3 startups awarded $200K through state’s Technology Validation Startup Fund

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The State of Ohio Technology Validation Startup Fund just awarded three tech startups $200,000 in grant awards.

All three startups utilize technology developed at the University of Dayton through the Propel Dayton program.

Before the companies are launched, they undergo three phases including exploring commercial opportunities and outlining available resources. An accelerator is the last step to launch, where candidates are sent through a pre-accelerator program.

The first grant recipient, Kalix, recently won UD’s Flyer Pitch Competition, receiving $25,000 cash and $25,000 of support from the Entrepreneurs’ Center in Dayton.

Kalix provides solutions for detecting diseases caused by parasites, bacteria and viruses that impact animal, dairy and agricultural farms. Using artificial intelligence and molecular diagnostics systems, Kalix’s technology provides detection and management at the farm rather than at a lab.

Nabu Optical Systems is the second $200,000 grant recipient. Their nanomanufacturing platform aims to establish its technology in the semiconductor industry in southwestern and central Ohio.

Nabu’s technology helps other startups and small enterprises reduce their time to market by providing the tools needed to grow and innovate. Founder and UD associate professor of physics and electro-optics and photonics, Imad Agha, explains that these businesses are often poorly served by the manufacturing industry which focuses on serving large-scale demands.

5G Microelectronics company CapV LLC is the third winner of the grant. It plans to develop an end-to-end fabrication process for varactors and varactor-based chip-scale hardware solutions for defense and telecommunication applications.

The University of Dayton has conducted more than $2 billion in sponsored research in areas such as corrosion protection, nanotechnology, materials, green technology and image analysis.

To learn more about the program, which supports promising entrepreneurs in the Dayton region interested in using the technology developed at UD, click here.