Shortly after Michael Young joined the University of Washington as president, he made a pledge to double the amount of startups coming out of the university over a three year period. Well, the UW has already hit that goal, launching 17 new startups in the past 12 months.
That places the UW at the forefront of higher learning institutions that are pumping out startups, joining MIT, the University of Illinois, the University of Utah, UCLA and Columbia University.
“Our inventors take ideas that are barely imaginable today and make them tomorrow’s reality. The ingenuity and innovation of University of Washington students, faculty and staff are improving people’s daily lives here and around the world,” Young said in a release.
Of course, forming new startups is one thing. Having them turn into groundbreaking enterprises — employing hundreds or thousands of people — is another. The jury is still out on that front.
However, we’ve been impressed with the entrepreneurial energy that Young, along with Vice Provost UW Center for Commercialization Linden Rhoads, have injected into the UW. (An institution that wasn’t always known for stressing the importance of commercialization).
Here’s a look at 16 of the 17 companies that have been formed with short descriptions from the UW.
GenetikSignal, provides novel screening methods for discovering anti-aging drugs.
ID Genomics, will provide rapid assessment of virulent bacteria in medical clinics allowing for same-day pathogen identification and enabling lifesaving choices for urgent care.
JointMetrix Medical, pioneering the use of remote monitoring in orthopaedics by developing a body-worn sensor, a smartphone app, and a clinician report that together comprise a system used to remotely monitor patients before and after joint surgery. Their initial product, a knee monitoring system, is currently in use at UW Medical Center.
KitoTech Medical, developing revolutionary proprietary technology for closing wounds with KitoStitch, used for deep wounds like sutures, fast like staples, painless like a Steri-Strip and easy to use as a Band-Aid.
LumiSands, Inc., developing cheaper and more eco-friendly material that replaces an important component of LED lights.
Marine Construction Technologies, developed a novel marine pile design that can reduce noise from impact pile driving to below injury threshold for sensitive fish and other wildlife.
NanoFacture, Inc., bringing to market a technology that addresses the challenge to rapidly concentrate and purify DNA using a very simple protocol with yields comparable to that of popular commercial kits, but at a much lower cost.
Nova TheraNostics LLC, has developed a brighter, longer lasting, and safer Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agent.
Owl Outcomes, a software-as-a-service that enables health and wellness providers to easily track their patients’ progress over time through an extensive digital library of assessment measures and use those results to collaboratively develop evidence- based treatment plans with their patients.
PatientStream, provides a suite of cloud-based applications that increases hospital operating room efficiencies by replacing whiteboards with an automated, information exchange incorporating cutting-edge display technology.
RGB Hats LLC, released a new computer security-themed card game titled Control-Alt-HackTM: White Hat Hacking for Fun and Profit, created for a broad audience with interests in tabletop gaming or science and technology, and to computer security experts interested in a bit of fun. The game was created to expose people to the world of computer security while they play.
Rosetta@Cloud, offering affordable, cloud-based pay-per-use molecular modeling and related services to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry that expedites the drug discovery R&D process while dramatically reducing costs by eliminating the need to purchase and maintain computer clusters and annual software licenses.
Second Wind, applies the basic principles of wind energy to convert the air stream of building ventilation exhausts into useful energy.
SNUPI Technologies, a sensor and services company focused on home safety, security, and loss prevention.
Stella Therapeutics, developing first-in-class small molecules that hold the promise of curing glioblastoma multiforme (a highly aggressive brain cancer) while maintaining patient quality of life
VitalTalk, a nonprofit with the mission of nurturing healthier connections between patients and clinicians through communication skills courses for clinicians, launching an iPhone app, and hosting an innovation conference.
Here’s Young talking about the power of startups in remarks from February 2012.
