The UTSA SBDC Technology Commercialization Center stands out as one of only 24 national awardees to receive a coveted multi-year grant from the SBA Office of Innovation & Technology. This significant funding injection, part of the Texas-FAST initiative, aims to bolster small businesses in innovation and R&D commercialization. With annual federal funds amounting to $3 billion through the SBIR program, these grants provide crucial non-equity dilutive capital, offering unparalleled support for small business innovators.
FAST program services and resources are available to all Texas based innovators and ventures.
Texas – FAST has a three-fold focus:
1. Facilitating access to high-risk capital for the commercialization of advanced technologies.
2. Enhancing the ecosystem’s capacity to foster science and technology-based innovation, competitiveness, and scalability.
3. Increasing the number of SBIR/STTR submissions and awards by reaching out across all of Texas.
Texas-FAST Advisory Services Include:
- SBIR/STTR Submission Assistance
- Proposal Workshops
- Training & Entrepreneurial Education
- Networking
- Proposal Review & Preparation Resources
- One-on-One Consulting & Business Advising
- Market Research Assistance
Success Stories
FluxWorks
Texas Innovation AssistanceLeads to Awards and Support for a Quiet, Efficient Revolution-FluxWorks
Bryton Praslicka founded FluxWorks LLC in late 2021 as a doctoral student. FluxWorks is commercializing a series of technologies utilizing their patented magnetic gear platform innovation, which allows for machines with motors and generator systems to be lighter, quieter, more reliable and more efficient. This approach is anticipated to revolutionize the propulsion industry, especially as it relates to air and ground vehicles and robotics, renewable energy, and space industry.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Technology Commercialization Center (TCC) assisted Praslicka with SBIR proposal and pitch preparation assistance. The TCC team also assisted FluxWorks to receive their first place award at the Texas A&M New Ventures Competition and with other first place awards in venture competitions. TCC guided FluxWorks through their America’s Seed Fund TM [SBIR.STTR] proposal development effort, including financially sponsoring additional subject matter expert consultants.
The team effort resulted in Flux Works being awarded a direct to Phase II Army SBIR. FluxWorks is looking forward to future SBIR/STTRS and is awaiting response and contracts in both military and commercial markets.
Yumlish
Yumlish Partners with the Air Force to Curb Recruiting Shortage
By Lydia Magallanes
Published: Nov. 10, 2022 at 8:06 PM CST
Source: https://www.kalb.com/2022/11/11/yumlish-partners-with-air-force-curb-recruiting-shortage/
DALLAS, Texas – Yumlish, a digital health startup, is partnering with the Department of the Air Force to address nutritional drivers behind why many recruits are struggling to meet fitness requirements. The platform serves as a dire intervention solution that improves recruit retention and eligibility. More candidates are failing to meet fitness requirements now than ever before, posing a major recruiting obstacle. This reality carries significant force readiness and national security implications and has been deemed the opening salvo of a “long-term threat” to the armed services.
The Dallas-based company won a Small Business Innovation Research phase II contract from the AFWERX, a program office within the Air Force Research Laboratory, to help Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS) turn the tide and meet its force numbers for Fiscal Year 2023. Yumlish is now in the process of adapting its core digital nutrition product to the Air Force’s unique cultural needs and will ultimately deploy among a real-world test cohort within the branch’s Delayed Entry Program (DEP). Driving the development of the company’s occupational wellness content are interviews with Air Force recruiters across the southeast – where the majority of young Americans enlist – about their experiences with the challenges the service is facing.
Severe recruiting challenges are not specific to the Air Force. A study released by the Pentagon earlier this year indicated that 77% – up from 71% in 2017 – of young Americans do not qualify for military service. The biggest contributor to service ineligibility is weight management, as reports show roughly 27% of young Americans are too overweight to enlist. Compounding these challenges is the reality that solutions haven’t necessarily kept pace with the recruiting environment. Studies by the American Journal of Health Promotion and public testimonies from service members and veterans suggest that long-held ‘tape tests’ often encourage unhealthy dieting habits, ultimately leading to more health issues and diminished force readiness down the road.
“We don’t want recruits resorting to crash diets to meet tomorrow’s fitness test,” said Yumlish CEO Shireen Abdullah. “Weight-related healthcare costs the military $1.5 billion annually, so nutrition and exercise remain our top priority in order to maintain performance standards and prevent injury and disease down the line. What we’re hearing from recruiters on the ground is a real need for occupational wellness resources from the onset. We believe that our whole-person approach can help the Air Force not only retain more recruits but establish a strong foundation that sustains airmen throughout their career,” said Abdullah.
The Air Force has always had a holistic approach to wellness known as Comprehensive Airman Fitness, a standard that remains essential to military service and will not be lowered.
“It’s a national security imperative that we are fit to fight,” said Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, AFRS commander. “It is vital to have healthy military members in our ranks, and that all starts with the future Airmen we recruit. Our Airmen are our greatest asset and having them at their peak performance is essential to combat emerging threats worldwide, win our nation’s wars and continue to project our power as a nation.”
All U.S. military branches are facing a current recruiting challenge where more than three quarters of their applicants require a waiver to join.
“Now is the optimal time to face service ineligibility head on,” said Senior Master Sgt. Frank Wallace, Superintendent of Officer Accessions at AFRS. “Currently only 23% of our targeted youth market is qualified to serve. Additionally, we lose about 2-3% of our Delayed Entry Program members due to weight management challenges. Providing tools to help our future Airmen be successful in being in their best health will help overcome these barriers to service and help them improve their personal wellness. Instilling occupational wellness values at the start of the DEP pipeline sets a strong precedent that a new Airman can pass along to their peers. Our partnership with Yumlish will hopefully produce a sustainable, adaptable solution that looks beyond the new fiscal year.”
Copyright 2022 HeadStart and Yumlish. All rights reserved.
Katz Water Technologies
A Flow of Technological Innovation for Katz
Gary Katz, founder of Katz Water Technologies, worked with TCC to make significant strides across the commercialization pathway for his company’s early concept innovation, X-VAPT. The X-VAP innovation allows for the economical purification of produced water, a by-product of oil drilling, while utilizing harvested energy in the oil field. The technology provides a competitive advantage by allowing for the reduction in the transportation, storage, and water treatment expenses associated with current practices of utilizing injection wells. Katz, working with TCC, received a $224,994 National Science Foundation SBIR grant, as well as several other regional awards. The company has also been an invitee to several technical conferences, positioning the business well for future awards, investments, industry partnerships, and commercialization opportunities.
Helical Solar
Powering Innovation and Technology- Solar Panels Plus Software
In 2020, TCC worked with Texas-based Helical Solar Solutions LLC to receive its first Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $1.15 Million. James McKinion, the inventor, received this award as a result of working with our TCC team on project research and development, and all grant activities related to the commercialization of his agrophotovoltaics innovation.
Agrophotovoltaics is the practice of co-developing the same area of land for both solar photovoltaic power as well as for agriculture. McKinion is proud of his system that combines hardware and software in a unique way to allow dual use for land. This working relationship began in 2019 and resulted in an SBIR Phase I award for $200K as proof of concept. As the COVID-19 pandemic jolted the world economy, McKinion was able to receive assistance and loan funding through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program to support his growing business.
“Not having written or submitted a formal SBIR proposal before, [your] insight and guidance were invaluable, said McKinion. “Helical Solar looks forward to continued support from the SBDC Technology Commercialization Center as we start to hire new employees and expand our R&D and manufacturing capabilities in Texas.”
Vivifi Medical
Vivifi Medical: Strategic Innovation, SBDC Helps Transform Ideas into Marketable Solutions
Dr. Tushar Sharma, Owner, Houston, Texas. Text transcribed during migration from a one-page image of this success story; to be confirmed by the center. Original one-page summary (image).
In the dynamic landscape of medical technology innovations in Houston, Vivifi Medical has emerged as a trailblazer, reshaping the paradigm of prostate health through its revolutionary robotic and laparoscopic surgical device. This innovative solution can reverse Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) and early-stage Prostate Cancer while simultaneously enhancing testosterone levels, fertility and sexual function, as well as avoiding the adverse side effects associated with current treatments.
In 2020, Dr. Tushar Sharma, the visionary behind this groundbreaking device and CEO of Vivifi, faced financial constraints common to many innovators. His connection with Bijo Mathew of the UTSA SBDC Technology Commercialization Center (UTSA TCC) through his connection with Johnson & Johnson’s Center for Device Innovation at Texas Medical Center paved the way for a transformative partnership.
Navigating financial challenges, Dr. Sharma discovered, with the assistance of Bijo, the America’s Seed Fund™ (SBIR-STTR) program. This vital program, dedicated to funding startups and small businesses across diverse technology areas, proved to be the linchpin between Tushar’s visionary ideas and tangible market impact. Dr. Sharma, with the assistance of Bijo, developed a highly competitive SBIR application to the National Science Foundation.
Securing SBIR awards, $256k in Phase I and $1M in Phase II, was pivotal for Vivifi Medical. The awards, secured on their first attempt, were made possible for Vivifi as a result of the assistance from UTSA TCC. These funds propelled the company through crucial phases of research and development, from creating the Minimum Viability Product (MVP) to demonstrating proof-of-concept and securing intellectual property. The UTSA TCC continued to work with Vivifi leading to the presentation at the BioMedSA 2023 BioFest Invest event in San Antonio. The NSF strategic seed funding not only fueled the success of their MVP but also positioned Vivifi Medical as an attractive prospect for investors. Vivifi is on track to raise $1M which helps it unlock an additional $500k from NSF Phase II. Notable investors include TMC Venture Fund, which serves as the venture capital arm of Texas Medical Center Corporation, Elevate Capital, and prominent figures in urology, cardiovascular surgery, and medical devices.
Vivifi Medical in collaboration with the stellar team at the UTSA TCC now stands at the forefront of their innovation’s commercialization, poised to embark on clinical studies in 2024. As they prepare to bring innovative solutions to the market, the company’s success story stands as an inspiration for aspiring innovators and demonstrates the impact of strategic funding and collaborative partnerships in the realm of medical technology.
Impact
- Business expansion
- $256,000 Phase I SBIR grant award
- $1,000,000 Phase II SBIR grant award
- $800,000 venture and equity capital investments
We might have not been able to secure the critical funding needed for Vivifi’s existence if it wasn’t for Bijo and his team.
