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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.