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Finalists
First Place Finalist: Corveus Medical – Houston, TX
$35,000
Corveus Medical is developing a one-time, catheter-based solution that provides instant relief from the symptoms of chronic heart failure. Heart failure affects over 6M Americans, and hospitalizations contribute to a mounting cost burden of $35B on the healthcare system. Corveus’ device performs a unique, targeted nerve ablation to inactivate a sympathetic nerve branch, which has been shown in several publications to provide significant benefit for class III heart failure patients.
Second Place Finalist: DrillDocs – Austin, TX
$20,000
DrillDocs is a next-generation drilling services company deploying computer vision technologies with drilling and geomechanics expertise to reduce Operator’s emissions, loss of hole risk, and non-productive time while drilling oil, gas, and geothermal wells.
Third Place Finalist: Waltech International, Inc. – Austin, TX
$15,000
Waltech manufactures smart thermostats for RV living. 99% of 12 million RV owners in the US still use old push-button thermostats and appliances. Due to power differences, regular smart home thermostats like google nest cannot be used in RVs(AC vs. DC). They are the world’s first thermostat to work on AC & DC power and are currently used by more than 300 RV owners. The DC power industry (RVs, Sailboats, Trucks, and any off-grid living) is huge. They aim to become the Amazon Alexa of the DC world.
Fourth Place Finalist: Ember Sleep – Houston, TX
$10,000
Ember Sleep is the next generation of apnea treatment. It is a medical device fabricated at the point-of-care to treat sleep apnea through a comfortable, non-contact muscle stimulation. This novel treatment fits comfortably in the patients’ mouth during sleep to open the airway and ultimately improve health and feel more well-rested.
Fifth Place Finalist: NeuraStasis, Inc. – Houston, TX
$8,000
NeuraStasis is pressing pause on ischemic stroke. Our patent-pending non-invasive neurostimulation technology coordinates the activation of cranial nerve reflexes to preserve brain tissue. When “time is brain,” we aim to slow things down to give providers more time to intervene. By slowing down stroke progression, we can enable more patients to reach life-saving treatments and give them a better chance of returning to their everyday lives after a stroke.
Sixth Place Finalist: Opsin Biotherapeutics – Bedford, TX
$4,000
Opsin Biotherapeutics is focused on providing a non-opioid alternative for the 100M Americans that suffer from chronic pain. Our patented optogenetic technology uses a non-viral, laser gene delivery to place a light receptor protein (opsin) gene inside those neurons of the spine that inhibit pain, which are then activated with an implanted light source or potentially with an external, transdermal, light source for peripheral nerve pain.
Elevator Pitch
Elevator Pitch First Place: SageSpectra – College Station, TX
$5,000
SageSpectra is a low-cost, portable device that accurately measures tissue oxygenation, a key indicator of tissue health, across any patient at risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in <3 minutes. PAD, the narrowing of vessels reducing blood flow to the extremities, affects approximately 19-21 million Americans. Through early detection with SageSpectra’s device, long-term complications such as amputation, heart attack, and stroke and their associated acute care costs can be avoided.
Elevator Pitch Second Place: Pike Robotics – Austin, TX
$4,000
For owners of above-ground petrochemical storage tanks who experience difficulty maintaining their floating roof seals, Pike Robotics provides an in-service robotic inspection solution that guarantees safety of facility personnel, reduces operating expenses by 85%, and helps to remove around 480,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by improving the accuracy of the inspection results. This is a solution that is helping the industry solve a major pain point that exists today.
Elevator Pitch Third Place: Taurus Vascular – Houston, TX
$3,000
Taurus Vascular is a Houston-based medical device company focused on improving long-term outcomes for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We are developing a safe, effective, and easy-to-use, catheter-based, medical device to reduce the risk and impact of endoleaks after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), representing a significant improvement over the current standard of care.
Elevator Pitch Fourth Place: Predyct, Inc. – Houston, TX
$1,500
Predyct delivers zero-power sensors & wireless network for automating energy infrastructure management. Coupled with hybrid AI algorithms, we offer predictive insights based on field data, enabling our clients to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact.
Elevator Pitch Fifth Place: CryoDesalination, LLC – Houston, TX
$500
Industrial desalination & wastewater are stuck. High CAPEX limits their use & the only way to lower OPEX is to build enormous plants. CryoDesalination has a solution. With a small carbon footprint, CryoDesalination lowers the costs of: desalination; treating high salinity feeds; recovering clean water, harvesting minerals such as lithium; or achieving ZLD. CryoDesalination can treat water from oceans; brackish aquifers; mining; oil exploration; chemical processes; manufacturing; or agriculture.
Special Prize Winners
Aggie Angel Network Investment Prize: NeuraStasis – Houston, TX
NeuraStasis is pressing pause on ischemic stroke. Our patent-pending non-invasive neurostimulation technology coordinates the activation of cranial nerve reflexes to preserve brain tissue. When “time is brain,” we aim to slow things down to give providers more time to intervene. By slowing down stroke progression, we can enable more patients to reach life-saving treatments and give them a better chance of returning to their everyday lives after a stroke.
Amerra Visualization Services Prize: Opsin Biotherapeutics, Inc. – Bedford, TX
Opsin Biotherapeutics is focused on providing a non-opioid alternative for the 100M Americans that suffer from chronic pain. Our patented optogenetic technology uses a non-viral, laser gene delivery to place a light receptor protein (opsin) gene inside those neurons of the spine that inhibit pain, which are then activated with an implanted light source or potentially with an external, transdermal, light source for peripheral nerve pain.
Biotex Services Prize: Taurus Vascular – Houston, TX
Taurus Vascular is a Houston-based medical device company focused on improving long-term outcomes for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We are developing a safe, effective, and easy-to-use, catheter-based, medical device to reduce the risk and impact of endoleaks after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), representing a significant improvement over the current standard of care.
BVEDC Launch Prize: HPTechAi LLC – College Station, TX
HPTech is developing provably safe self-driving truck technologies that enable freight carriers to fill their driver shortage by increasing asset utilization. Operators safely take the required rest in a moving truck while a team of trucks is operated by a single driver. Trucks no longer have to park between their destination and origin which approaches doubling the capacity of the freight industry without changing the number of trucks or drivers.
Capital Factory Investment & Services Prize: Predyct, Inc. – Houston, TX
Predyct delivers zero-power sensors & wireless network for automating energy infrastructure management. Coupled with hybrid AI algorithms, we offer predictive insights based on field data, enabling our clients to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact.
Knobbe Martens Legal Services Prize: Taurus Vascular – Houston, TX
Taurus Vascular is a Houston-based medical device company focused on improving long-term outcomes for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We are developing a safe, effective, and easy-to-use, catheter-based, medical device to reduce the risk and impact of endoleaks after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), representing a significant improvement over the current standard of care.
Munck Wilson Mandala Legal Services Prize: SageSpectra – College Station, TX
SageSpectra is a low-cost, portable device that accurately measures tissue oxygenation, a key indicator of tissue health, across any patient at risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in <3 minutes. PAD, the narrowing of vessels reducing blood flow to the extremities, affects approximately 19-21 million Americans. Through early detection with SageSpectra’s device, long-term complications such as amputation, heart attack, and stroke and their associated acute care costs can be avoided.
Paragon Innovations Engineering Services Prize: SageSpectra –
College Station, TX
SageSpectra is a low-cost, portable device that accurately measures tissue oxygenation, a key indicator of tissue health, across any patient at risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in <3 minutes. PAD, the narrowing of vessels reducing blood flow to the extremities, affects approximately 19-21 million Americans. Through early detection with SageSpectra’s device, long-term complications such as amputation, heart attack, and stroke and their associated acute care costs can be avoided.
Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner IP Legal Services Prize: HPTechAi LLC (College Station, TX) & Opsin Biotherapeutics (Bedford, TX)
HPTech is developing provably safe self-driving truck technologies that enable freight carriers to fill their driver shortage by increasing asset utilization. Operators safely take the required rest in a moving truck while a team of trucks is operated by a single driver. Trucks no longer have to park between their destination and origin which approaches doubling the capacity of the freight industry without changing the number of trucks or drivers.
Opsin Biotherapeutics is focused on providing a non-opioid alternative for the 100M Americans that suffer from chronic pain. Our patented optogenetic technology uses a non-viral, laser gene delivery to place a light receptor protein (opsin) gene inside those neurons of the spine that inhibit pain, which are then activated with an implanted light source or potentially with an external, transdermal, light source for peripheral nerve pain.
Seed Round Capital Investment Prize: Waltech International Inc. – Austin, TX
Waltech manufactures smart thermostats for RV living. 99% of 12 million RV owners in the US still use old push-button thermostats and appliances. Due to power differences, regular smart home thermostats like google nest cannot be used in RVs(AC vs. DC). They are the world’s first thermostat to work on AC & DC power and are currently used by more than 300 RV owners. The DC power industry (RVs, Sailboats, Trucks, and any off-grid living) is huge. They aim to become the Amazon Alexa of the DC world.
Stibbs & Co. Legal Services Prize: HPTechAi LLC – College Station, TX
HPTech is developing provably safe self-driving truck technologies that enable freight carriers to fill their driver shortage by increasing asset utilization. Operators safely take the required rest in a moving truck while a team of trucks is operated by a single driver. Trucks no longer have to park between their destination and origin which approaches doubling the capacity of the freight industry without changing the number of trucks or drivers.
Southwest Pediatric Device Consortium Cash Prize: NeuraStasis (Houston, TX) & Ember Sleep (Houston, TX)
NeuraStasis is pressing pause on ischemic stroke. Our patent-pending non-invasive neurostimulation technology coordinates the activation of cranial nerve reflexes to preserve brain tissue. When “time is brain,” we aim to slow things down to give providers more time to intervene. By slowing down stroke progression, we can enable more patients to reach life-saving treatments and give them a better chance of returning to their everyday lives after a stroke.
Ember Sleep is the next generation of apnea treatment. It is a medical device fabricated at the point-of-care to treat sleep apnea through a comfortable, non-contact muscle stimulation. This novel treatment fits comfortably in the patients’ mouth during sleep to open the airway and ultimately improve health and feel more well-rested.
UNT HSC Accelerator Admission Prize: Opsin Biotherapeutics – Bedford, TX
Opsin Biotherapeutics is focused on providing a non-opioid alternative for the 100M Americans that suffer from chronic pain. Our patented optogenetic technology uses a non-viral, laser gene delivery to place a light receptor protein (opsin) gene inside those neurons of the spine that inhibit pain, which are then activated with an implanted light source or potentially with an external, transdermal, light source for peripheral nerve pain.
Versa Business Partners Prize: Pike Robotics – Austin, TX
For owners of above-ground petrochemical storage tanks who experience difficulty maintaining their floating roof seals, Pike Robotics provides an in-service robotic inspection solution that guarantees safety of facility personnel, reduces operating expenses by 85%, and helps to remove around 480,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by improving the accuracy of the inspection results. This is a solution that is helping the industry solve a major pain point that exists today.
Winstead Legal Services Prize: Corveus Medical – Houston, TX
Corveus Medical is developing a one-time, catheter-based solution that provides instant relief from the symptoms of chronic heart failure. Heart failure affects over 6M Americans, and hospitalizations contribute to a mounting cost burden of $35B on the healthcare system. Corveus’ device performs a unique, targeted nerve ablation to inactivate a sympathetic nerve branch, which has been shown in several publications to provide significant benefit for class III heart failure patients.
Winners’ Circle Legacy Prize: Luci – Houston, TX
Luci is a game to financial independence for Gen-Z and Millennials designed to build healthy personal finance habits. We achieve this by coaching personal finance and making it simple and fun to set, track, and accomplish personal finance goals (budgeting, saving, building credit, investing).
Semifinalists
Semifinalist: Cellula Biopharma, Inc. – Houston, TX
Cellula BioPharma, Inc. (Cellula), an IND stage biotechnology start-up, was founded by entrepreneurs and scientists from Texas A&M University in Houston TX in 2022. Cellula has pioneered development of a novel proprietary platform of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for targeting solid tumors.
Semifinalist: PIRvision Lens – Austin, TX
“We solve the problem of occupancy detection for device manufacturers in broad markets (energy, lighting, HVAC, security, defense, and more). They created ActiveLens – a patented technology that augments existing passive infrared (PIR) sensors to detect occupancy and measure more than 200 variables effectively. It’s simple – a smart device is only as smart as its dumbest component, PIRs have not changed much over 40 years. Traditional PIRs are great at motion detection, not occupancy detection.
Semifinalist: Prosia Therapeutics, Inc. – College Station, TX
Fibrosing diseases are associated with more deaths in the U.S. than cancer. Prosia is an early-stage company led by 3 TAMU faculty with lead compounds that block pulmonary fibrosis and reduce cardiac fibrosis in animal models, and show higher efficacy than competing technologies. In this multi-billion dollar market, we have a unique approach that could synergize with competing approaches. We have strong patent applications on our platform technology, and are pursuing funding for pre-IND work.
Semifinalist: Tremedics Medical Devices, Inc. – Dallas, TX
Tremedics is a medical device company who manufactures bioresorbable stents for the indication of use for coarctation of the aorta. Tremedics has successfully prototyped an opposing coiled stent, IllusicorTM, that is equivalent to metal stents in radial strength that degrades over a period of time. Tremedics has received Breakthrough Device Designation with the FDA. This will help move this product forward in bench studies and preclinical studies and first in human trials.
Alternates
Alternate: Predyct, Inc. – Houston, TX
Predyct delivers zero-power sensors & wireless network for automating energy infrastructure management. Coupled with hybrid AI algorithms, we offer predictive insights based on field data, enabling our clients to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact.
Alternate: Circle Concrete Tech, Inc. – Austin, TX
Circle Concrete Tech, a startup company based in Austin, TX. We have been developing and commercializing cost-effective, environmentally friendly concrete products and technologies, including the product that we will pitch— Plient concrete. Plient concrete is a specialty concrete mixture that contains both recycled steel fiber from scrap tire and recycled pavement aggregate.
