2018 Fall Cohort Finalists Selected for the UChicago Innovation Fund

Published on Thursday, October 25, 2018

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago has announced the five companies moving on to the fall finals of the 2018 University of Chicago Innovation Fund. Each of the finalists will present their ventures to the Innovation Fund advisory committee and public audience in an event hosted by the Polsky Center on Thursday, December 6.

The Innovation Fund invests in promising startups from an ecosystem that includes the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. The mission of the Innovation Fund is to help researchers turn their innovations into ventures that advance cutting-edge technologies, generate significant financial returns, and create lasting impact for humankind.

Learn more about the fall 2018 cohort finalists:

Covira Surgical is developing a bowel prep drink to reduce the risk of serious postoperative infections including wound infection, anastomotic leakage and ileus. Platform technologies include drugs, gels, devices, and drinks that maintain the function of the existing microbiome while allowing surgeons to use current best practices of prophylactic antibiotics. The PI is John Alverdy.
nuBorn Medical is creating a smart baby bottle system to diagnose feeding problems in preterm infants. This non-invasive device will allow objective, clinically significant, and actionable data to be gathered much earlier than current methods so these fragile infants can get the correct treatments earlier and leave the hospital sooner. The PI is Katlyn McGrattan.
Polaris Genomics was founded with the mission of developing, manufacturing, and delivering next-generation sequencing technologies and applying them to a clinical environment. Polaris develops technology that can be used to improve patient care and deliver upon the promise of personalized medicine. The PI is Chuan He.
QMIS has created a novel MRI software tool for prostate cancer detection that creates a heat map of prostate cancer and its severity. The tool is the first-of-its-kind that utilizes new research on detecting prostate cancer and has the potential to save and improve the lives of millions of men by catching prostate cancer earlier and helping doctors choose the best path for treatment. The PIs are Aytekin (Aytek) Oto and Greg Karczmar.

*The UChicago Innovation Fund was renamed the George Shultz Innovation Fund in recognition of the honorable George P. Shultz.