Udacity

Stanford University

Udacity’s proven playbook is globally scalable, addressing the widespread digital talent shortages that impact growth, productivity, and innovation. We collaborate with enterprises and highly motivated individuals to design a tailored talent transformation journey enabled by our Digital Competency Platform. Our exclusive content is co-created and continually refined with industry leaders. Each Udacity program is deeply focused—eliminating guesswork in selecting the right course. Projects go far beyond step-by-step guides, cultivating the critical thinking required for workplace relevance. Expert mentors unblock learning with personalized support, and verify complete mastery of competencies.

SomaTx Design

Stanford University

KneeMo addresses problems associated with musculoskeletal disorders including sports related injuries and chronic disease such as osteoarthritis (OA). The potential market is substantial since musculoskeletal disorders affect more than one out of every two persons in the United States over age 18 and three out of four over age 65. Osteoarthritis alone accounts for 242 million people in the world who live with activity limiting symptoms. Pharmaceuticals, often used to alleviate the musculoskeletal pain come with side effects that can include addiction. KneeMo takes a novel mechanical approach to engage multimodal sensory pathways that signal pain using cutaneous mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration) where over stimulation in one mode of the system (e.g., vibration) can gate response in other modalities (e.g. pain). KneeMo was shown in a placebo controlled clinical trial to provide an effective and safe alternative to pharmacological interventions to reduce pain and enhance function.

PrevPanc

Stanford University

PrevPanc is developing an improved prophylactic against pancreatitis caused by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), by targeting two key inflammatory pathways. Post-ERCP pancreatitis can be life-threatening, excruciatingly painful, and costly. PrevPanc is developing a more effective and practical treatment to prevent pancreatitis, with significant improvements beyond current options of indomethacin, stenting, and IV hydration. PrevPanc's therapy is a combination of a calcineurin inhibitor combined with indomethacin to target two distinct inflammatory pathways, achieving higher effectiveness than the current standard of care with minimal change in post-procedure care.

geCKo Materials

Stanford University

geCKo Materials provides volume manufacturing for a bio-inspired, energy saving, reusable, multi-purpose, industrial and consumer adhesive. The mechanical adhesive is composed of directional, microscopic inclined features with a tapered geometry. geCKo’s unique IP is in the manufacturing method, introduced by Dr. Capella Kerst in her PhD at Stanford and protected by pending patents. Tested in the lab and in use with customers, a 1 square inch adhesive is capable of supporting 15 lbs of weight in shear with no attachment nor detachment force needed. The geCKo Opposing Force scales with area and can be purchased at any area. Integrating onto your robot grippers is simple, just a peel and stick. We can offer integration assistance and expertise for simple, quick and easy integration.

Pulmera

Stanford University

Pulmera enables x-ray visualization of the tracheobronchial tree to aid physicians in guiding endoscopic tools in the pulmonary tract. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital for improving lung cancer survival rates, and tissue biopsy is necessary for diagnosis. However, performing a lung biopsy is difficult due to the complexity of the highly branched airways of the lung, making it difficult to access and obtain the tissue and the procedure can pose a risk to the patient. Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) is the safest way to obtain a biopsy but diagnostic success is limited by poor real time visualization of significant portions of the lung. Should the biopsy procedure be unsuccessful, patients may then need to have the tissue surgically removed. In a high number of these cases, the nodules are found to be benign. Pulmera will greatly improve the ability to obtain a diagnosis for the patient using ENB.

Eterna

Stanford University

As part of a portfolio of COVID-19 inspired innovations aimed at advancing RNA vaccines and tools, Stanford researchers have developed a secured, invite-only version of their popular Eterna platform for designing mRNA vaccines, called Inceptive. Inceptive is an online application that integrates RNA folding algorithms, a video game interface, and associated computational methods to revolutionize vaccine design and RNA structure prediction. The new, secured version of the platform is able to host selected participants to work in a confidential manner on problems such as designing improved mRNA vaccines that can be translated to clinical trials by industry partners and other collaborators. The data and designs generated by Inceptive users may be used to develop improved mRNA vaccines immediately for the COVID-19 pandemic.

M^3

Stanford University

We treat faces as if they were feet, and that’s absurd. Unlike feet, faces are 3D, yet we still measure them using 2D objects such as paper cutouts in the massive $6b market to fit people with masks. This doesn’t cut it, and the data backs it up: 50% of Americans don’t wear the CPAP masks they’ve been prescribed because of these fit, comfort, and convenience issues. The only reason we’ve tolerated this is that until recently there has been no better way to get good 3d measurements of your face without lots of specialized tools. We solve this problem by making it as easy as taking a selfie to get precise 3D measurements of your face.

Spirair

Stanford University

(Update: Spirair raised $10M Series A) Spirair is addressing the unmet need for a minimally-invasive, office-based treatment for NSD. While there is high demand among ENT physicians for office-based procedures (e.g. Acclarent, Arrinex, Spirox, etc), NSD is one of the few common pathologies that does not have any office-based innovations. Spirair is filling this gap in the marketplace with a needle-based delivery device that correction NSD with local anesthetic in under 15 minutes. The estimated US/European TAM is $2.3B. Spirair will be regulated under a 510(k) pathway, and FDA clearance can be achieved by 2023 with minimal clinical data (30 patients, 6 months of follow-up).

Bacchus Therapeutics

Stanford University

Bacchus Therapeutics is a biotech company that exploits cancer’s hypermetabolic state by targeting specific cancer metabolic pathways. The aberrant expression of MYC is virtually unmatched, making MYC one of the most frequently deregulated oncogenes in human tumors, including, liver, kidney, CNS, hematopoietic, breast, prostate, lung and GI tumors. Human studies and animal models have established that dysregulation of MYC underlies the pathogenesis and aggressiveness of numerous cancers. Our founders, Drs. Gouw and Felsher, discovered that MYC regulates the aberrant lipid metabolism of tumors and that inactivation of key lipid enzymes results in regression of tumors. (Update: After receiving the IGNITE program grant in 2021, Bacchus opened a lab at one of the shared wet benches in the Prince William County Accelerator in early 2022.)

Photon Therapeutics

Stanford University

Arterial disease is one of the most common causes of death and disability, afflicting more than 15 million Americans. Although therapeutic advances and surgical techniques have decreased mortality, many survivors eventually succumb to death due to ischemia, which is the death of tissue and cells due to the lack of oxygen. Photon Therapeutics uses photosynthetic therapy to reverse nutrient and oxygen imbalance in ischemic tissue, starting with ischemic wound care. Photon Tx consists of a very strong clinical and scientific advisory team with proof-of-concept data and is looking for a CEO/business advisor to develop a biological platform company.

Clarasim Systems

Stanford University

ClaraSim Systems, Inc. has developed a computer simulated environment in which surgeons can perform surgery on virtual bone using virtual instruments. By combining patient-specific data with a powerful simulation engine, we are able to create 3-D patient models that can be explored and modified in real-time with virtual surgical tools providing both haptic and visual feedback. Our system enhances the surgeon's ability to perform skilled surgery by enabling them to rehearse drilling through accurate representations of the patient's bony and fragile structures. The anatomical insight gained from interacting with the simulation provides guidance during actual surgery leading to better outcomes. While the system enables preoperative rehearsal, it is also used as a teaching tool, giving trainees the opportunity to experience many different cases in a safe and efficient setting. The technological and clinical capabilities of the product stem from over 30 person-years of research conducted by the company founders.

Powernet

Stanford University

Stanford researchers have developed an architecture and control scheme for the coordination of distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar and storage, to minimize operation cost, enhance network reliability, and provide DER aggregation. The availability of electric load and generation data in electric grids varies both spatially and temporally due to: the random nature of loads and renewable generation; distributed locations of the loads and DER; and communication delays. Stanford researchers have found that control schemes that utilize local information (within the firmware of the storage unit, or in a home automation appliance) and delayed information to a global controller (e.g., collected from smart meter readings) perform near the ideal, but unimplementable, theoretical limit of performance.

Hybprinter

Stanford University

This 3D printing technology (“Hybprinter”) can be used to form hybrid multi-material constructs incorporating a wide spectrum of materials (rigid and soft) and bioagents (such as cells and growth factors) with controlled spatial distribution in any XYZ coordinate across the hybrid structure. There are several technologies available to perform 3D bioprinting However, the main disadvantage is that only one type of material can be printed by many of these methods. However, due to its layer-by-layer manufacturing nature, Hybprinter enables the combination of cell-laden soft and hard biomaterials with a controlled spatial distribution for regenerative medicine applications.

Molecular Decisions

Stanford University

Molecular Decisions provides boutique CRO services to pharmaceutical companies, helping them do faster and more confident drug development and clinical trials. The company analyzes clinical or analytical samples using nano-immunoassays that precisely measure specific protein isoform drug targets, enabling sound, immediate decisions related to drug efficacy.

Yoma Biosciences

Stanford University

DNA damage can be detrimental to cells as it can lead to mutagenesis, genotoxicity and tumorigenesis. One of the most frequent forms of DNA damage is 8-oxoguanine (8-OG), which is repaired by OGG1. Bioactive inhibitors of OGG1 and the GO pathway can be useful tools to investigate the connections of this enzyme activity to disease. Yoma Biosciences has developed potent, selective, small-molecule inhibitors of OGG1 and other enzyme targets in the GO pathway. These inhibitors provide useful tools to study the biological roles of OGG1 and also have therapeutic potential for cancer and inflammation. With multiple enzyme targets in the pathway (OGG-1, MTH1, MutYH, …) - currently un-drugged, Yoma has multiple chances for 1st in class candidate discovery.

3rd Arm Inc

Stanford University

Articulated Wearables to enhance human productivity. 3rd Arm is prototyping a wearable, articulated robotic device that can be attached to a person at the hip or other location to augment human task productivity. This mechanical "third arm" has many uses such as assisting abled users (e.g. holding additional tools to enhance work), helping disabled users (e.g. providing support and lifting objects), and as a haptic interface for interaction with robotics systems and AR/VR experiences. 3rd Arm is incorporating the latest robotic technology with a newly designed 4-state brake mechanism in joints for advanced operations.

PETcoil

Stanford University

PETcoil enables healthcare providers to offer PET/MRI scans with better imaging quality for a fraction of the cost compared to existing solutions. Commercial integrated PET/MRI scanners cost ~$6M + ~$2M for required room renovations, an unaffordable cost for many institutions. PETcoil's patented portable PET insert can be placed into any existing MRI scanner, enabling it to perform simultaneous PET/MRI at 1/8th of the cost compared to integrated systems. A proof-of-concept radiofrequency (RF)-penetrable PET insert has been developed and successfully tested, supported by grants from the NIH, Stanford Bio-X & Biodesign programs, and the Coulter Foundation.