The University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub recently hosted its Venture Lab Demo Day, providing a platform for five local startups to pitch their groundbreaking ideas to an audience of investors, mentors, and industry experts. These ventures, born from the UC Digital Pre-Accelerator, are tackling diverse challenges from pet care to speech therapy, showcasing the strength of the Cincinnati Innovation District’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Venture Lab Accelerator program is designed to guide founders from concept to commercialization, equipping them with the tools and strategies needed to attract funding and thrive. Here’s a closer look at the five startups that presented:
1.) Nala: Founder Zach Moore and his dog, Linux, demonstrated this AI-powered instant vet for pets. Nala helps pet owners save time and money by offering real-time support that syncs with their primary vet. With rising pet healthcare costs expected to impact millions of households, nala aims to make quality care more affordable and accessible.
2.) EmpathEQ: This scalable, AI-powered simulation platform helps professionals build and refine soft skills. Co-founder Alex von Rosenberg highlighted its value for healthcare, explaining that it offers a safe, immersive environment for nursing students to practice difficult interpersonal situations with emotionally responsive AI actors, providing instant feedback. The platform is the first to offer asynchronous, high-quality soft skill training without requiring headsets.
3.) Urban Hikers: What started as a book club that walked, founded by Vanny Mwamba, has evolved into a mobile app designed to combat social isolation. The app allows users to select a walking route and join a group of up to 20 participants, fostering meaningful connections through blended fitness and social interaction.
4.) TonguePART: Dr. Sarah Dugan, a postdoctoral researcher and speech language pathologist at UC, presented this breakthrough in speech therapy technology. TonguePART uses gamification software to turn video games into a powerful language tool, allowing children to use an ultrasound wand and their tongue as a controller to receive real-time biofeedback and improve pronunciation. Clinical trials have shown effective results in as little as ten minutes, a significant improvement over traditional therapy methods.
5.) Eco Mercantile Corporation: Co-founder Guillermo Gutierrez unveiled a new scanning technology designed to revolutionize scrap metal identification and recycling. By combining advanced metal detection with automation, the smart scanner can accurately scan, analyze, and identify the metal content of e-waste and other scrap materials in real time. This solution aims to streamline a time-consuming and costly manual process, improving efficiency and sustainability.
