UACI Startup Wins World's Largest

Startup Pitch Competition

Sylvan Source, a University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) startup, has won the Unicorn World Finals, which is the world’s largest startup pitch contest. Sylvan Source is part of an elite group of outstanding international startups from different industries that competed and won the preliminary Unicorn Battles. After winning their preliminary Unicorn Battle in Silicon Valley, Sylvan Source was one of 10 extraordinary companies that competed in the global finals.

The Unicorn battles attract famous venture capitalists and angel investors seeking to find the best deals for their portfolios. Over the years, $296 million was received in funding by past winners. The Unicorn battles are crucial connections events, bringing together entrepreneurs and investors by showcasing the best and brightest startups across the globe. Sylvan Source was chosen as one of the top three companies in the Unicorn World Finals and was the only winner from the U.S.

QScint Imaging Solutions Wins Sponsored Launch

The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is pleased to announce that QScint Imaging Solutions, LLC. has won the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by Concord General Contracting competition. QScint manufactures iQID charged-particle digital autoradiography imaging systems. QScint Imaging Solutions will receive one sponsored year of admission at UACI which includes venture development through a 27-point roadmap and lab space. The total package value of $10,000 is funded by the generous sponsorship of Concord General Contracting.

Soft Landing, Strong Take-Off

ProAutomation, a Mexico company founded in Hermosillo, initiated the American dream with one office located at the UA Tech Park. As a graduate of the Global Advantage incubation and soft landings program at UACI, the customized program uniquely fit the company. CEO and Founder, Daniel Beltán shares how proAutomation received the ideal business support needed for their U.S. market entry in the recent article published by Site Selection Magazine.

Two UACI Startups Compete in Venture Madness

Two startups enrolled in UACI, Revolute Robotics and Sylvan Source, have been selected to take part in Venture Madness, an annual pitch competition presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority. Revolute Robotics introduces the first data collection robot capable of aerial and ground mobility. Sylvan Source provides industrial-municipal water treatment plants and thermal energy recovery systems with superior energy efficiency, fewer points of failure, and up to 50% lower CapEx and OpEx. 

Meet the Founder: Tyler Kalinkse

Tyler Kalinkse is the founder of Soulective, a UACI startup. Soulective is a community-driven charitable fundraising platform re-inspiring online donations for today's society. Kalinkse expressed that UACI provided a diverse set of resources and expertise to assist in bringing Soulective to market. Their access to the UACI mentors and business experts has proven instrumental in the development of Soulective. 

Startups Participate in NSF I-Corps

US Air Tech, TheraCea, and Revolute Robotics are all participating in the NSF I-Corps Teams program. I-Corps helps enable the transformation of the invention to impact through a 7-week customer discovery process that requires 100 interviews from potential customers, partners, and competitors. 

Noontime Knowledge

In this Noontime Knowledge, presenter Danny Knee goes over the basics on crowdfunded equity. Knee covers the value, benefits, a brief history, and some pro tips of crowdfunding equity. If you are interested in learning more about crowdfunding, visit the UACI YouTube channel to watch the recorded Noontime Knowledge.

Startup Spotlight: Techletics

Techletics is developing mobile health tools to be delivered at scale through smartphone devices. Our first commercial product is designed to address neck and back pain associated with “Tech Neck” using a smartphone application that analyzes and tracks the posture of users, without any external device.  

Sipping on SBIR Success

UACI and the Arizona Commerce Authority have teamed up to host an SBIR workshop series titled Sipping on SBIR Success. The series will teach attendants how to successfully utilize opportunities offered by Small Business Innovation Research and will feature virtual chats highlighting the previous SBIR winners. Join us this week as we talk with Emil Tremblay, Chief Executive Officer and founder of SGNT, a UACI startup. He will be sharing his success story about how SGNT was awarded a Phase II SBIR grant for  $749,000 through the National Science Foundation. 

Arizona Innovation Challenge

Application due by August 22

Arizona Commerce Authority's highest level competition, the Arizona Innovation Challenge is open. Startups can apply for the opportunity to secure $150,000 in non-dilutive funding individually. This highly competitive grant is a three-part event. UACI works with its startups to ensure their applications are well prepared and poised to win. Don’t delay, submissions are due August 22, 2021. 

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The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a key component of Tech Parks Arizona which brings together university, industry and community to advance technology innovation. UACI is the University of Arizona's startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region with a mission to grow scalable startup ventures that fuel the Arizona ecosystem.