Seed

Over 1 million people in the United States every year receive surgical treatment for meniscus injuries due to their painful and debilitating symptoms. Most meniscus tears are treated with a meniscectomy (removal of the damaged tissue) since the meniscus has extremely limited healing capabilities. The removal of tissue increases the forces exerted on the knee joint cartilage, which can create recurring pain, mechanical impairment/immobility, and degenerative changes much earlier than if the meniscus was intact and protecting the cartilage.

Vasowatch’s mission  is to develop clinical decision support technology to improve the birthing experience for all mothers.  Our product is novel Labor and Delivery technology (US patent pending) that provides continuous monitoring of a mother’s risk for postpartum hemorrhage, excessive blood loss after childbirth, the leading cause of maternal deaths and complications globally.

ProsumerGrid has developed powerful software platform, Grid+DER Planning Studio(TM), capable of simulating the modern electrical power system with large amounts of distributed energy resources (DERs). The Studio uses groundbreaking optimization algorithms and advanced simulation to achieve high-fidelity simulations of DER-optimized distribution system operations.

Pike Robotics was spun out of UT's Nuclear and Applied Robotics Group and originally funded by Phillips 66 to help with the real need they have for maintaining their product storage and refining facilities. Improving the outdated inspection method for above-ground storage tanks was and continues to be the focus of the project. Failed seals inside storage tanks holding oil and oil-refined products lead to excessive VOC emissions and up to 5% of product lost to evaporation. Regular inspections are required by the EPA to ensure proper functionality.

VivoSphere’s mission is to revolutionize therapeutic development by leveraging cutting-edge tissue engineering technology to advance safer, more effective treatments. Founded in June 2022, VivoSphere LLC is located in the New Venture Accelerator at Auburn University, Alabama. The company originated as a spin-off from the Lipke Lab at Auburn University, based on the patented VivoSphere technology co-invented by Drs. Tian and Lipke. Currently, VivoSphere employs one full-time and one part-time staff member, with plans to expand the team in 2025.   

Currently hemophilia A patients must either infuse Factor VIII (FVIII) clotting factor 2-3 times per week or take weekly injections.  30% of hemophilia A patients develop inhibitors (neutralizing antibodies) to their missing clotting factor. FVIII gene therapies that were in development or Roctavian, which was recently approved are not durable, meaning they fail to deliver the promised single infusion treatment for hemophilia.  Worse still, patients with inhibitors were ineligible for these gene therapies.

Verdant Scientific is an early stage biotech startup developing a first-in-class, first-in-approach small molecule (VDT-002) for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), more commonly known as eczema.  Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition which significantly impacts the lives of more than 200M people worldwide.  There is no cure for the condition, and current treatments seek to reduce the symptoms of the disease by modulating the body's immune response.

Minus Filtration is dedicated to revolutionizing water treatment through our proprietary nanofiltration membrane technology. Our long-term goal is to develop comprehensive ""minus"" approach systems that treat water without the use of chemicals or additives, thereby eliminating byproducts and adverse health effects associated with traditional methods.   

Solar and wind need energy storage to enable renewable energy 24/7 and be 100% reliant on solar & wind. Thus, customers need flexible energy storage solutions that are future-proof to grow with the grid’s needs - which doesn’t exist today. Current energy storage solutions aren’t affordable, scalable, safe nor are they flexible or future-proof. EarthEn develops flexible and future-proof long duration energy storage to store 4-100+ hours of energy using CO2 in a closed loop at a low cost, highly scalable & safe manner with over a 30 year lifetime value.

High-performance lightweight composites, once reserved for aerospace, racing, and high-performance sports, have failed to penetrate mass-market applications due to high production costs, slow manufacturing speeds, and low scalability. As a result, mass-market manufacturers are constrained to using inexpensive, heavily reinforced metals or plastics. These materials are heavier, bulkier, prone to corrosion, and limit design flexibility, driving inefficiencies across industries.  The reliance on these sub-optimal materials compounds problems: