For More Information:
Stephanie Larson
Technology Entrepreneur Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(217) 265-5456
TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENUR CENTER ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR 2015 COZAD NEW VENTURE COMPETITION
URBANA, Ill. (April 9, 2015) – The Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the top 18 finalists in the Cozad New Venture Competition. The Cozad New Venture Competition encourages students to create new businesses in a topic of their choosing and the final event is part of the Entrepreneurship Forum on the University of Illinois’ campus. These students are competing for close to $160,000 in funding and in-kind prizes.
The Top 18 Cozad Finalist Teams are:
Archimedes Energy Solutions: is developing a more effective heliostat to enhance the viability and competitiveness of concentrated solar power as an energy source.
AVriculture: Farm operators rely on experience-driven, gut feelings to make operational decisions. AVriculture's aerial vehicle, advanced imaging payload, and unique data processing create a data link between operators and their land. The result? Optimized workflow, enhanced yields and increased profits.
BioAnalytics: is an early-stage biotechnology company focused on designing the next generation of immunoassay technology. BioAnalytics concentrates on improving test speed, simplicity, sensitivity, and specificity in order to further academic research, pharmaceutical development, and clinical laboratory.
BreakfastBox: Eating breakfast is important, yet, many young professionals are skipping breakfast to save time. BreakfastBox is an automated counter-top appliance with the ability to prepare a variety of fresh cooked, high quality, hot meals with minimal user input, reducing the time required for breakfast.
Corvae: Trailblazers in the medical instrumentation and device space - Corvae is connecting doctors to data, nurses to clarity, and patients to comfort.
Dosify: is developing an oral drug delivery device for infants that delivers metered doses with no requirement for clean water or refrigeration. This will dramatically reduce infant mortality in low resource settings.
FlipWord: allows you to passively learn a language while browsing the web.
FreeSkies: Drones and Quad-copters are becoming more and more prevalent in the public space. FreeSkies is a software company building intelligent, autonomous control systems for multi-copters with an intuitive UI. FreeSkies’ first step is to target the film industry, empowering filmmakers and directors.
Glint: Living on a college campus has opened our eyes to the issue of biker safety. Glint is a wearable light system that makes cyclists more visible and helps them communicate effectively with motorists. Glint will improve safety for bikers everywhere, whether commuting, exercising, or taking a joy ride.
Helios: is a cloud software application that helps selective student organizations manage their members, along with the hectic process of accepting, interviewing, and voting on new ones. We offer a suite of tools targeted towards different tasks that are common in this process.
Kofman Technologies LLC: is a multidisciplinary group of innovators coming together to design life-saving solutions to defense tech problems. We've prototyped and tested an industry-leading Level IV body armor system, and we're 2-4 weeks away from a modular, affordable, non-lethal armed police drone.
MyLastNight: is a social safety app designed to detect when a smartphone user falls unconscious. When the user is in trouble, MyLastNight relays their location to a network of trusted friends, in order to be rescued.
PSYONIC: is a highly advanced prosthetic hands at 10x less cost to improve the lives of people with amputations worldwide.
Snacktime Delivery: A three-click food delivery app for Champaign-Urbana.
Sudden Impact Analytics: Real time concussion detection in athletes through use of a smart mouth guard. App notifies coaches/athletic trainers of severe head impacts and provides data to help them recognize and diagnose concussions.
Tottu: is a fully integrated wireless and modular point of sales (POS) system that increases efficiency by eliminating unnecessary overhead from the ordering and payment process. In addition to traditional POS systems both customers and merchants can order, process & pay via Tottu from their devices.
Tube Access Point: There is a great need for a method to address IV tube entanglement in critical care environments in hospitals. The Tube Access Point, a simple, low cost device improves patient mobility, line traceability, and reduces potentially fatal misconnections and disconnections.
Your New Scope: Environmental friendly micro-electronic photonic device, wearable treatment kit makes your healthcare home and easy.
Cozad finalist and co-founder of FreeSkies, Jay Mulakala states, "It's truly an honor to be one of the finalists for the Cozad New Venture Competition. Looking around at the teams that have made it this far in the competition, you can see the real passion and energy that these founders bring to their startups. It’s good to be in like-minded company."
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ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEUR CENTER
Since 2000, the Technology Entrepreneur Center’s (TEC) mission has been to inspire its students to become the next generation of world-changing visionaries, leaders and entrepreneurs. This is accomplished through its courses, product competitions, workshops and other curricular and extra-curricular events that expose students to the concepts of technology innovation and market adoption. TEC offers on campus and online courses and certificate programs and hosts outreach activities for students and alumni. TEC also administers the annual Cozad New Venture Competition and the Illinois Innovation Prize, among several other programs.
ABOUT THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP FORUM
The Provost’s Roundtable on Entrepreneurship annually holds a campus-wide Entrepreneurship Forum, highlighting the breadth of entrepreneurial activities across our campus for faculty, students, and academic professionals. This day-long event allows attendees to participate in hands-on workshops and panel discussions to learn about topics such as: the Lean Startup Method, How to Fund your Company and the Impact of Social Entrepreneurship. This event is kicked off by a keynote speaker followed by a full day of panel sessions and networking opportunities.
ABOUT THE COZAD NEW VENTURE COMPETITION
Since 2000, The Cozad New Venture Competition (CNVC) was designed to encourage students to create new businesses. Teams are invited to create a venture around a topic of their choice. The competition process offers teams assistance in the form of: mentors to help guide them through the phases of venture creation, workshops to help with idea validation, pitching skills, customer development, and more as well as and courses to enhance their skills and knowledge.