Second Singularity University Accelerator Cohort Poised to Solve Global Challenges

published
May 2, 2016

Mountain View, CA (May 2, 2016) – Singularity University (SU) today announced the four startups that will join the second cohort of its SU Labs Startup Accelerator, the first accelerator program of its kind totally committed to funding and catalyzing technological breakthroughs to impact humankind. The cohort includes:

Juno Biomedical: system working to repair post-stroke brain damage.

Field Ready: non-profit 3D printing humanitarian supplies in the field.

Impact Vision: hyper-spectral analytics for the food chain, preventing waste.

MZP Technologica: low-cost device providing medical diagnosis with small samples.

Participants in the session come from Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States, and female founders lead three of the companies, Juno Biomedical, Field Ready and Impact Vision. Impact Vision is a Global Solutions Program ’15 graduate, highlighting the unique end-to-end entrepreneurial journey SU provides through its programs, from an idea to the creation of a company.

“SU Labs provides an innovation community, where startups have the opportunity to connect with large organizations, governments and universities to identify, incubate and accelerate big ideas aimed at solving the world’s important challenges,” said Rob Nail, CEO and Associate Founder of Singularity University. “We welcome this next group of startups, who will learn to apply exponential technologies to these issues, and leverage SU’s subject matter experts, tools and methods to create sustainable business solutions with the potential to positively impact billions of lives.”

SU Labs’ Startup Accelerator program includes:

Expansion: Exponential thinking boot camp for mindset expansion.

Acceleration: Accelerated learning program, covering topics including future forecasting, rapid prototyping, business fundamentals and fundraising, which enables startups to leverage insights through product development period.

Networking: Mentoring and networking with SU community of founders, corporate leaders, nonprofits, investors, government leaders, industry experts and thought leaders.

For-profit companies mayreceive $100,000 from the Singularity University Startup Fund in exchange for a small equity stake. Non-profits may receive $50,000 in unrestricted grants.

“Beyond just funding, startups in SU’s Accelerator have the opportunity to utilize workspace at NASA Research Park in the heart of Silicon Valley, granting them unparalleled access to SU’s global network of Fortune 500 companies, industry thought leaders and change makers,” said Monique Giggy, Director of the Singularity University Accelerator. “It’s a fast track, designed for early stage companies in today’s uncertain investment market, providing the quick ramp up needed to prepare them for the long, tough road ahead as entrepreneurs.”

“We are honored to be a part of Singularity University, an organization that has become synonymous with vision, thought leadership and human potential,” said Trisha Pfluger, CEO of Juno Biomedical. “At Juno Biomedical, our team is developing a technology unlike any other available to stroke and brain injury patients today. We are excited to work closely with the Singularity University team, so that together we can solve one of humanity’s greatest challenges, how to regrow healthy brain tissue after damage.”

Criteria for acceptance into the program include product milestones and applications of artificial intelligence, computing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and robotics. Previous SU Labs Accelerator Companies include X2AI, pioneering psychological artificial intelligence; Be My Eyes, lending eyes to the visually impaired; and FREDsense Technologies, providing biosensors for remote water monitoring.

For more information on the SU Labs Startup Accelerator, visit:http://startup.singularityu.org/accelerator/

ABOUT SINGULARITY UNIVERSITY

Headquartered at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley, Singularity University’s (SU) mission is to educate, inspire and empower leaders to develop and apply exponential technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to robotics to virtual reality to address humanity’s grand challenges. SU provides educational programs, partnerships and a startup accelerator to foster the growth of the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. SU has an engaged alumni network in more than 90 countries committed to creating sustainable global impact across challenges, which include environment, security, health, learning, energy, food, prosperity, water, space, disaster resilience, and governance.

A benefit corporation, SU was founded in 2008 by Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis and has received program funding from Google. For more information, visit:SingularityU.org. Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SingularityU.