Ukrainian Startups Welcomed to the UA Center for Innovation via Industry-Government Collaboration

UACI welcomed four technology startups from Ukraine to Arizona to participate in UACI’s Global Advantage Soft Landings program for six months. During that time, the startups will have opportunities to make connections and explore market expansion opportunities in the United States, with support from the University of Arizona Center for Innovation startup incubator which offers business coaching, mentoring and other resources to help international businesses enter the U.S. market. The startups were selected through the U.S. Department of State's Global Innovation through Science and Technology initiative in collaboration with VentureWell.

The startups include: 

• EQ Production, the developer of an emotional intelligence app designed to help users form sustainable skills in managing emotions, producing desired emotional states and influence the emotions of other people. 
• Noty.ai, an AI-powered assistant that transcribes Google Meet and Zoom calls and generates summaries. 
• SorbiForce, the creator of a sustainable, cost-effective, safe battery with zero environmental impact, and made from renewable raw materials. The carbon batteries work on sorption technologies, with the goal of helping the world transition faster to clean energy. 
• Zeely, a mobile-first web store & ad builder that helps small business owners start selling online. 

Gnat Panok founder and CPO of EQ Production explained “It is one thing to be a Ukrainian company working out of Ukraine, trying to make a splash in the U.S. market, but now that we are physically in this market, it is a fantastic opportunity to meet likeminded people, form industry-university collaborations, and find new investment opportunities.”  

Paramium Technologies Secures $1M Grant

Paramium Technologies, a startup based on University of Arizona technology, was recently awarded a grant from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). After successfully completing the first phase (funded with $250k), Paramium received an additional $1M to scale their business of shaping precision metals for radio astronomy and satellite communication. Paramium Technologies have benefitted from the UArizona’s innovation ecosystem, working with the Tech Launch Arizona and University of Arizona Center for Innovation programs, launching their business.

Sylvan Source Tech Validated by Leading Physicist

Sylvan Source has developed a thermal transfer technology that does not rely on conventional heat exchangers. The design is far more efficient, requires minimal surface area and has significant cost advantages over conventional technologies in use today. This technology was recently validated by leading physicist Alan Bross, Ph.D., a senior scientist at Fermilab. Dr. Bross stated “There are no fundamental reasons that would prevent this system from being scaled to an industrial size of 100K to 1M gpd,” and recommended the next steps in the scaling process. 

U.S. Small Business Administration Tours Tucson Innovation

Tucson took centerstage as the kickoff point for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Latino Prosperity Tour. Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman of the SBA joined Mayor Regina Romero for a day visiting startups, entrepreneurs, and learning about the business support network in Tucson. UACI was proud to participate in the round table discussion which brought together small businesses and community partners who are helping to support Tucson small businesses. UACI was proud to represent the University of Arizona's innovation ecosystem during the round table discussion.

Podcast: Talking Innovation

UACI Executive Director, Eric Smith, made a guest appearance on the latest episode of the OOROO Auto podcast, “Innovation Inside & Out”. With podcast host, Jeff Artzi, Smith discussed the innovation that comes through the UA Center for Innovation (UACI), how the incubator network supports startup business development, and the scalable science and technology startups served by UACI globally. 

Startup Spotlight:

TG Companies

TG Companies is a tech startup with innovative technologies to recover valuable and toxic metals from renewable energy wastes including solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. 

Southwest Regional Explore Event

Sponsored by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) is a collegiate competition challenging multidisciplinary student teams to develop and present a business plan that leverages DOE national laboratory-developed and other high-potential energy technologies. EnergyTech UP awards cash prizes to teams that successfully identify an energy technology, assess its market potential, and propose a strategy for commercialization.

UACI is hosting the Southwest Regional Explore event. Join us on February 23 as competing teams pitch their business concepts to industry judges.

If you have any questions, please contact Casey Carrillo at ccarrillo@uaci.com

UArizona's Wonder House at SXSW

We are headed back to SXSW in 2023 and we're taking the University of Arizona Wonder House to the next level. More days. Bigger talks. Mind-blowing connections.  Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Sonoran Desert as we completely transform one of Austin’s favorite seafood restaurants, Café Blue. We are excited to be back with more Wildcat alumni, industry leaders and entrepreneurs this year.

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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.