Polsky Accelerator Selects 18 Startups to Build and Launch Their Ventures
(iStock/Ali Shahgholi)
The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is pleased to announce the 18 startups selected to participate in the 2022 Polsky Accelerator, a competitive 10-week summer program open all University of Chicago students and recent alumni.
Half of the teams were accepted into the Build track of the accelerator, designed for earlier-stage ventures. Through weekly workshops and coaching, these teams work on product development and customer and market validation. Each team also receives a $6,500 non-dilutive grant.
The other nine teams were accepted into the Launch track, designed for investment-ready teams to focus on fundraising, selling, and gaining and maintaining momentum. It includes a $10,000 investment in the business, networking opportunities with venture capitalists, and assistance in building pitch and fundraising decks.
Both tracks also offer more than $100,000 in in-kind services such as Web hosting and incorporation help. Teams will present their business plans at a demo day set for August 25.
The Accelerator initially launched in 2012 and last year expanded to two tracks to serve startups at varying stages of development. It is open to all full- and part-time University of Chicago students, as well as alumni within five years of graduation. The ventures can be for- or non-profit.
The teams selected for the Build and Launch tracks of the 2022 Polsky Accelerator are:
BUILD ACCELERATOR
A Bryce Project // A Bryce Project is a music video production company that focuses on providing high-quality videos and marketing education for starting artists. It houses everything from developing the creative vision with a detailed video structure to choreography instruction, to outfit selection assistance.
Adiona // Adiona develops analytics that can passively monitor symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s via wearable devices to reduce caregiver burden and improve patient care.
Alpha Nur // Alpha Nur seeks to provide small, mobile nuclear reactors to government entities in remote and off-grid locations in need of reliable energy sources.
Commas // Commas builds better financial habits with behavioral science-driven technology. It is an interactive fintech platform that helps young adults overcome money stress and create sustainable behavior change, similar to a “Noom for money”.
IndustryNest // IndustryNest is an industrial B2B marketplace supplying internationally manufactured parts not commonly sourced in the North American market. IndustryNest will offer a wide range of products drop-shipped from suppliers and manufacturers directly to the customer and will also build a community to connect customers and engineers to provide technical support.
My Advisor // My Advisor is an in-person lifestyle assistance service for the elderly. It works with clients and their families to proactively tackle some of aging’s most challenging problems, serving as a bridge between them and their lawyers, accountants and healthcare professionals.
Nene // Nene is an online baby clothing company that offers high-quality, innovative, and functional designs through a personalized seamless experience. By leveraging data and analytics to make personalized recommendations based on the unique needs and individual tastes of its customers, Nene aims to transform the baby apparel shopping experience.
Referee AI // Referee AI helps those involved in the peer-review process save time when evaluating academic articles. Its solution summarizes a paper, identifies the related articles, and measures its contribution to the existing literature.
TeachMe // TeachMe is a web-based platform that offers teachers access to broad-based, practical, and contextualized support in their practice and professional development. Its online ‘homeroom’ for teachers provides learning modules as well as communities of practice, for teachers to source, test, and share solutions to classroom challenges.
LAUNCH ACCELERATOR
Alloy // Alloy will be the one-stop-shop for sports betting where fans can conduct research, place bets, and track winnings. Founded on the principles of transparency, accessibility, and user control, Alloy’s no-code platform lets sports fans easily build their own sports betting strategies and backtest against past results in real-time.
Cricket Hill Inc. // Cricket Hill Inc., the owner of ChirpSnax, hopes to change the future of pet food. By using cricket-proteins, ChirpSnax is more sustainable, more nutritious, and even hypoallergenic.
Emojent // Emojent is a human measurement platform that focuses on providing key insights to market researchers using emotion AI and video analytics.
Flights: A Wine Collective // Flights: A Wine Collective is a smart wine club that delivers the best bottle of wine you’ve never heard of straight to your doorstep. With applications of machine learning new to the wine industry, it curates a complete experience for customers, optimized to their values, interests, and tastes.
immersionED // immersionED transforms games with historical settings into immersive learning experiences. Imagine Assassin’s Creed, but with education swapped in for assassination.
Inclusive+ // Inclusive+ is an integrated telehealth platform (online provider + pharmacy) that coordinates and delivers primary care for the LGBTQIA+ population. It is a one-stop shop to access care-competent primary care services, outpatient testing, and home medication delivery in a convenient platform.
Mizaru // Mizaru is an online platform matching people with disabilities with freelance support providers based on qualification and personalized needs.
Natuur Brands // Natuur Brands is the edible for everyone. Its granola bites are the perfect approachable option for today’s recreational marijuana consumer: fast-acting, low-dose, and equal parts delicious and nutritious.
Pyaariweddings.co // Pyaariweddings.co is a South Asian wedding directory where couples can shop for wedding vendors based on pricing, reviews, and more; add them to their ‘cart;’ and create their own customized, DIY, a-la-carte wedding plan.
To learn more about the Polsky Accelerator, contact Lucas Peralta.