FAU Tech Runway^® recently hosted its annual Launch Competition, revealing its 10th class, “Venture Class 10.”

The Launch Competition provides the most promising startups and talented entrepreneurs in South Florida with an opportunity to join a year-long program that offers competition winners programs and resources from FAU’s Innovation and Business Development pipeline, entrepreneurial instruction, structured team-based mentoring, networking, marketing and capital-raising assistance, co-working space, events, intern support, and other vital programs.

Companies accepted into the Venture Program must have strategic alignment with FAU’s research focus areas, including drone technologies; educational technologies; environmental science; marine science; ocean engineering; neuroscience; healthy aging; big data analytics; artificial intelligence; machine learning; cyber security; sensing; and smart systems.

The 19 companies in Venture Class 10 are:

• 365Learn: a comprehensive learning management system that is intuitive, flexible, scalable, and customizable for teachers and students. Its system has smart classroom technology that functions in a physical classroom, distance learning and hybrid learning environments and was built to satisfy the four types of learning styles including visual, auditory, reading, and writing and kinesthetic.
• aDubb: a web application that offers on-demand access to dubbed media on the internet, in many languages.
• AIRGLIDE LLC: AIRGLIDE Enhanced Air Lubrication Systems eject air through the bottom of the ship hull into the hull’s hydrodynamic boundary layer. This layer of air materially reduces frictional drag, fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 10 percent and offers savings of $160 billion annually.
• ARC LLC: develops and manufactures wearable personal protective equipment and consumer orthotics called ActiveBraces, low-cost, body support devices that increase body efficiency and wellness in the wearer through assistive force and joint strengthening for injury prevention and body support.
• Argon Agency: a platform that provides clear, customized digital marketing campaigns more than a traditional digital marketing agency.
• Best Candidate: a mobile application to help election candidates and voters communicate with each other effectively by offering a host of media packages related to the candidate’s campaign.
• C.A.R.D.D. Gel: a topical wound dressing that is composed of a chitosan and metal ions to form a hydrogel that can carry various drug and pharmaceutical compounds and be absorbed in the body at a certain rate of time.
• Emergency Ventures: builds technology to connect and serve citizens, volunteers and emergency managers in disasters.
• EV Tech International LLC: there are very few electric vehicle (EV) trade schools in the United States to train the next generation of auto mechanics. EV Tech International’s goal is to start with Florida and expand into other states to train students on electric vehicle drivetrain diagnostics, repairs and critical safety procedures.
• EyeLead: revolutionary shopping experience for customers and owners that focuses on using innovation.
• FearlessMind: develops applications and products that analyzes and characterizes one’s fears through personal data collection and analytics.
• Flo-Ops: a student assistant application that merges the academic and non-academic world by building community while enhancing collaboration, communication and organization.
• Impact Achievement Learning Center: a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing students with a productive learning environment that develops independent learners into integrating real-world skill sets.
• Kin Technologies, Inc.: a searchable, intelligently organized, private cloud storage for military members and their families.
• PAKE Talent Solutions LLC: a recruiting software solution. Professors refer their best students, and we help those students get great jobs. PAKE is an easy-to-use, fast, affordable way for recruiters to increase sales.
• TakeOutBuddy: an environmentally efficient reusable modular food carrier system purpose built for third-party delivery drivers. It eliminates distractions having to do with food mishandling and spills while in transit and therefore reduces expenses and improves driver safety.
• The Brack Institute: a local nonprofit that narrows the opportunity gap between classes and provides free student success support.
• Vi-Chain: Blockchain based data-sharing solution among vehicles for achieving secured and immutable event handling while incentivize drivers to drive safely on the roads.
• Owwll: a platform that connects professionals with advice seekers, making it easy to find and provide advice. It provides the opportunity to interact in real time through live voice calls and promotes a personalized experience.

“The incoming venture class 10 shares a range of innovative ideas that align with FAU’s top research areas including ocean engineering and educational technologies,” said Jessica Beaver, associate director of FAU Tech Runway. "This is the first cohort to participate under the umbrella of FAU’s Innovation and Business Development, a pipeline of resources created to continue their journey to turn ideas into success.”

Venture Class 10 graduates join a robust community of fellow entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, instructors, and top-level support professionals.

FAU Tech Runway^® is a public-private partnership formed to incubate and accelerate early-stage technology-based companies, under the purview of FAU’s Division of Research.

For more information on FAU Tech Runway^®, visit techrunway.fau.edu.

-FAU-