Entrepreneurship Shines at StartR Demo Day
The Sullivan Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s annual spring Demo Day, the culmination of the StartR program, was held on June 6, 2023. The StartR Accelerator provides students, alumni, and researchers with robust training, mentorship, and an ecosystem of resources to advance entrepreneurial ideas from concept to impact. Presenters included teams representing the Inclusion-Impact program, focused on inclusive teams seeking to improve social and/or environmental conditions, and Rady Stage 2, focused on advanced lean startup and customer development principles.
Co-hosted by Sullivan Center Executive Director Tim Schwartz and StartR Director Kimberly Davis King, with opening remarks by Rady School of Management Dean Lisa Ordóñez, Demo Day featured pitches by six entrepreneurial teams:
StartR Inclusion/Impact
- Sundaze makes machine washable, rechargeable, and portable heated shorts that alleviate period pain. Contact: Julia Layton (julia@shopatsora.com) and Jenny Pan (jenny@shopatsora.com)
- Biofluency synthesizes biometric data from consumer wearable devices to make chronic inflammation visible. Contact: Abbey Green (biofluency@gmail.com)
- Crunchy Trading Co. is a personalized meal planning service for outdoor adventurers. Contact: Teresa Lee (teresa@crunchytrading.co)
- Sitewise Networks provides no-fuss networking and communication in dynamic environments, with a specific focus of construction sites. Contact: Aditya Arun (aarun@eng.ucsd.edu ) Arjun Rao (Rao@rady.ucsd.edu )
StartR Rady Stage 2
- Drives & Detours app uses AI to provide a fully interactive and personalized “virtual tour guide” experience for just about anywhere on the planet. Access an unlimited range of content and topics for a premium tour experience at a price point that’s more accessible than guided tours. Contact: Paul Behnke (paul@drivesanddetours.com)
- MedAssent DDS is a woman-led B2B digital dentistry startup that's reinventing the relationship between medicine and dentistry through digital, FHIR interoperability-powered tools built for modern dental practice. Contact: Lauren Fang (fang@medassent.com)
Presentations were judged by Rady alums Haytham Allos (MBA ’06), Mimi Kotter (MBA ’18) and Ying Sun (MBA ’17) who awarded three prizes:
- StartR Inclusion-Impact Winner - Sundaze
- StartR Inclusion-Impact Runner Up – Sitewise Networks
- StartR Rady Stage 2 Winner - MedAssent
In addition to the judges awards, the audience voted and chose Sundaze as their favorite presentation.
More information about StartR can be found here.
