Five startups will take the stage at the annual Tech419 Pitch Competition, Northwest Ohio’s premier innovation and entrepreneurship showcase, on Thursday, October 29, the University of Toledo Business Incubator announced. The free, public event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex on the university’s Main Campus, where finalists will compete for more than $20,000 in funding and prizes.
Hosted by the incubator, the event brings together entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, researchers and community members to celebrate the region’s growing startup ecosystem. This year’s five ventures include three with direct connections to UToledo, and they span healthcare, manufacturing, facility operations and space research, according to the university.
Altered Gravity, co-founded by Dr. Eda Yildirim-Ayan, an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering, recreates lunar, Martian, orbital and other partial-gravity environments in the lab, letting researchers study how gravity affects disease, drug efficacy and tissue regeneration without relying on costly, hard-to-repeat space launches. Echo, co-founded by Michael Vanderpool, uses QR code placards attached to equipment and fixtures so anyone can report a facility maintenance problem without downloading an app or creating an account, and the platform is being adapted for hospital environmental services teams.
ILUminate, co-founded by Nathan Meller, is built for manufacturers and replaces the spreadsheets and paper records most plants use to track operator skills with a live, auditable skills matrix that helps identify training gaps, maintain compliance and guide staffing decisions. Ossatura Labs, co-founded by Yogesh Kumaran, an M.D./Ph.D. student and biomedical engineer at UToledo, uses diagnostic imaging to build a 3D biomechanical model of a patient’s fracture and simulate fixation options so orthopaedic trauma surgeons can compare outcomes before entering the operating room.
Surgiplate, developed by Shawn Monteiro, a graduate student in bioengineering at UToledo, is a surgical fixation platform whose proprietary plate-and-strap design secures the hand and other joints during procedures and adapts across a broad range of orthopaedic and extremity surgeries. The prize structure awards $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third, with fourth and fifth place receiving a 12-month coworking membership valued at $1,500 each.
Tech419 gives founders an opportunity to put their ideas in front of the people who can help move them forward, said Pamela Moore, director of incubation and business operations. Whether that leads to a new customer relationship or an investor conversation, those connections can play an important role in a company’s growth, Moore said, adding that the incubator is proud to create a platform that helps innovators gain momentum while showcasing the strength of entrepreneurship in Northwest Ohio.
The judging panel consists of Abel Castillo of JumpStart Inc., Mikayla Coen of L3Harris, Anthony Gillespie of Parallax Advanced Research, Katherine Pollard of the University of Michigan and Joseph Scott of the Ohio APEX Accelerator. Finalists complete a structured pitch preparation program before the showcase, and all competitors are invited to join the incubator, which provides mentorship, affordable office and lab space and access to funding opportunities. Seating is limited and registration is required; parking is free, and attendees must be at least 18.
Photo: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA