Venture Lab starts up second year strong

A total of 10 companies graduated from Venture Lab on Tuesday. Some of the businesses were faculty-owned, but student-, alumni- and staff-founded startups were all represented in this class. 

Applications are for the Venture Lab’s seventh cohort will be accepted through Sept. 22. That cohort’s first class is Oct. 8, and graduation will be held Nov. 19. To apply, email Hoffman at grant.hoffman@uc.edu. 

Graduating today: 

Bigfoot — An AI-powered mobile application for restaurant owners and managers. Bigfoot alerts, reports and recommendations help them make better decisions that improve the experiences of their guests while optimizing how much they spend on labor. 

LiFonSkin (Living Factories on Skin) — Microbial sunscreen. Genetically engineered mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) with potent ultraviolet-A (UV-A) and UV-B absorbing properties. 

Permaculture Certification — Regenerative farming certification. 

Biodegradable On-Demand Drug Delivery for Implant — Control dosage after you inject an implant in the body using a laser to effectively treat diseases of the eyes depending on progress and to reduce side effects caused by uncontrollable dosage or frequent injections. 

Hot Hooves — Miniature die-cast horses that are cool, collectible, colorful, compact, active, adorable and affordable. The perfect complement to Hot Wheels for those who like unicorns and horses better than cars. 

RNA Nanotherapy for Advanced Breast Cancer Cure — Highly innovative and nontoxic multifunctional RNA nanoparticles to overcome breast cancer treatment resistance. 

Kodiak Design — A one-handed video game controller compatible with XBox, PlayStation and PC games for disabled gamers. 

AnimaTICK — Pre-production software subscription as a service for independent filmmakers.

TadPol — Develops “pattern of life” for a specific target based on social media data, predicting physical activity, location and personality. 

Virtual Counselor — Software program that helps people explore, in a safe virtual environment, the nature of their beliefs as they relate to their problem behavior.

Featured image: Yoonjee Park, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering, presents her team's business idea for a biodegradable ocular implant for on-demand drug delivery. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services