Startup of the Month: PowerTechs
Virtual ‘cockpits’ train tomorrow’s workforce in immersive environments
“Using XR technology enables PowerTechs to immerse workers and students in a realistic, simulated environment where their skills can be assessed authentically,” founder Ksenia Solomatina says.
Startup of the Month: Red Line Safety
Wearable tech on track to transform fire services
Red Line Safety, Scott Holman’s Sacramento-based startup, is enhancing firefighter safety and efficiency with wearable technology that monitors a firefighter’s location, vital signs, environmental conditions and toxic gas exposure in real time.
Startup of the Month: MyFloraDNA
Gene-editing startup aims to create allergy-free peanut
Peanut allergies affect around 6.1 million Americans, with cases rising as awareness has grown. A 2017 study found that peanut allergy had increased 21 percent since 2010. But what if there was a way to eliminate the genes responsible for peanut allergies?
Startup of the Month: NuCicer
Davis startup seeks to raise chickpea from fringe ingredient to mainstream hero
By applying machine learning and data analytics to plant breeding, this Davis-based company aims to elevate the chickpea as a key crop to address growing food demands while also improving crop resilience, yield and nutritional value.
Startup of the Month: EpiSense
Device to alert patients, contacts of imminent epileptic seizures
Getting diagnosed with epilepsy changed not only Jaya Athuluru’s life but her career path. With co-founder Simran Lallian, Athuluru developed EpiSense, a wearable device that detects irregular spikes in electrical brain activity and alerts patients and emergency contacts five minutes prior to an episode if a seizure seems imminent.
Startup of the Month: Strived.io
Education platform integrates academic and behavioral insights with AI
When a student is struggling with a concept, the reasons may go beyond the teaching. Other factors, such as social needs and learning styles, could play a role. But educators need science to identify and diagnose these issues, which may be happening anecdotally, according to Shweta Gandhi.
Startup of the Month: Unstructured
Company helps businesses turn raw data into AI-friendly formats
Think about a global company where each department has its own unique jargon, and employees speak different languages. To thrive, this company would need a way to keep valuable information from getting lost in translation.
Startup of the Month: 811spotter
Ticket management software for contractors’ efficiency, safety
811 is the national toll-free, call-before-you-dig number. Homeowners, excavators and contractors must call 811 before excavating to have underground utility lines marked to prevent accidental damage. But the system is flawed and inefficient, according to 811spotter co-founder and CEO Marc Krichman.
Startup of the Month: Soar Optics
Company targets microplastics in water with high-tech microscopes
Microplastics can be found everywhere, from Antarctica to Mt. Everest to breast milk. A Western Regional Winner in 2022, Soar Optics develops technology to identify these microscopic particles in water.
Startup of the Month: Inspirame
College and career navigation platform aims to repair education pipeline
In 2019, CEO Maria Medrano co-founded the equity-driven startup Inspirame to repair these critical gaps in college enrollment and workforce development.