proves useful across numerous industries, including medical, agricultural, HVAC, and manufacturing sectors.