Technology Startups Awarded $83,600 to Further Develop Prototypes

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

tags: Achievements, Faculty, Innovation Hub, Research, Stories, Students, Vice President for Research

Texas Tech University

A new era of excellence is dawning at Texas Tech University as it stands on the cusp of being one of the nation's premier research institutions.

Research and enrollment numbers are at record levels, which cement Texas Tech's commitment to attracting and retaining quality students. In fall 2020, the university achieved a goal more than a decade in the making, reaching a total student population of more than 40,000. In 2018, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education again placed Texas Tech among its top doctoral universities in the nation in the “Very High Research Activity” category. Texas Tech is one of 94 public institutions nationally and 131 overall to achieve this prestigious recognition.

Quality students need top-notch faculty. Texas Tech is home to a diverse, highly revered pool of educators who excel in teaching, research and service. The university strives to foster an environment that celebrates student accomplishment above all else. Texas Tech is large enough to provide the best in facilities and academics but prides itself on being able to focus on each student individually.

The momentum for excellence at Texas Tech has never been greater.

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Innovation Hub
at Research Park

This 40,000-square-foot facility is designed to be a resource for the faculty and students of both Texas Tech and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as well as community members interested in launching new ventures. Texas Tech is a national research university, and the Innovation Hub at Research Park is critical to building the knowledge-based economy of West Texas through the development of innovators and entrepreneurs who solve society's problems and develop innovations to make impact.

The Innovation Hub at Research Park is located at 3911 4th Street, Lubbock, TX, just west of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

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The Office of Research and Innovation is tasked with facilitating excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity for Texas Tech students, faculty and staff. The office promotes an academic environment embracing creativity, curiosity, innovation, diversity, ethics and integrity.

Among other programs, the OR&I supports responsible and safe conduct of research, faculty development and recognition, interdisciplinary collaborations, externally sponsored research, partnerships with industry and community stakeholders, international research collaboration and the application of research for the benefit of society. The OR&I promotes a culture of creative expression, discovery, innovation and collaboration with the goal of advancing Texas Tech's status as an elite national research university.

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