Sponsored Launch Winner, uPetsia Joins UA Center for Innovation at Oro Valley

The winner for the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce was recently announced during the Oro Valley Chamber bioscience spotlight event. uPetsia (rhymes with “You betcha”) is a startup focused on making dog breath smell better for longer by engineering bacteria for dog and cat microbiota. uPetsia’s product is incorporated into pet treats and chews and provides hours of minty-fresh breath. The underlying technology was developed at the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and BIO5 Institute by founders Eric Lyons, David Baltrus and Scott Zentack. Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), the technology commercialization arm of the UArizona refined and protected the invention and also helped them identify their best market through its NSF I-Corps customer discovery program. TLA also provided funding through its Asset Development program, which allowed the team to prototype the product and explore commercialization avenues. uPetsia will receive one sponsored year of admission at UACI which includes venture development programming through a 27-point roadmap as well as office and lab space at the new bioscience incubator in Oro Valley. The Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce is providing uPetsia with membership into the Chamber which includes access to events, exclusive deals and connections to a network of businesses located in Oro Valley. The total package value is $10,000 and funded by the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce.

UArizona Startups Recognized at IdeaFunding 2021

Of the four companies that made it to the finals of IdeaFunding 2021, Tucson's premier pitch competition put on by Startup Tucson on April 15, three were startups founded to commercialize inventions developed at the University of Arizona. Several UACI companies also were selected as finalists. Roslyn Norman from Paramium Technology featured here is both a UArizona licensed technology company and a UACI startup that won. And the overall winner, Micro Safari won a $10K cash prize plus a free year of incubation at UACI.

UACI Welcomes New Program Manager, Amanda Buchanan

We are proud to announce that UACI has expanded the team. Please join us in welcoming Amanda Buchanan, a Program Manager for UACI. In this role, she works on government contracts and programs to support startups in the cleantech space. Buchanan has an extensive background in program coordination, marketing and communications.

UACI Announces New Sponsored Launch Fueled by Concord General Contracting Program

UACI is teaming up with Concord General Contracting to sponsor one promising startup team with resources, facilities, services and expert guidance to grow their businesses. The UACI Sponsored Launch Program Fueled by Concord General Contracting, will award a startup team that is on an active mission to solve a significant challenge through a business. Concord General Contracting knows the importance of having the right tool for the job that is why they are sponsoring a complimentary year’s entry into UACI’s incubator program.

Noontime Knowledge - Getting Your Message Out by Jessa Turner

In this UACI Noontime Knowledge, Jessa Turner, the communications director for Tech Parks Arizona discusses why communication is key when it comes to setting yourself up for success. Building good public relations starts with your digital presence and developing robust contact lists. You will also learn tips for cultivating positive media and how our organization can amplify your brand and credibility.

Startup Spotlight: Nymbus Media

The patented Nymbus Smart Concert platform enables musicians and live music brand sponsors to transform one-time audience interactions into long-term relationships, increased social engagement and recurring passive revenue. Nymbus has been with the UACI since the beginning of 2021. The founder moved to Tucson from Pittsburg to work in the dynamic Tucson entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Venture Madness 2021

Venture Madness, presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, is now accepting applications. Venture Madness is Arizona’s longest-running Capital Conference and early-stage pitch competition. Finalists compete for exclusive access to the region’s most active accredited investors. Apply April 8 through June 3 for Venture Madness 2021.

FBI Cyber Program

Cyberattacks are in the news on an almost daily basis. As a small business, you may think you are not at risk or have no resources to address this real threat, but that is not the case. UACI has teamed up with the FBI to help small businesses learn about the FBI’s cyber program. The in-person presentation will cover how the FBI responds to cyber-related crimes, current threats and types of cyber-criminal activities and how to best protect your company from cybercriminals. Register soon for this in-person event, there is a limited number of spaces available!

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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.