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Seven finalists will compete for the $50,000 Global Impact Award

shauna
April 17, 2017
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Seven finalists have been selected to compete for an award of up to $50,000 in the 4th annual Global Impact Award (GIA) finals in October.

Hosted by the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Skandalaris), GIA is made possible by the generous donation of alumnus Suren G. Dutia and his wife, Jas K. Grewal. The competition is for early stage ventures that are scalable, sustainable, and quick-to-market with proof of concept and a broad impact. In order to apply, ventures must have at least one Washington University in St. Louis student, postdoctoral researcher, or recent alumnus (less than 10 years) holding a significant role on the team.

Each of the finalists will be assigned mentors who are experts in fields relevant to their ventures. Over the next six months, finalists will work alongside their assigned mentors and Skandalaris staff as they prepare their deliverables for the final pitch competition in October.

Emre Toker, Managing Director of the Skandalaris Center, commented, “We look forward to the Global Impact Award each year, as it is an opportunity for Washington University to see what both our students as well as alumni are achieving in entrepreneurship. We are excited about this year’s finalists and look forward to watching the progress they make in the next six months.”

Congratulations to the finalists:

AirZaar, Inc

AirZaar is an enterprise software company providing image-processing & data analytics for mining, construction & infrastructure clients to make actionable decisions while disrupting accuracy levels of surveying reports utilizing visual intelligence. AirZaar’s turnkey automated solution provides clients with actionable intelligence in minutes, reducing costs & optimizing efficiency while performing safer industrial operations.

WashU team members:

  • Ravi Sahu, MBA ’14
  • Ali Ahmadi, MBA ’15

B-Agro Solutions

B-Agre Solutions is focused on becoming the leading provider of mechanized agricultural solutions in Ghana and across Africa. We partner with subsistence farmers in a collective group, train them, and use modern farm techniques and equipment to produce grains for sale.

WashU team members:

  • Anthony Ackah-Nyanzu, MS ’17, Finance
  • Dennis Awuku, BS ’12, Accounting
  • Donny Yoder
  • Adelaide Aboagye, MSW ’15, Social & Economic Development

Birano LLC

Birano LLC is developing smart fertilizer for agricultural crops that provide highly efficient nutrients at low-cost, and ecofriendly solution.

WashU team members:

  • Pratim Biswas, PhD ’85, Chemical Engineering
  • Ramesh Raliya, PhD ’12, Chemistry & Nano-Biotechnology

Eureka Analytics

Eureka is creating simpler and smarter patent searching and analysis driven by machine learning. Eureka analyzes the text to provide insight in a user-friendly way to our customers.

WashU team members:

  • Manu Stephen, MS ’13, Mechanical Engineering
  • Harrison Gammon, MS ’15, Quantitative Finance & Machine Learning

Geneoscopy

Geneoscopy is developing a screening methodology to noninvasively diagnose CRC using biomarkers in stool samples. CRC is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., primarily due to flawed screening methodologies, which results in late-stage detection of the disease. Geneoscopy’s technology solves the problems associated with existing screening methodologies, allowing for reduced mortality rates and better health outcomes.

WashU team members:

  • Erica Barnell, MD/PhD ’21, Molecular Genetics and Genomics
  • Andrew Barnell, MBA ’17
  • Yiming Kang, PhD ’22, Computer Science

GiftAMeal

GiftAMeal is a socially conscious marketing platform for restaurants that helps provide a meal to someone in need each time a user takes a photo at a participating location. Restaurants pay a monthly subscription to be involved and provide customers with another incentive to patron their location.

WashU team members:

  • Andrew Glantz, BSBA ’17, Leadership & Strategic Management
  • Aidan Folbe, BSBA ’19
  • Jacob Mohrmann, BSBA ’16, Marketing

Viosera

The rise of multidrug resistant superbugs has thrust us into a post antibiotic era, with continuing failures of monotherapies leading to incurable infections. Viosera’s paradigm shifting antibiotic VT1 is the first in a line of intelligent antibiotics that suppress antibiotic resistance, leverage synergy between previously approved drugs, and extend product life.

WashU team members:

  • Nicholas Goldner, PhD ’17, Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • Christopher Bulow, PhD ’17, Molecular Genetics and Genomics
  • Aki Kau, PhD ’09, Molecular Microbiology
  • Gautum Dantas, PhD ’05, Biochemistry