Texas Tech University

Technology Startups Awarded $83,600 to Further Develop Prototypes

Abby Stone

October 5, 2020

The Texas Tech Innovation Hub has announced the awardees of the 2020 Prototype Fund.

The Innovation Hub at Research Park has awarded five startups a combined $83,600 in funding to further develop prototypes. The awardees include students and faculty from Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), as well as members of the community.

Funding for the awards is from The Prototype Fund, which is designed to further support startups by accelerating the development for prototypes, assisting in the development of intellectual property or developing a minimal viable product (MVP). The fund is a partnership between the Innovation Hub and the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance.

The Prototype Fund awardees and their prototypes are:

TKQuant LLC, for an image-based technique that quantifies tissue kinematics response to a procedure in real time, providing guidance to clinicians about the potential of therapies and interventions implemented on individual patients.
Award: $19,000
Team: Phil Sizer, TTUHSC faculty and associate dean of research; Kerry Gilbert, TTUHSC professor; Suhas Pol, Texas Tech research assistant professor of energy systems


Flow Raider LLC, for bio-inspired micro-scale structures as surface coating for wind turbine blades and transport vehicles for improved aerodynamic performance.
Award: $18,000
Team: Burak Aksak, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Humberto Evans, research scientist; Victor Maldonado, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Matthew Hamilton, entrepreneur


EViroTECH LLC, for ultra-fast C-19, a portable sensor for COVID-19 diagnostics that would enable continuous monitoring for quantification of the novel coronavirus using saliva or blood plasma samples.
Award: $13,000
Team: Gerardine "Gerri" Botte, professor and department chair of chemical engineering; Sharilyn Almodovar, assistant professor of immunology at TTUHSC


PCOS Innovations LLC, for a research-based app solution to help women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by providing a nutrition guide, grocery list, recipes, BMI tracker, motivational videos and resources for support.
Award: $10,800
Team: Dr. Jennifer Phy, TTUHSC professor; Ali Chappell, registered dietitian; Jaou-Chen Huang, TTUHSC professor


CritiColl LLC, for an app solution that provides a stress-saving platform for professors with tools to promote academic success for students.
Award: $10,000
Team: Texas Tech business students Matheus Pagotii and Pedro Marafiotti; Felipe Melz, entrepreneur