2019 Spring Cohort Selected for the George Shultz Innovation Fund

Published on Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago has announced the four companies moving on to the spring finals of the 2019 George Shultz 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 Wednesday, June 5.

The George Shultz 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 George Shultz 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 spring 2019 cohort finalists:

Anapneo Therapeutics develops novel agents for sleep apnea, a disorder for which the standard of care is often poorly tolerated and for which no pharmacotherapies are FDA-approved. The leads are designed to target a paradigm-shifting mechanism of respiratory regulation, and inhibit both obstructive and central sleep apneas in preclinical models.Team members: Nanduri Prabhakar (PI), David McCormick (Lead)
Harmonize is an end-to-end chronic care management platform. It provides integrations for sensors, analytics, and interventional services, and seamlessly connects them into packages that bring patients towards better health outcomes. Harmonize is designed to maximize nimbleness and flexibility, and utilizes proprietary AI to make iterative decisions and adapt to each patient’s specific and ever-changing health state. Team members: Kevin Zhao (Lead), Joseph Wei, and Artem Petrov

SonicLQ uses sound technology to find specific leaks in barriers, enclosures, and vessels quickly and accurately, enabling customers to locate leaks faster while reducing costs and increasing sales and profits. The company’s first market will be building envelope air leak testing, where SonicLQ will provide customers with faster leak detection and easy to understand proof of where leaks exist. Team members: Bill Shadid (Lead) and Ralph Muehleisen (Argonne PI)

Transnostics is pioneering a novel tissue biopsy processing and 3D imaging technology to address the unmet need for improved cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The company’s advanced tissue biopsy analysis will provide comprehensive solutions to facilitate drug development and personalized medicine in oncology. Team members: Steve Kron (PI), Steve Lee (PI), Judy Prasad (Lead)

Those interested in attending the finals on Wednesday, June 5 are encourage to register online. >>