The results are in from the initial rounds of the University of Washington Business Plan Competition, and there’s no shortage of diversity in the teams moving on to the final rounds of the competition. More than 200 judges turned out at yesterday’s event, choosing these 16 teams.
Among the contenders for the top prize: a developer of paddle boards, a maker of brainwave controlled wheelchairs and the creator of “cannabis candies.”
Past winners of the event have included clean water startup PotaVida and rooftop farm UrbanHarvest. One of the most successful winning teams to emerge from the competition was the company that formed the basis of NanoString Technologies, a heavily-funded genetics analytics company that could. It won the competition in 2003.
Here’s a look at the 16 finalists in this year’s competition, with short descriptions of each. The winning team will be announced at a ceremony on May 23.
Biomethane creates greenhouse-gas-negative vehicle fuel from dairy waste.
Cell Focus will produce a low-cost cell phone based microscope targeting the world health, schools, and parental markets.
Disease Diagnostic Group LLC will provide a tool for a handheld diagnosis of Malaria in one minute with just one drop of blood from a fingertip for a single use cost of just $0.20
Elemental Hotels will provide clean, minimalistic, low cost, modern micro hotel rooms.
Hemel Board Company produces locally-produced paddle-boards.
iHome3D is a smartphone app that can create a virtual tour and floor plan of a house in a matter of minutes.
InsuLenz has developed a “smart” polymer contact lenses to provide a bio-responsive and needle-free insulin delivery platform for diabetics.
NIA Wheel produces and sells a brain wave controlled power wheelchair.
nomON is a new mobile randomization app that makes ordering delivery food crazy easy and fun.
PolyDrop plans to enter the growing conductive coating market.
Pure Blue Technologies is developing a novel industrial water treatment solution that’s more efficient at a lower cost.
ShunTek produces a medical device that provides a minimally invasive way to minimize blood loss in inferior vena cava trauma by stanching blood flow and simultaneously maintaining venous return.
Sound THC will produce cannabis candies in the newly legal recreational marijuana market.
TriboTEX is commercializing PhD research to repair industrial machinery during normal operation using nanotechnology.
Vetna brings DNA-based diagnostic capabilities to veterinary clinics which could not previously afford the space, capital and training investments. Using the portable and completely automated VetDNA system, veterinarians can provide the highest level of diagnostic services at a reasonable cost.
Z Girls measurably improves girls’ participation rates in sports by teaching young female athletes skills like positive self-talk, goal-setting, and body image through coaching and camps.
