LSF Medical Solutions won first place and $20,000 for Best Technology in the graduate student/faculty/staff/incubator startup division at the Innovation Challenge Awards event Nov. 16 at MERGE in Iowa City, Iowa.
Seventeen teams in two divisions combined to win $74,500 from the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC). There were 70 applicants with pitches being held Nov. 14 (for graduate students/faculty/staff/incubator startups) and Nov. 15 (for undergraduates).
LSF Medical Solutions features an electronic device called Pneumero that is driven by a cloud-based app to measure airway narrowing in lungs at home, where patients are most comfortable.
Aptafi, a contrast agent that temporarily attaches to the interior of arteries, placed second and won $13,000. Third place went to AugmENT, a company that assists universities for student recruitment and school promotion.
Two undergraduate teams took home first place and both won $5,000. Expeeriant, providing live-in advertising to guests in vacation rental homes, won for Best Non-Technology; Version 5.0, a device to measure the femur’s rotational correction in a reliable way, won first place for Best Technology.
Following is a list of all winners:
Graduate Student/Faculty/Staff/Incubator Startup
Best Technology Awards
First Place LSF Medical Solutions $20,000
Pneumero is a simple, easy-to-use electronic medical device driven by a cloud-based app that had decades of validation in lung research to sensitively measure airway narrowing, at home where patients are the most comfortable.
Second Place Aptafi $13,000
A next generation contrast agent will temporarily attach to the interior of arteries, can be seen throughout the duration of a procedure after only one injection, and will decrease the amount of contrast that is used and the risk of contrast-induced complications.
Third Place AugmENT $8,000
Creates a line of surgical simulators and virtual courses aimed at training ear, nose, and throat surgeons. AugmENT's first product is a 3D printed temporal bone model that is made specifically for dissection by medical students. AugmENT's first service is an online course for medical students to receive instruction on temporal bone dissection using AugmENT's 3D printed temporal bone model.
Impact Awards
First Place GroupMaps $2,000
An Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered platform that records group therapy sessions and evaluates them using the clinically validated tools that are used worldwide for quality assurance and improvement.
First Place Halide Biologics $2,000
Optimized protein therapeutics using a novel expression platform that allows for the targeted introduction of synthetic chemical modifications with the potential to improve protein function and pharmacokinetics.
Third Place Solace $1,000
Symptom management in patients with serious illness.
Best Pitch
First Place Aptafi $2,000
Best Social Impact
First Place PaniClean $2,000
A water tech startup developing energy efficient and cost-effective solutions to remove and convert agricultural pollutants.
Undergraduate Students
Best Technology Awards
First Place Version 5.0 $5,000
A device to measure the femur’s rotational correction in a reliable and reproducible way.
Second Place Shop SpeakR $3,000
Voice recognition capabilities for automotive service shop’s service department software.
Third Place Student Sublet $1,500
An online marketplace for college students to market their individual sublease to the public.
Best Non-Technology Awards
First Place Expeeriant $5,000
Serves vacation rental homes to provide live-in advertising to guests.
Second Place Layered Art $3,000
Quality movie replicas and masks that function as masks to be worn, as well set out as decoration.
Third Place Hot Squat $1,500
A heated cushion that provides portable warmth and comfort.
Best Pitch
First Place Version 5.0 $1,500
Best Social Impact
First Place Tag Across America $1,000
TeeTag.com – America’s largest game of tag through the use of these custom t-shirts in order to help raise money for children who have lost a parent to cancer and aide their educational future financially.
First Place Solace $1,000
Aims to remove carbon dioxide from the environment to combat climate change by utilizing the abilities of algae.
Judge’s Choice IoT Doggie Door $1,000
Functions include remote locking/unlocking, alerts when the dog needs to come in or go out, tracking when the dog goes outside or comes in when the door is unlocked.
Judge’s Choice Tee Art Creations $1,000
Different colored golf tees are placed within a shape at different heights to give depth and visual appeal as a customized art piece.
