Cal Poly announces summer accelerator startup teams
The next big San Luis Obispo-based company could just be starting to get their foot in the door as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo announced the eight startup teams that will be a part of its summer accelerator course.
Ran by the university’s Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, its Summer Accelerator program is a 12-week program that provides Cal Poly students and recent graduates with the resources necessary to turn their innovative ideas into full-fledged startups.
According to the press release, participants receive $10,000 in seed funding and access to mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops and a dedicated workspace in the HotHouse, the CIE’s office in downtown San Luis Obispo.
A lot of teams that participate in Cal Poly’s AngelCon competition, which has startups duke it out for hundreds of thousands in funding, start at the summer accelerator level.
For example, this year’s 2024 AngelCon winner, Nexstera Tech, was a part of the 2023 cohort.
“This Summer Accelerator cohort is unique because several teams used Innovation Quest as a springboard to advance into this program, which demonstrates the relative maturity of business development for those entering the Accelerator this year,” Dr. Thomas Katona, CIE academic programs director, said in a press release.
“I think this group is going to be a source of excitement and pride for our alumni and local community.”
Six teams in this cohort participated in Innovation Quest (iQ), a competition where Cal Poly students pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges in the hopes of winning funding for their startups.
The 2024 summer accelerator teams represent a variety of ideas, including key areas where Cal Poly has been invested such as MedTech companies.
This year’s eight teams include GamRewired, Greensight AI, NeuroCom, Odin, SafePlate Technologies, SkyMark, The Infantry and Virtuosos.
“It’s interesting to see how several of these students have been involved in our entrepreneurship programs in the past. Even if they were working on different ideas then, they’re sticking with their entrepreneurship journey, which brought them to the Accelerator,” Oliver Haas, CIE student programs coordinator, said in a press release.
GamRewired is a mobile app designed to replace a person’s gambling addiction with healthy habits. Founded in San Clemente, GamRewired received the second-place prize of $10,000 at iQ 2024.
Greensight AI is aiming to revolutionize electronic resellers’ workflow by creating an artificial intelligence solution. Two of the three founders are based on the Central Coast as well.
NeuroCom is a military technology company that hopes to increase situational awareness on the battlefield with a new type of human-machine interface headset that lets soldiers directly access geospatial data.
Odin is a portable headset designed to quickly and accurately diagnose concussions through the use of ocular-tracking technology. Odin received the top prize of $15,000 at iQ 2024.
SafePlate Technologies is hoping to create a safer food experience for people with allergies and intolerances by enabling food manufacturers to provide customers with accurately tested products through infrared technology.
Skymark is another military technology company hoping to enable warfighters to identify if a drone is a friend or foe through detection technology.
The Infantry is creating a single-use device creating a safer alternative for mothers and their infants during shoulder dystocia complications from vaginal births.
Finally, Virtuosos is a rhythm gaming software designed to auto-generate levels based on music that participants and musicians upload.
“I look forward to working with such a special group that is tackling very challenging global problems,” said Katona.
email: jmercado@pacbiztimes.com
