UTSA undergrads vie for $100K in cash, services in technology start-up contest

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(April 28, 2015) -- Seven UTSA teams comprised of senior business and engineering students will compete for cash and business-related resources today at the $100K Student Technology Venture Competition, hosted by the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE), an interdisciplinary center in the College of Business and College of Engineering.

Additionally, the UTSA College of Engineering will host its third annual Technology Symposium, featuring prototype technologies created by UTSA undergrads majoring in engineering as part of their senior design requirements.

The events are free and open to the public and will be held on Tuesday, April 28 in the H-E-B University Center Ballroom on the UTSA Main Campus.

>> Project viewing and judging for the $100K Student Tech Venture Competition will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The competition will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Awards will be announced at 3:15 p.m.

>> The College of Engineering Tech Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Senior projects will be on display from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and awards will be announced at 3:15 p.m.

Established in 2007 and held semi-annually, the $100K Student Technology Venture Competition at UTSA offers the largest award of all undergraduate business-planning competitions in the nation. Focusing on student entrepreneurial activities, CITE hosts the competition to give students hands-on experience as early-stage entrepreneurs. Teams of senior business and engineering students work throughout the semester to develop a technology-based company. The engineering students create the technology and the business students create a fully developed business plan. This year's competitors will offer new technologies poised to enhance health care, personal care, industry, the environment and the military.

As in past competitions, each of this semester's competing teams received guidance during the semester from an experienced professional. This semester, pros from SA Tech Boosters provided guidance to the students. Local academic, business and entrepreneurial experts will judge the teams on their technology, business plan and presentation. The competition culminates with each team making a six-minute pitch to potential investors.

The top three winning teams each receive a cash prize and in-kind business services such as marketing, consulting and office space totaling $100,000 to support the launch of their new company.

Since the competition's inception, 650 students have participated, more than 85 company ideas have been pitched and a dozen patent applications have been filed. Two winning teams from previous competitions, Leto Solutions and Invictus Medical, have demonstrated steady progress and are on their way toward commercialization of their products.

The founding sponsor of the competition is the Texas Research Technology Foundation (TRTF). New and continuing sponsors include the 80/20 Foundation, Cox|Smith, the Harvard Business Club of San Antonio, Humphries Medical Media, Paesanos, Rackspace, the San Antonio Technology Center, the Targeted Technology Fund, Texas Capital Bank, the Whittington Group, the UTSA College of Business, the UTSA College of Engineering and many individuals from the San Antonio community.

The College of Engineering Technology Symposium will feature 54 innovative technologies developed by UTSA students majoring in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. These senior design capstone projects culminate the students' undergraduate engineering degree programs, allowing the students to apply the knowledge they learned to design, develop and implement innovative and relevant engineering products.

A sampling of the projects on display include:

• a device that stimulates specific functional regions and lobes in the human brain to induce an enhanced state of being that increases concentration and minimizes distraction through auditory and visual cues;

• a robotic leg named Ein that incorporates a unique slider crank mechanism to convert rotary motion to linear motion and provides a leg ground clearance to achieve "steps." This unique and advanced leg design can be incorporated into bipedal and multi-pedal robotic systems;

• a low-cost and portable contact lens removal, storage and disinfection device for use in situations where cleanliness is questionable. This device will allow for easy portability and use in situations where cleanliness of surroundings or a persons' hands is questionable;

• an early warning system that monitors and analyzes infrasound waves to determine potential tsunamis and warn local coastline communities;

• a device that deploys within the brain's blood vessels using catheters to mechanically characterize blood clots. Bluegrass Vascular Technologies Inc's (BVT) CEO and President Gabriele Niederauer will deliver the Tech Symposium's keynote address. Niederauer joined BVT in September 2014 as to commercialize the innovative Surfacer™ System.

Over the last 25 years, she supervised the product development, patent, regulatory, quality, preclinical and clinical activities resulting in U.S. and international clearance of numerous medical devices in the orthopedic, dental and ENT fields.

Prior to BVT, Dr. Niederauer led R&D at ENTrigue Surgical Inc., C2M Medical, and OsteoBiologics Inc., which were all acquired by larger public companies.

She is an honorary commander of the Air Force 59th Medical Wing's Honorary Commanders Program, a trustee of the San Antonio Medical Foundation and a trustee of the Southwest Research Institute. She is a founder of The Health Cell, a member of the UTSA College of Engineering Advisory Council, a member of the Geekdom Fund Board, and serves as chair of the Seton Home Board of Directors.

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Competitors

Conceptum Biologics offers a low-cost identification and surgical incision tool for paramedics, firemen and military medics who need to create emergency airways in people who are suffocating. The student team includes Zack Espericueta, Larry Laws, Paulina Nguyen, Ehab Abdelaziz, Victor Aguero, Daniela Arriaga and Jair Castillo.

Innovation Engineering offers a low-cost compact version of a full-scale gas dynamic laser operating a carbon dioxide, nitrogen and helium mixture for industrial, military and laboratory applications that demand mobility. The student team includes Clesmie Burden, Lance Kimbro, Jack Lloud-Reilley, Devin Richardson, Jennifer Rodriguez and Pourya Samari.

JDOT Innovations offers a dental hygiene device for the elderly and physically impaired that uses a mouthpiece that eliminates the need for traditional plaque-eliminating implements. The student team includes Jordan Herrera, Carlton King, Horacio Mata, William Dennis, Isaac Jefferson, Laura Oranday and Jeff Trizinsky.

Mentis offers a device that interprets electrical signals in certain parts of the brain to determine mood and concentration levels. The student team includes Amanda Johnson, Antonio Lombardi, Erin Lawson, Sultan Alotaibi, Christopher Herzing, Rikki Pilgrim and Kenneth Poulin.

OXYvo offers an innovative smartphone-compatible peak flow meter device that allows users to monitor their lung measurements, keep track of their breathing ailments over long periods of time and be alerted of pending asthma attacks. The student team includes Sarah Olivarez and Kimberly Todd.

TectAir offers the Durable Automated Air Sampler, which autonomously collects sterile air samples and provides information about the sample's temperature, pressure, humidity and carbon dioxide levels for evaluation. The student team includes Bernardo Barrera, Drew Dyer, Casey Bordelon, John Delgado, Jessica Lovelace and John Maldonado.

Vita Ingenium Solutions offers a low-cost, portable contact lens removal, storage and disinfection device for use in environments with low sterility. The student team includes Maria Acevedo, Ryan Quinn, Xabier Basañez, Analaura Villarreal Berain, Alejandra Hernández Molina and David Zhang.

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About the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship
CITE is an interdisciplinary center in the College of Business and College of Engineering, established in 2006 to create a pipeline for UTSA faculty, students and surrounding business community to develop new technology ventures. Through a process of education, experiences, resources and support, CITE is focused on fostering the growth of new technology-based ventures. CITE also coordinates resources for supporting early-venture execution within the university or in collaboration with companies and provides linkages to IP protection, incubation and funding that support the successful launch of new technology ventures. For more information, visit the CITE website.

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