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Energy ran high at the Delta Innovation Hub as more than 100 alumni, investors, innovators and university leaders from the University of Georgia and the University of Kentucky gathered for Field to Fund: Where Innovation Meets Opportunity on Fri., Oct. 3.
The inspiring evening began with a dynamic Sideline Chat moderated by Jay Bailey, President and CEO of Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) and Keith Marshall, former UGA running back and Co-CEO of The Players’ Lounge. Following the conversation, attendees heard from an esteemed panel of judges: Michael Bowling, Stacy A. Chick, Robert Orr and Anath Qualls, all of whom are distinguished alumni of either the University of Georgia or the University of Kentucky.
The program culminated with presentations from four startup teams.
Avast Therapeutics
Dr. Luke Bradley of the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine was first to take the stage as he pitched his startup, Avast Therapeutics.
“Avast, the name, is an old nautical term. It means halt,” said Dr. Luke Bradley, Founding Partner and CEO. “This name reflects our mission as a business. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are one of our greatest unmet challenges of our time from a medical standpoint, as well as economic.”
Avast Therapeutics’ mission is to “discover and develop non-invasive pharmacological treatments to stop the progression, and restore the damages to the brain from neurodegenerative diseases.” With an intranasal delivery platform, Avast Therapeutics’ solution eliminates the need for invasive procedures and is able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
The startup has an exclusive license with the University of Kentucky on all of their awarded and pending IP, and has been awarded three U.S. patents and four international patents.
AMG Detection
Ashley Galanti, a Biomedical Engineering PhD candidate at the University of Georgia, pitched her startup, AMG Detection.
AMG Detection is on a mission to detect epileptic seizures before they happen. Their product, The Joey, is an affordable, non-invasive sensor that is able to detect seizures more than five minutes before they happen and has an accuracy rate of over 70%.
“The only prediction and solutions in the space are my device and seizure alert dogs, so you can say that seizure alert dogs are my main competition,” said Ashley Galanti, Founder and CEO. “With The Joey, we hope to lower costs and increase impact with an affordable and scalable solution that also denotes seizure time.”
EVAX, Inc.
Dr. Chase Kempinski of the University of Kentucky pitched his startup, EVAX, Inc. EVAX “provides triterpene oils and emulsion adjuvants sustainability, robustly and without limits.”
EVAX, a manufacturing and commercialization subsidiary of Enepret, Inc., provides a scalable and sustainable way to expedite vaccine development through clinical trials using triterpene oils and oil-in-water adjuvants. Currently, EVAX has a multi-million dollar contract with the National Institutes of Health and other investors.
“If I am going to take ingredients and put them in a vaccine, I want to make sure that I get it from the same source, same purity, but the mandatory prospects have it for many years in the future,” said Dr. Chase Kempinski, CEO and Co-Founder. “Users are looking for secure sources of this and other sustainable solutions. So when we say sustainable, we often think green and then recycle, renew, reuse. Really, we’re talking about sustainable as a repeatable supply chain source.”
Annate Bitherapeutics
The final pitch of the evening was presented by Dr. Eric DeJesus, USDA Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia and CEO of Annate Bitherapeutics.
Annate Bitherapeutics is “harnessing the power of the human innate immune system for the treatment of multiple myeloma.” By reprogramming nature’s immune weapon, Annate can selectively target and kill cancer.
Annate aims to accomplish this through their bispecific antibody that is designed to “accurately target and bind to a specific component of the human innate immune complex (HIIC), a natural part of the body’s defense mechanism, circulating within the bloodstream.”
Currently, Annate receives funding from the Georgia Research Alliance and has an exclusive licensing rights option. The UGA Research Foundation holds their IP – two patents.
The presentations captivated the audience, showcasing the depth of innovation and entrepreneurial talent across both universities. Dr. Eric DeJesus, Founder and CEO of Annate Bitherapeutics, received top recognition and a $2,500 award, sponsored by Hutchison PLLC. Hutchison PLLC also provided each participating team with a complimentary hour of legal consultation.
“An awesome and inspiring event with life-changing research focused on real-world solutions,” said Charlie Thackston, Entrepreneurial Leader and Executive Advisor at SOAR Performance Group, Inc.
Hosted by the University of Georgia’s Innovation District and Innovation Gateway, Field to Fund aims to build visibility and momentum around major university events while connecting startups with alumni, investors and industry partners. With access to robust networks and a model adaptable to any university ecosystem, the event stands out as a catalyst for collaboration and discovery.
“Events like Field to Fund show what’s possible when universities, investors and innovators come together to celebrate entrepreneurship and push science forward,” said Dr. Eric DeJesus.
