N5 Sensors, a University of Maryland spin-off founded by UMD Research Scientist Abhishek Motayed, is commercializing a new generation of chip-scale chemical sensors that can detect harmful chemicals mixed in air, such as industrial chemicals, automobile exhausts, cigarette smoke, and pollutants released from paints, cleaners, pesticides and other products. These new sensors, built using the same fabrication processes that are commonly used for silicon computer chips, are small and accurate, with the capability to detect multiple gases at the same time. N5 is working to develop arrays of multi analyte sensors on a single chip, which can be integrated with smart phones, allowing industrial workers, first-responders, and soldiers to assess the dangers of their surroundings rapidly and accurately in real-time using their smart phones.

Millennium Engineering and Integration Company is an employee-owned small business with systems engineering and integration capability in the space, defense, cyber, intelligence, aviation and healthcare markets. The company provides solutions to both the U.S. Government and commercial sectors, solving engineering challenges in satellites, missiles, aircraft, cyber, space resiliency and beyond.

HY-TEK Bio is an early stage company developing a patent-pending system to remove carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases from smoke stack flue gas using a unique strain of algae while producing valuable byproducts from the algae. The company’s system mitigates greenhouse gas from flue gases by injecting the flue gas into a tank full of a unique strain of algae. The tank is a patent-pending, closed bioreactor produced in-house from a lamination of Mylar and Kevlar. This patent-pending construct allows the bioreactors to be produced inexpensively while being extremely light weight. In addition, patent-pending LED Grow Lights are used along with a nutrient developed in-house, made from fresh chicken manure and a blend of other proprietary components.

The algae feeds on the CO2 and NOx in the flue gas, as well as on the nutrient. CO2 consumption is enhanced through the use of proprietary LED Grow Light technology, yielding minimal greenhouse gas emissions and high yields of high-value algal biomass. The process produces little to no CO2 or NOx emissions, while enhancing the lipid-oil production in the algae as well as a by-product of Lutein-Zeaxanthin, an ultra-antioxidant that is in high demand in the market place. The algal biomass can be sold to brokers, who place the biomass into markets that produce Lutein-Zeaxanthin-based products, bio-plastics, skin care products, cosmetic and paint thickeners, additives for human and animal food products, and biofuel.

Whisker Labs has built an energy management platform, Connected SavingsSM, which is an intelligent demand side management (IDSM) system that ties homes with utilities, big weather data and analytics to save energy—for customers, utilities and retail energy providers. The solution combines connected thermostats with proprietary weather information and thermodynamic models, developed in part with the University of Maryland, that predict how homes will respond to changing weather conditions, thus correlating energy usage to weather. Homes can then be intelligently precooled and setback, keeping customers comfortable while shifting loads for utilities during peak load events (DR events).

CoapTech seeks to bring a series of breakthrough medical devices to worldwide markets, leveraging a patent-pending, disruptive technology called Coaptive Ultrasound. The company’s CoapTech Carrier™ is a novel platform technology combining magnetic attraction for device placement guidance and low-cost, point-of-care ultrasound for visual feedback in diagnostic, interventional and therapeutic procedures.

CoapTech is commercializing a kit that will enable clinicians to perform a novel procedural method called Percutaneous Ultrasound Gastrostomy (PUG) for the placement of semi-permanent feeding tubes in the stomach. PUG improves on Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG), the current standard of care for feeding tube placement. The company believes that PUG is a safer, simpler, and less expensive method for placing feeding tubes.

BondTrue has developed a patented medical device that automates the process of surgical incisions and closures. The result is a fast, precise surgical wound that can be rapidly approximated and repaired. This significantly reduces surgical times and ensures excellent wound repair. Precise wound repair is associated with reduced scarring and decreased wound complications, including surgical wound infections.

38° North LLC is a fully integrated oyster grow-out company, with activities spanning nursery operations, grow-out, packaging, marketing and the shipping of oysters throughout the United States. While modest in size, 38 North is currently one of the largest producers of aquaculture oysters in Maryland.

Microsphere Material Solutions LLC is a producer of ultra-high-strength, low-weight materials that provide game-changing capabilities for many applications. Microsphere Material Solutions engages in both the small batch production and research and development of amorphous glass foams for cutting-edge applications. The extraordinary compressive strength-to-weight ratio of amorphous glass foam materials allows for the exploration of new form factors and enhanced capabilities in a wide variety of markets.

VLP Therapeutics is dedicated to developing innovative medical treatments and transforming traditional vaccines and targeted antibody therapies to address global unmet medical needs. Its vision is to combat 21st century global public health problems through its i-αVLP (inserted alpha VLP) Technology.

Airgility designs and manufactures unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The company’s mission is to develop and field the most versatile vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) platforms.

Airgility’s flagship product, the HorseSHU, is a breakthrough VTOL aircraft leveraging a patent-pending lifting body with thrust vectoring propulsion. This ground-up design, while optimizing for conditions of vertical and forward flight regimes, offers the best combination of payload weight, payload volume, flight endurance, speed and mission flexibility.

FTI was established to develop a carbon-nano-tube (CNT) based platform technology (CNT-p) for the detection of disease proteins, health markers, and environmental molecules. This CNT-based platform may result in detection with high-sensitivity and very low cost, making it affordable for the general public and thus could reform the preventive medicinal system in the future. FTI will develop the modality of detection and diagnosis for selective protein and molecular recognition of a target analyte in collaboration with nearby university, government labs and other industries.

Firefox Pharmaceuticals is a start-up biotechnology company developing and commercializing a novel class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, creating first-in-class small molecules for reverse cholesterol transport enhancers (RCTE). After nine years of uninterrupted academic research and pharmaceutical R&D, the company has made discoveries in the direct reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) process. Firefox’s strategy tackles all four RCT steps: 1.) increase nascent HDL availabilities; 2.) increase macrophage cholesterol efflux; 3.) increase cholesterol esterification; and 4) increase liver uptake for fecal excretion. Others have focused on strategies to increase HDL (and decrease LDL). Firefox’s quadruple-pronged plan of attack could reduce cholesterol to unprecedented levels by enhancing RCT and eliminating cholesterol already present. The company’s lead compound has showed desired activities, both in vitro and in vivo, for enhanced RCT. A patent application was filed with USPTO on April 3, 2017.

Johnny Oysterseed LLC is a venture founded around the farming of the Eastern Oyster (C. virginica). To date, the company has produced/planted approximately 20 million seed oysters in support of commercial food production and ecosystem restoration. Johnny Oysterseed also produces and sells food oysters under its Calvert Crest and Steamboat Landing labels. Ten years of working closely with oysters, government regulations, markets, and industry has given the company deep insight into the challenges currently confronting oyster farmers. This experience, together with engineering expertise, has led Johnny Oysterseed to invent several technical solutions for oyster farming. These solutions have greatly improved the company’s production while reducing labor costs. After realizing these increased efficiencies, Johnny Oysterseed is focusing on manufacturing and marketing its unique technical solutions to the aquaculture industry, with an initial emphasis on the Chesapeake Bay region and the U.S. eastern seaboard.

Artgen Inc. develops novel, non-viral gene therapies for the treatment of vascular diseases. The company’s lead product candidate, ART-101, is a DNA plasmid designed to be delivered directly to the site of injured tissue, with the first indication directed for peripheral artery disease (PAD). Currently, there are no approved drugs for the treatment of PAD, a disease that can ultimately lead to lower limb loss and functionality. ART-101 expresses Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), one of the key regulators of angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels). Artgen’s platform technology could potentially treat additional vascular diseases.

DiPole Materials is a manufacturer of specialty electrospun fibers. The company’s products address issues in a variety of fields, from powering sensors and devices in the emerging smart garment industry to providing novel substrates for tissue engineering.

CoolTech develops and commercializes products utilizing an internal evaporative cooling technology licensed from Johns Hopkins University. CoolTech has an exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license for this technology, which was formally executed in April, 2012.

xMD Diagnostics is a biotechnology company focused on developing products for the fields of pathology and microdissection. The company is currently working to develop a product line of microdissection instruments and kits to help researchers and clinicians rapidly analyze tissue and cells for diagnostic and scientific purposes. The technology being used to develop the tools is proprietary and was exclusively licensed to xMD by the National Institutes of Health. xMD’s optical-antibody technology can extract only the cancer cells over entire biopsy samples, in seconds.

Genovation’s long-term goal is to be a premier provider of high-performance sustainable automobiles. The company is committed to advancing the state of the art in electrical vehicle (EV) technology with the knowledge that performance EVs will accelerate the delivery of sustainable products for future generations. Genovation’s GXE all-electric Corvette has broken several world records on multiple occasions. Through the development of the Genovation GXE Corvette, the company is raising the bar in energy storage, propulsion, composite and suspension technologies.

MeTompkin Seafood is a seafood processing company specializing in soft shell crabs, crab meat and oysters. The company is led by the Todd family, which has been working at catching and selling seafood from the Chesapeake Bay for eight generations.

ICmed empowers users to own, share and learn from their health information on a mobile and web-based social network of families and caregivers. Through a proprietary decision engine, ICmed translates static family medical history, current health risk information and individual health tracking information into a dynamic, personalized health guide.  Unique family sharing elements enable caregivers to selectively collaborate on the health of loved ones, thus heightening family and patient engagement, improving medical outcomes and lowering health costs.

PaverGuide has developed a product called PaverGuide™, an injection-molded, recycled plastic, modular system designed to replace stone as a road base and reservoir below permeable paving. The reservoir allows for infiltration, or beneficial harvesting of storm water.

PaverGuide™ is a structural base for paving systems and exceeds H-20 loading. PaverGuide™ is installed faster and cheaper than the stone it replaces, and at 90 percent void, it provides a large rainwater reservoir and expansive infiltration surface.