In April 2022, we teamed up with partner organizations and fellow ecosystem builders to recruit startups to participate in our upcoming accelerator. With an incredible response, it became clear that heartland startups were focused on making an effort to transform industries as we know them through research and innovation. Our cohort consists of startups across diverse industries including AI, sustainable tech, and bio/life sciences.
Today, we’re pleased to announce the startups who will be participating in our 8-week virtual accelerator making these research-driven products, one step closer to the marketplace. These companies were selected in collaboration with OK Catalyst partners including Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, Startup Junkie, and Witchita State University. OK Catalyst programs are made possible by support from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology.
Keep reading to learn more!
Kailua, HI
Ai.Fish was formed to bring the latest in artificial intelligence research to problems in marine sustainability and conservation. Ai.Fish is capable of speeding up some of the most time-consuming parts of the Electronic Monitoring review process for marine ecosystems including preprocessing, catch detection, active learning, and integration.
Fort Worth, TX
Animal Cloud is a platform for smart devices that creates a flywheel of value with scientific research, military software, and cutting-edge IoT technology. Animal Cloud is building an ecosystem of connected technologies for the animal industry, where devices can be monitored and controlled from anywhere and technology is shared.
Whitewater, KS
ARC Technology Solutions LLC designs, manufactures and services innovative technical solutions for the largest global industrial companies. ARC’s solutions include automated electrical and component end-of-line (EOL) functional test; specialized manufacturing and assembly solutions for sustainment, torque, and gauging applications.
Debord, KY
Boxvana specializes in workforce housing that is affordable, hurricane safe, sustainable, modern and contemporary. Boxvana uses a material called LitePan® which is an advanced composite material system that weighs far less than wood, concrete, and steel. Because it weighs so much less, LitePan® can be transported quickly and easily, then assembled in mere hours or days.
Fayetteville, AR
CatalzeH20 technologies remove and destroy key contaminants in water while reducing the amount of toxic solid waste being shipped to landfills in order to improve water safety for all humans, and the health of the planet.
Louisville, KY
DesiCorp Inc. is developing a freeze-dried blood product that can be infused into injured warfighters immediately at the point of injury on the battlefield or to any other patients in remote or austere locations to treat traumatic blood loss.
Oklahoma City, OK
The Group E.N.F. International is specialized in the production of industrial gaskets and the commercialization of every type of hose and fitting for the fluids transfer in all industrial sectors.
Stillwater, OK
Frontier Electronic Systems Corporation excels as an award-winning leader in the design and manufacture of innovative, cost-effective electronic systems and equipment for government and commercial customers.
Louisville, KY
Hexalayer develops high energy density batteries that transform the capabilities of battery-powered vehicles, using cost-effective proprietary materials with stable long-term cycling characteristics.
Wichita, KS
HyperBorean develops vanguard technology that uses waste heat to power refrigeration and air-conditioning loops from waste heat.
Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM)
Norman, OK
NGSIM develops a core of open behavioral algorithms in support of traffic simulation with a primary focus on microscopic modeling, including supporting documentation and validation data sets that describe the interactions of multimodal travelers, vehicles and highway systems, and interactions presented to them from traffic control devices, delineation, congestion, and other features of the environment.
Technologies LLC
Lexington, KY
ØRB technologies develop products for ultra-low energy and carbon-storing buildings and specialize in product development, prototyping, passive house design, low energy buildings, energy modeling, sustainable neighborhood design, life cycle cost optimization, building performance testing, hygrothermal analysis, and training.
Oklahoma City, OK
RightHand Robotics builds a data-driven intelligent picking platform, providing flexible and scalable automation for predictable order fulfillment. RightPick, our robotic piece-picking solution, enables retailers to rise up to the new realities of online commerce.
Louisville, KY
SOLIONIC develops novel solid-state battery technology to meet the rising demands for advanced energy storage systems for electronics and vehicle applications. Solionic aims to build up safe, economic and high-performance solid electrolyte materials and solid-state batteries as a promising energy storage solution for wide applications.
Louisville, KY
TETHYR is a Communications Operating System used to canalize the flow of information from multiple disparate sources into a singular interface — enabling unprecedented control and distribution of cross-platform datasets on an institutional scale and sharable via tiered security protocols across departments on a broad array of devices.
Oklahoma City, OK
Utopia Plastix has a patent-pending process that allows resin to be used in any plastic application. With manufacturers across the country, they have produced samples of finished goods including straws, bags, spoons, forks, knives, film, and a variety of containers.
Somerville, MA
VIA was founded in 2016 with a mission to make clean energy more reliable and cheaper than traditional alternatives. Today, VIA’s secure digital collaboration platform is helping infrastructure companies and governments, including those with a similar mission, collaborate to solve some of the world’s toughest analytical problems together.
Tulsa, OK
VRNE utilizes artificial intelligence to provide innovative and agile solutions to public and private organizations.
About us
OK Catalyst is an economic development organization that provides assistance in helping startups and early-stage founders identify federal SBIR/STTR funding opportunities, creating a competitive application, and personalized post-award project management. A program within the Tom Love Innovation Hub at the University of Oklahoma, OK Catalyst programs are powered by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology.
Stay current with updates about programs, federal funding opportunities and other announcements @OKCatalyst on LinkedIn and Twitter. Subscribe to our newsletter for community highlights and more!