11 new start-ups to begin in ISU Startup Factory

Maggie Curry

The first cohort of 10 companies has graduated from the Iowa State University Startup Factory, and a third cohort of 11 new start-ups is set to begin.

Entrepreneurs in the ISU Startup Factory receive formal training, resources, and access to a network of business mentors, advisors, counselors, and investors in two 26-week blocks: the first a formal curriculum centered on business validation, and the second, customized to their individual business needs, according to a release.

The first group had companies developing STEM-emphasis gaming, bike-sharing businesses and smart helmets, among others. The second was announced in September 2016. The following are the names of the participating startups in the third cohort, as taken from a release:

E.S.A.R.C., founded by Bhimesh S Chauhan & Deeksha Juneja, bridges the gap between imagination and reality.

ESTose Biorenewables, founded by Zengyi Shao, Peter Keeling, Mingfeng Cao, Miguel Suastegui, & Meirong Gao, aims to develop microbial platforms to produce plants-sourced nutraceuticals.

Flynested LLC, founded by Tommy Reins, Sam Cook, & Alex Chally, provides an innovative station for the drone industry that quickly swaps batteries without human interaction and enables drones to be in the air longer.

Hurd Health Group, founded by Dillon Hurd, is a biomedical engineering research company currently developing a cardio assist device with a solid-state electromagnetic drive system.

Ideopak, founded by Keith Vorst & Nathan Davis, helps create safe and sustainable packaging through real-time monitoring technology.

N-Sense, LLC, founded by David Laird, Natalia Rogovska, & Thomas Chiou, is developing a field mobile soil nitrate sensor system to measure soil nitrogen status and facilitate precision nitrogen fertilizer applications thereby reducing nitrate loss to surface and ground water and fertilizer costs for farmers.

Optical Operations, founded by Andrew Guillemette & Mason Ogbourne, is focused on delivering accurate, real- time information from industrial sites through an augmented reality interface, allowing worksite supervisors to view virtual recreations of the jobsite from anywhere, at any time.

Propelled Solutions, founded by Nolan Herlocker, makes attachments for drones that are innovative in their simplicity and the range of uses in many industries.

The Oh Ball, founded by Kipp Hagaman, sets people free from foot pain and gives them back their freedom.

Tractor Zoom, founded by Kyle McMahon, is an online and mobile app marketplace specifically for agricultural machinery auctions.

Waves, founded by Srdjan Pavelic, is shifting the paradigm in speaker systems while connecting the disconnect between user and device through semantics and functionality.

Established businesses can be close to the start-ups in a new series of offices available for lease within the ISU Startup Factory’s space, located on the second floor of the Vermeer Applied Technology Hub.

“We are looking for strategic partners who would like to surround themselves with successful startups, building essentially a network effect within the community we’ve started here,” program leader Bill Adamowski  said in a release. “By co-locating here, stakeholders can build relationships with the startup companies right here in our ISU Startup Factory space.”

Adamowski said another way to become involved in the program is by becoming a mentor, advisor or investor. “We welcome those who are interested to get in touch with us.”

The ISU Startup Factory is a 52-week intensive program housed at the Iowa State University Research Park that provides a new avenue for students, faculty, and staff to create technology-based businesses.