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.

Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) is a small, innovative economic and policy analysis research and software development firm located at the University of Maryland’s Discovery District. Optimal has conducted over 200 evaluations, nationally and in 28+ countries incorporating research rigor and innovative technology tools, such as business intelligence software, integrated data repositories, and machine-learning algorithms.

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.

Vasoptic Medical Inc. is a medical device company developing and commercializing high-quality, cost-effective products for the non invasive, dynamic assessment of retinal blood flow and vascular status. Vasoptic Medical has developed a low-cost, portable, noninvasive retinal imaging instrument (the XyCAM), which can complement fundus photographs with retinal blood flow information obtained at high spatio-temporal resolution without the introduction of any dyes. This handheld retinal imager has the potential to help detect a number of clinical conditions, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Early detection can often prevent vision loss. The XyCAM device is being designed to detect these conditions inn their earliest stages to help healthcare providers manage and prevent DR and glaucoma progression through a convenient, low-cost, minimally invasive procedure.

Manta Biofuel is a producer of renewable algal crude oil that is cost-competitive with traditional crude oil. The company employs technological advantages in a three-step process to produce crude oil from algae. The first is growing algae. Manta can convert algae from any source, leaving options open from farming to collecting natural blooms. For the second step, harvesting the algae, Manta uses a proprietary magnetic harvester that efficiently collects and concentrates algae. The company then converts the algae to crude oil through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL).