2018 Columbia and Harvard Pitch Day Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST

8:30 – 9:00 Opening Remarks by Orin Herskowitz, Executive Director of CTV and Sr. VP of Intellectual Property &
Tech Transfer at Columbia University; Sam Liss, Executive Director for Strategic Partnerships at Harvard
University’s Office of Technology Development; and Stephen Davis, Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP.

TRACK I (Therapeutics, Diagnostics, Devices, HCIT, and Genomics)

9:00 – 9:10 EPIBONE presented by: Nina Tandon, CEO

Based on research from the lab of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Columbia Department of Biomedical
Engineering
EpiBone is a biotechnology company spun out of Columbia University that grows personalized, living,
and anatomically correct bone and cartilage grafts (in addition to compound bone/cartilage grafts) using
stem cells and 3D design. Due to traumatic injuries or congenital abnormalities, some skeletal defects
can exceed the body’s natural capacity to heal itself. Using proprietary technology, we grow
personalized grafts that integrate naturally with the surrounding tissues to restore biological and
mechanical function.
9:10 – 9:20 IMMPLACATE presented by: Anthony Curro, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Columbia Department of Biomedical
Engineering
Immplacate, Inc. is a pre-clinical stage cell therapy company that aims to provide a safe and effective
therapy that will reduce morbidity and mortality from immune disorders. By taking advantage of the
latest science in mesenchymal stem cell biology, we have designed an educated mesenchymal cell
(EMSC) therapy, which will have higher potency than competing MSC therapies while maintaining an
excellent safety profile. We have recruited a well-balanced senior management team and BOD to lead
our company. We are pursuing seed funding and moving to JLABS, NYC location In October, 2018 to
further our project in an environment set up to provide leverage for resources and industry contacts. To
that end, we have signed a key strategic partner that is a recognized, global cell therapy industry leader
in Daewoong Pharmaceutical Inc. Daewoong has taken an equity stake in Immplacate contributing
$1mm USD and other resources and will retain a board seat at the firm. In addition, we have recruited a
top-notch list of scientific and clinical advisors familiar with this market.
Upon completion of our clinical trials and following FDA approval, we will market our offering to
physicians and hospitals via distribution on a global scale. We will also look to license our technology to
various markets and strategic partners. Our initial target market will be GvHD related to BMT. This is a
robust market both in the USA and abroad and will serve as a base upon which we will build other
indications for EMSC therapy.
9:20 – 9:30 AISION presented by: Christine Ann Denny, Co-founder
Based on the research from the lab or Dr. Christine Ann Denny, Columbia University, Department of
Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute, Division of Systems Neuroscience
Affective disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
are currently treated from a symptom-suppression approach. Existing drugs aim to mitigate the impact
of these chronic diseases, but do not cure or prevent the disease itself. We are developing the first drugs
that would prevent the development of stress-induced psychiatric disorders, obviating the need for
treatment. We have identified and validated 3 different small molecule compounds (hits) that enhance
stress resilience and induce long-lasting protection against stress-induced depressive behavior in mice.
Our target product is an orally available, single dose short-acting small molecule that provides at least
one month of stress resilience enhancement and decreases the incidence of PTSD by at least 20%. As
there are currently no effective preventative psychiatric interventions available, resilience-enhancing
pharmaceuticals would establish a new market, as well as easily overtake the existing resilience-training
behavioral products currently. This technology represents a paradigm shift in psychiatry; using
pharmacotherapy to prevent mental illness—rather than just treat it—is a completely novel approach.
9:30 – 9:45 Q&A NETWORKING BREAK
9:45 – 9:55 DECKTHERAPEUTICS presented by: Suman Lal, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Richard Deckelbaum, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Stroke is the major cause of long-term disability and the 4th leading cause of death (over 140,000/year)
in United States, incurring high medical costs ($102B/year). Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), another leading
cause for brain damage, has no FDA approved drugs for treatment despite its high economic costs
($76B/year). DeckTherapeutics has developed a novel patent protected omega-3 diglyceride emulsion
(THDG3) as a gold standard emergency treatment for both stroke and TBI.
Studies in 6 rodent models show that acute injection of THDG3 and omega-3 emulsions following
ischemic stroke leads to marked reduction in brain tissue death (>90%), with preservation of short and
long term neurofunctional outcomes. Competitive advantages include omega-3’s multiple pleiotropic
mechanisms of action, excellent safety profile and potentially longer treatment windows (up to 6hrs)
compared to t-PA (current standard of treatment but received by <8% of stroke patients). Additional
potential secondary indications of THDG3 include hemorrhagic stroke, acute renal failure, spinal cord
injury and organ preservation for human transplantation. DeckTherapeutics is now conducting
additional pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies of THDG3, with phase 2a trials planned in 2021.
9:55 – 10:05 TENZA Presented by: Anik Debnath, Founder
Based on research from the lab of George Church at Harvard Medical School
Tenza is developing a novel symbiotic drug-delivery platform employing engineered lactic acid bacteria.
Living bacteria from the human microbiome are reprogramed to produce and deliver therapeutic
proteins using a proprietary, machine learning–powered genetic bioengineering platform. Such
engineered microbes offer a more targeted alternative to conventional drug delivery methods by
restricting exposure to the target tissues naturally inhabited by the symbiotic microbe, thereby
increasing therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic side effects. We are currently pursuing animal
evaluation of two engineered organisms adapted to the gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract
that deliver anti-inflammatory and anti-viral therapeutics for IBD therapy and HIV prevention,
respectively.
10:05 – 10:15 BIOBINA Presented by: Jonathan Taub, Founder and COO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Robert Taub, Columbia University
Biobina LLC is focused on the 22,000 USA (77,000 worldwide) yearly cases of epithelial ovarian cancer
involving the peritoneal cavity. Current surgical or chemotherapy treatments are neither curative nor
fully satisfactory, the yearly market for treatment, currently $9.1B, will reach $16B by 2023. We have
developed and patented AviRadTM, a novel soluble carrier for delivering short range (3-5mm) Yttrium-
90 intracavitary ovarian cancer treatment. AviRad-Y consists of purified egg-white protein avidin, tightly
bound to a biotinylated DOTA chelator which binds Yttrium-90. In clinical use, Avirad-Y is introduced into
the postoperative cancerous abdominal cavity via an implantable catheter. Because AviRad-Y has both a
substantial positive charge and a high molecular weight of 66,000, it will not readily diffuse out of this
cavity, but will radiate all inner bowel and omental surfaces and drifting intracavitary cancer cells, while
sparing uninvolved tissues. We have identified a manufacturing partner to provide GMP AviRad-Y in kit
form to end-user radiotherapists and nuclear medicine physicians. We are requesting feedback from
FDA regarding the possible device status of our construct. We are currently seeking prospective funding
and partners for completion of preclinical characterization and through Phase I studies.
10:15 – 10:30 Q&A NETWORKING BREAK
10:30 – 10:40 MINDSCAN Presented by: Eric Sandquist, CEO and Co-Founder
Based on research from Dr. Bradley Peterson and Dr. Ravi Bansal, formally of Columbia Department of
Psychiatry
MindScan, Inc.TM will enable physicians and clinical researchers to more accurately diagnose
neuropsychiatric disorders. MindScan applies its proprietary machine learning algorithms to standard
MRI brain scans to reveal structural abnormalities indicative of neuropsychiatric disorders. Disorders
include ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Depression. In a published study, sensitivity was
94% to 100% and specificity was 89% to 100% versus a consensus panel of experts using research-grade
assessments. The output is a classification report which physicians will use to improve their diagnostic
accuracy, which can be as low as 50%. U.S. market research results indicate strong demand among
psychiatrists, pediatricians, and family medicine physicians. More than half would order the report for
newly presenting patients. More than three-quarters would order the report for patients with an
unclear diagnosis. We expect to complete de novo regulatory requirements and launch in 2021 for the
first two medical devices, be cash flow positive in 2022, and achieve reimbursement in 2025. MindScan
will also pursue Dx/Tools partnerships with drug companies to improve clinical trial recruitment using
classification reports and its opt-in database. MindScan has an exclusive license from Columbia
University and recently received a notice of allowance from the U.S. patent office.
10:40 – 10:50 ALLY THERAPEUTICS Presented by: Tina Liu, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Wyss Institute for Biologically
Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
Based on research from the lab of Dr. George Church at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired
Engineering
A team in the Church lab is developing proprietary genome-based technologies to improve the
effectiveness of nucleic acid–based therapies. Our lead technology improves the therapeutic window for
gene therapy by reducing innate immune responses against the DNA. Studies in vitro and in vivo (in
mice, pigs, and soon non-human primates) have demonstrated that by reducing this early innate
immune response, this technology can profoundly reduce downstream toxicity and increase gene
expression by up to 10x. We are preparing to develop uniquely enabled gene therapy products using this
technology as well as partner with other industry leaders.
10:50 – 11:00 YOUGENE Presented by: Roger Hahn, CEO
In collaboration with the research from the labs of Dr. Krzysztof Kiryluk and Dr. Ali Gharavi of the
Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
YouGene’s goal is to compile a shared database of the genetic basis of human disease curated by the
crowd, and available for all to use. Understanding the clinical significance of genetic variants and making
that information available in medical-grade form is critical to enabling widespread adoption. Currently,
clinical understanding is fragmented and siloed among different groups. Public efforts, such as ClinVar,
are limited to low-grade data with few clinical assertions and no evidence, whereas high-value data is
held as trade secrets by corporations. Industry efforts to collaborate have fallen flat due to lack of
incentives for meaningful economic coordination between member-competitors. Data-hoarding also
hampers scientific consensus and hinders the collective power of peer-review. The results are a
fractured understanding of disease, sub-optimal clinical outcomes, and a higher societal cost of
healthcare. YouGene solves these problems by tokenizing DNA assets so that data submitters and
curators are incentivized to work together to improve genotype-phenotype correlations for diagnosis
and treatment of patients. Using smart contract technologies, YouGene provides an efficient, low-cost
mechanism for data consumers and data creators to exchange data on a democratized ecosystem that
encourages coordination and eliminates information asymmetry. Correlations reached by consensus can
then improve the utility of new molecular diagnostic tools such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). A
concrete example of how we are translating genetic research into the clinic is our scientific collaboration
in personalized nephrology with the Gharavi Lab and the Kiryluk Lab at Columbia University. Our go-to-
market strategy is to bring a portfolio of non-invasive gene-based tests for kidney disease available on
YouGene-Connect®. Currently, we are communicating with the FDA for recognition of YouGene-
Connect®, as a “Human Genetic Variant Database to Support Clinical Validity for Genetic and Genomic-
Based In Vitro Diagnostics
11:00 – 11:10 IMMUNOGROW Presented by: Rory Dunne, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Lance Kam, Columbia Department of Engineering
Today, CAR T manufacturers must rely on cell processing systems that require significant skilled operator
input, achieve inadequate cell growth, pose harm to patients due to sample contamination, and are
'open' which in turn necessitates the maintenance of costly Class A/B cleanroom environments.
Key Product Benefits include:
• Simplified manufacturing process that reduces cell loss, maximises yield and lessens reliance on
skilled operators
• Reduced risk of inadequate cell count by increasing yields by 8x
• Closed environment reduces cleanroom requirements - creating significant cost savings for
manufacturers
• Eliminating microbeads from the final cell product improves patient safety
11:10 – 11:25 Q&A NETWORKING BREAK
11:25 – 11:35 RESPIROGEN Presented by: Robert Scribner, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Mark Borden, Chemical Engineering at Columbia University
Respirogen™ Oxygen Microbubble (OMB) technology provides novel liposomal oxygen delivery to the
body independent of the lungs. Respirogen OMB technology will provide systemic oxygen in lung
compromised patients in the Intensive Care Unit, in emergency resuscitation and transport, in premature
infants with lung disorders, and other clinical situations where lung injury causes hypoxia. The company
has completed IP license agreements with Columbia University and The University of Colorado for issued
and pending patents for the technology. Animal study results in a pneumothorax model have
demonstrated technology feasibility. Proceeds of the company Series A financing will be used for pre-
clinical product development, clinical trial definition, and enrollment of a Phase I trial in peritoneal oxygen
delivery. The target indication of the Phase I study is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). ARDS
afflicts over 200,000 patients annually in the USA, with limited treatment options resulting in a 40%
mortality rate. Study outcome measures will be established to document health status and reduced cost
of care vs. the current ARDS standard of ventilator therapy. Respirogen is working to complete the Series
A financing in the amount of $3M USD, offering terms are available on request.

11:35 – 11:45 CuRAGE presented by: Ihor Terleckyj, CEO & Founder
Based on research from the lab of Drs. Lynne Johnson and Yared Tekabe, Columbia University
Department of Medicine
Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) experience a low quality of life. The hallmark clinical
feature is reduced blood flow to the legs and arms due to narrowing of the arteries. With time, the
ability to walk is impaired, patients can develop skin ulcers, and gangrene that may require limb
amputation. Currently, there is no therapy that restores blood flow, alleviates symptoms and impacts
disease progression. In the US, close to 8 million patients suffer with PAD. Of these, 40-50% are diabetic.
CuRAGE is developing CR-3, and anti-RAGE monoclonal antibody, for use in PAD. Activation of RAGE
(receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) by specific immunomodulators, such as AGEs, triggers a
deleterious inflammatory response and reduces the ability to generate new vessels. Diabetics are more
prone to the effects of RAGE activity owing to the high levels of AGEs produced in this disease. In 2
different experimental models of diabetic PAD, CR-3 has demonstrated the ability to restore blood flow
to major muscle groups and to stimulate regeneration of blood vessels. The current US market size is
estimated at $8B, and projected to reach $10B by 2024. Through multiple rounds, CuRAGE is seeking a
total of $27M for human proof-of-concept. Additional disease states associated with high RAGE activity
include ovarian cancer, which may provide a second indication for CR-3.
11:45– 11:55 TEMPRES TECHNOLOGIES Presented by: Chathuranga (Chat) De Silva, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Jefferey Koberstein, Chemical Engineering at Columbia University
Pancreatic cancer (PDAC), is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers found in humans. It is the
fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the US (45,000 annually) and only 1-6% of patients contracting
the disease survive past five years. Chemotherapy remains the primary option in treating metastatic
PDAC ($1.7 billion market size) but its effectiveness is only palliative and has minimal impact on survival.
The poor efficacy is attributed to inefficient delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to the pancreas and
their rapid clearance. In other words, it is difficult to get drugs to reach the pancreas. Once there, they
clear rapidly, and are not taken up well by the tumor due to poor hypovasculature. Our team has
developed a drug-carrier, Gemzin (Gemcitabine conjugate) that is intended for use with a promising new
method of drug delivery, direct injection of tumors by endoscopic ultrasound fine needle injection (EUS-
 FNI). In EUS-FNI, therapeutics are injected directly into PDAC tumors by a fine needle guided through the
stomach and into the tumor by ultrasound imaging. Gemzin carriers are expected to meet two
important criteria: they physically retain gemcitabine in the pancreas after injection and provide
controlled release over an extended period of time. These features would result in the reduction of side-
effects typically associated with chemotherapy and improved clinical outcomes. In the next 12-months,
we plan complete work to demonstrate these primary end-points in mouse models and file for an
Investigation New Drug (IND) application for this treatment.
11:55 – 12:05 POMEREX THERAPEUTICS Presented by: Brent Stockwell
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Brent Stockwell, Columbia Departments of Biological Sciences and
Chemistry
Many disease-causing proteins are difficult to inhibit directly with biologics and small molecules.
However, new advances allow for the control of the abundance of proteins using small molecules,
providing a path to medicines that selectively control protein stability. Pomerex Therapeutics is building
a platform for the systematic discovery of small molecules that control the stability of disease-modifying
proteins. We have developed novel compounds that can cause the destruction of otherwise
undruggable but crucial protein targets, including those driving the genesis and survival of aggressive
cancers. We are seeking funds to expand our platform and develop our lead oncology programs.
12:05 – 1:30 NETWORKING & LUNCH
 2018 Columbia and Harvard Pitch Day Agenda
8:00 – 8:30 REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
8:30 – 9:00 Opening Remarks by Orin Herskowitz, Executive Director of CTV and Sr. VP of Intellectual Property &
Tech Transfer at Columbia University; Sam Liss, Executive Director for Strategic Partnerships at Harvard
University’s Office of Technology Development; and Stephen Davis, Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP.

TRACK II (software, IT hardware, semiconductors, energy, and materials)

9:00 – 9:10 MIXCOMM Presented by: Harish Krishnaswamy, CEO

Based on research from the lab of Dr. Harish Krishnaswamy, Columbia Department of Electrical
Engineering
MixComm is an RF and systems company targeting the millimeter-wave wireless market, for 28/39GHz
5G, 60GHz WiGig and emerging satellite communication applications. RF spectrum is extremely
congested, and the 10s of GHz of bandwidth that is available at millimeter-wave frequencies is widely
considered to be the future for high-data-rate wireless. However, current millimeter-wave
implementations are severely challenged by the high propagation losses and the poor performance of
integrated CMOS millimeter-wave radio circuitry, particularly power amplifiers. MixComm's
breakthroughs have enabled a 10x improvement in power amplifier output power and a 2-5x
improvement in power amplifier efficiency. In addition, we have developed innovative new technology
enabling channel bonding for wireless data rates exceeding 20Gbps, enabling new applications such as
tetherless VR/AR that are otherwise not feasible. We have also developed non-magnetic circulator
technology that enables the implementation of full-duplex repeaters at millimeter-wave for range
extension and robust links. MixComm is leveraging this extensive IP portfolio to bring transformative
wireless solutions to the market and is currently working with top customers in the different market
segments on funded trials and funded prototype/product development. The founding team has a
proven track record in millimeter-wave IC research and development, and in commercializing cutting-
edge RF silicon at both start-ups and large semiconductor companies.
9:10 – 9:20 EMOTO Presented by: Presented by: Andrew Susman, CEO and Dr. Renee Bunnell, Chief Strategy Officer
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Garud Iyengar in Columbia Industrial Engineering and Operations
Research; and Olivier Toubia, Columbia Business School
Emoto is an emotion AI company which uses patent-pending technologies created in collaboration with
Columbia University, to help advertisers such as American Express, Nestle, and Zurich Insurance
maximize the impact of their marketing. Advertisers are competing with 5000 marketing messages a
day per person. The result is a disaffected consumer and failing brands - and the problem is only getting
worse. 40% of companies will be gone in five years. At Emoto, we are applying humanistic psychology
and artificial intelligence to accelerate the market’s transition to building sustainable, meaningful
relationships with consumers. Today, making an emotional connection with customers, is not a "nice to
have," it's a survival issue. Emoto has the most validated technology in the world to address this
problem - and the enormous opportunities it creates.
9:20 – 9:30 XLENERGY Presented by: Thomas Sisto, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Colin Nuckolls, Columbia Department of Chemistry
We have invented a battery utilizing inexpensive organic compounds in salt water for grid scale energy
storage. This battery is non-flammable, scalable, simple to manufacture, less expensive than lithium-ion,
and has a 20-year lifetime. Currently in the USA, there are only 25 gigawatts of grid level storage as
compared to 12,000 gigawatts of daily energy use (0.002%), which represents a completely untapped
market. With 60% of all new power predicted to be intermittent sources such as solar and wind, there
will be a demand for grid-scale batteries that is estimated to reach $500 billion. Our unique approach
utilizes highly stable molecules derived from paint and iron as the charge storage compounds, which are
dissolved in salt water and flowed through an electrochemical cell. Importantly, this flow battery
architecture is industrially simple to scale and manufacture for grid-size batteries as we anticipate this
technology is poised to fulfill demand for large, stationary storage.
9:30 – 9:40 WORKBENCH Presented by: Pierre Forcioli-Conti, Co-founder and CEO
Developed by Jonathan Stray (Co-founder), Research scholar at Columbia Journalism School
Workbench is a collaborative workspace for non-technical people to analyze data without coding. Only a
handful of specialized workers in each company hold the majority of knowledge about its data
resources: where to find relevant, up-to-date data and how to accurately transform it into useful
information. Those ‘data teams’ are overwhelmed, unable to respond to the fast-growing number of
requests coming from marketing, sales and product teams outside their department. Workbench solves
this problem by empowering domain knowledge people with the skills and tools they need to efficiently
work with data -- without having to learn how to code. It's a web application that integrates hands-on
training with a suite of intuitive tools to connect, clean, analyze, monitor and visualize data.
Analysis, data, documentation and creators are linked together, making it easy to know who produced
which asset, and understand contexts and goals. Every step in the analysis is recorded, accessible and
reversible in one click by creators and consumers alike. Transparency and reproducibility are built in,
providing the building blocks for the distribution of data knowledge and skills throughout the
organization. Workbench is currently in public beta.
9:40 – 9:55 Q&A NETWORKING BREAK
9:55 – 10:05 RADIATOR LABS Presented by: Marshall Cox, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Ioannis John Kymissis, Columbia Department of Electrical
Engineering
Radiator Labs, winner of the 2012 MIT Clean energy prize, the 2014 Popular Science Innovation Award,
and the 2014 Verizon Powerful Answers award, has developed a product that eliminates the waste
implicit in steam heated buildings. The system, called the Cozy, is a wireless, low-cost, and easily
installed retrofit that drops on top of radiators to control indoor temperatures in buildings with radiator
heat. In individual installations the system can eliminate overheating and vastly improve comfort. By
retrofitting whole buildings, the Cozy redistributes steam flow to heat up colder rooms faster, saving up
to 40% in heating costs and yielding a potential cumulative annual savings of $7 billion over the 120
million residential and commercial radiators in the United States.
10:05 – 10:15 HYPERLIGHT CORPORATION Presented by: Mian Zhang, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Marko Lončar at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences
Photonics systems are indispensable for a wide range of applications, including optical
telecommunication, wireless networks, sensors and emerging quantum optical systems. Historically,
photonic systems have been based on silicon, given this material’s maturity, ease of integration and low
fabrication cost. Silicon, however, is not an optimal optical material. As a result, silicon photonics today
are ill suited to meet the growing demand for ultrahigh performance in the big data age. HyperLight is a
startup emerging from the lab of Harvard Professor Marko Lončar that is commercializing the Lončar
Lab’s pioneering research in the nanofabrication and integration of lithium niobate (LiNbO3). This
electro-optic material has demonstrated properties that make it ideally suited as a platform for
ultrahigh-performance photonic systems. Results on prototype devices were presented at high-profile
industry conferences and published in high-profile journals. As a result, the team has attracted
significant attention from both industry and academia and already has purchase orders from customers.
The company is rapidly commercializing LiNbO3-based photonic products that can address large, near-
and long-term needs in telecommunication, high-performance computing, optical machine learning
circuits, machine vision, radar systems, quantum computers and sensing and navigation.
10:15 – 10:25 VOXEL 8 Presented by: Travis Busbee, CEO and Co-Founder
Based on research from the lab of Jennifer A. Lewis at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences
Voxel8 is a digital manufacturing company operating at the intersection of Materials Science, Hardware,
and Software. We have developed a strong, protected, core technology platform with countless
applications. In the short term, we remain laser focused on the first killer application: Digital
Manufacturing of Athletic Footwear Uppers. The footwear industry is a $350B market. Over 2.5B pairs of
athletic shoes are made each year. However, the footwear industry supply chain is one of the most
antiquated and slow of any industry. In recent years, the industry has been aggressively moving to
establish an automated digital supply chain to address the issues with current processes and bring new
products to market much more quickly. Voxel8 has developed the only end to end digital solution for
the automated fabrication of the top half of athletic shoes. Voxel8’s core ActiveMix® and ActiveImage®
technologies enable 3D printing with industrial grade elastomers with on-the-fly zonal tuning of the
material stiffness and embedded high-resolution full color images. These technologies will enable
footwear brands to manufacture athletic footwear uppers, with full customization of both mechanics
and aesthetics, while eliminating the need for tooling, labor, and adhesives.
10:25 – 10:35 ROBUST MACHINE LEARNING Presented by: Yaron Singer, Associate Professor of Computer Science
Based on his research at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Despite the enormous success of machine learning, the current algorithms we have are extremely
sensitive to noise. In some cases, this is due to natural noise (classifier in self-driving may fail due to
unexpected road conditions) and in some cases there may be an adversary that distorts the data to
manipulate the classification (e.g. forge a bank note or check). We’re developing new machine learning
frameworks based on non-convex robust optimization that significantly beat the state-of-the-art both
for defense and for attacks. We published some work about this at top ML venues (NIPS, ICML) and are
building platforms and APIs that allow users to use machine learning technologies in a provably safe
manner.
10:35 – 10:50 Q&A NETWORKING BREAK
10:50 – 11:00 SOLCHROMA Presented by: Roger Diebold, President/CEO
Based on research from the lab of David Clarke at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences
The world is urbanizing: two-thirds of humanity is anticipated to live in urban areas by 2050. As the
boundary between residential and commercial becomes blurred, light pollution from LED-based digital
signs reduces the quality of life for those living or working nearby, causing cities to ban or strictly
regulate LED digital signs. However, future Smart Cities need digital signs: brands and businesses need
to connect with consumers and cities need to connect with residents. As an alternative to large-area LED
signs, Solchroma is building a full color, reflective digital display enabling digital capability with a printed
aesthetic. With origins in a DARPA-funded effort at Harvard, Solchroma’s cuttlefish-inspired digital
display is far more vivid than reflective technologies coming before it. Technology that works with the
sun rather than against it uses at little as 1% of the energy of an LED sign, while facilitating digital in
high-value urban locations. Nearly half a million billboard locations exist in the US, with up to 10% of
zoning codes prohibiting LEDs while potentially permitting Solchroma’s reflective technology – a $6B
exclusive US market, with 10x available worldwide. Join us and build our future Smart Cities in a
sustainable, beautiful way.
11:00 – 11:10 ROOT ROBOTICS Presented by: Zivthan Dubrovsky, CEO & Co-Founder
Based on research from the lab of Radhika Nagpal at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired
Engineering
Root Robotics is a Learning as a Service robotics company on a mission to help you explore all the truly
amazing things you can do with your imagination. Our robot, Root, is a fun and easy-to-use creativity
tool that teaches coding and problem-solving skills to kids as young as four, all the way to adults.
Subscribers of Root’s app get new content every month to transform coding lessons into real-world
experiences. Coders of any age or skill level can use Root as their creative tool in defying gravity and
climbing walls, or moving about on smooth surfaces to draw artwork, play music, respond to touch and
color, and more. Root’s app features three levels of coding interfaces designed to grow with the user as
their skills and knowledge improve, beginning with simple sequences and patterns and working up to
advanced programming languages like Python, JavaScript and Swift.
11:10 – 11:20 STREETSMARTS VR Presented by: Oliver Noteware, Co-Founder & CEO
Columbia Business School
Street Smarts VR is a veteran-owned virtual reality (VR) training platform that provides distributed,
immersive training to law enforcement departments. Our mission is to enhance officer-citizen
interactions in moments of high stress or crisis scenarios. We believe that by leveraging the power of
virtual reality, Street Smarts VR can create ultra realistic scenarios designed to simulate real life
interactions that law enforcement encounter every day. By using this platform, we give officers
enhanced training to make split-second decisions. In addition to the training platform, we also provide
analytics and data services that enable police management to understand and optimize their workforce.
Our vision is a world where top-tier VR training is available to every police officer, resulting in safer
police and safer communities.
11:20 – 11:30 CRIMSON DB Presented by: Stratos Idreos, CEO & Founder
Based on his research at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Key-value stores are used to store and access data in large distributed databases with applications
across social media, cyber security, transaction processing, and machine learning algorithms, forming
the critical data storage component in data-driven applications. What if we knew all key-value stores we
 could ever invent? And what if we could compute their performance characteristics? Self-designing key-
value stores know the possible design space and learn the optimal design, making it possible to adapt to
workload and hardware characteristics. The net effect for data driven applications is that 1) no human
administration is needed, bringing down the cost of ownership, and 2) the system can automatically
take the optimal shape for the problem at hand, maximizing performance by several orders of
magnitude or alternatively minimizing the hardware resources needed (i.e., minimizing the cloud bill)
while maintaining the required performance level.
We intend to spin out a new company that allows existing applications to enjoy these benefits through a
hidden tuning layer that automatically explores the design space and tunes existing NoSQL key-value
store instances for optimal performance and costs. We continue to explore and discuss preferred
business models.
11:30 – 11:45 Q&A NETWORKING BREAK
11:45 – 11:55 BOREAS TECHNOLOGIES Presented by: Simon Chaput, Founder
Based on research from the lab of Gu-Yeon Wei at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences
Imagine you are shopping on a tablet for a new sweater and that you can feel the texture of the fabric
by touching your screen. Imagine you are playing a VR game and that you can feel the virtual world
surrounding you. Haptic feedback (touch) enables users to feel digital objects on the screen of a device,
opening new opportunities for enhanced user interfaces. Haptic applications are countless. However,
haptic power consumption needs to be reduced to realize its full potential. Boréas Technologies offers
low-power electronics that enable 10X power savings compared to the competition. Its products are
perfect for consumer electronics (e.g. phones, watches, gaming) where space and power are limited.
Now 18 months after its first financing, Boréas has already developed its first product offering, based on
the core technology from Harvard, and has delivered it to multiple customers. The company is currently
discussing with numerous Tier-1 OEM for the integration of its technology in future products.
11:55– 12:05 KERN SYSTEMS Presented by: Henry Lee, Founder
Based on research from the lab of George Church at Harvard Medical School
DNA has garnered considerable interest as a medium for digital information storage due to its superior
density and durability over existing silicon-based storage media (solid-state drive, hard drive, and
magnetic tape). For example, DNA is 1000-fold denser than solid-state hard drives, capable of storing
455 exabytes (1 exabyte = 1 billion gigabytes) in 1 gram. Furthermore, DNA is at least 300-fold more
durable than the most stable magnetic tapes, capable of remaining intact over millions of years. These
features, along with DNA’s lack of foreseeable technology obsolescence, makes it a compelling medium
for storing the vast and exponentially growing volume of digital data being generated. Despite these
promising advantages, however, DNA has not been adopted for widespread use due to the prohibitive
cost of synthesizing this polymer. As of 2017, the cost to chemically synthesize sufficient DNA to store 1
megabyte of information is $3,500. We have developed new approaches for synthesizing DNA using
enzymes, which are simpler and faster. Importantly, these new enzymatic approaches are projected to
reduce the cost of DNA synthesis up to 8 orders of magnitude. At that scale, the cost of DNA will be
competitive to the price of magnetic tape, enabling broad market adoption.
12:05 – 12:15 GRAPHAUDIO Presented by: Fred Wells, CEO and Co-Founder
Based on research from the lab of Dr. Julian Chengjun Chen, Columbia Department of Applied Physics
and Applied Math
Vision: Create an acoustic platform of micro transducers and contextually-aware voice operation
software.
Mission: Humanize consumer electronics with great sound. GraphAudio is an acoustics start-up
featuring a graphene transducer developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and a contextually-
aware voice recognition system from Columbia University. The technology forms the basis of an
acoustic platform that improves the performance and capabilities of consumer and enterprise
electronics.
Opportunity: The rapid convergence of smart phones and the Internet has turned mobile devices into
the primary point of information flow and communication. GraphAudio’s graphene transducers
(microphones and micro-speakers) will replace current microphone and speaker components, providing
consumer electronics with superior acoustic performance. The GraphAudio voice recognition software
will couple with the microphone in consumer electronics, adding value to affective computing and
health monitoring in the era of Big Data and AI.
Seeking/Use/Goals: $2M in Convertible Note financing in preparation for Series A financing.
12:15 – 12:25 KEBOTIX Presented by: Jill Becker, CEO
Based on research from the lab of Alán Aspuru-Guzik, formerly of Harvard’s Department of Chemistry &
Chemical Biology
We are building the Materials Company of the 21st century. Think about it: Why should materials
discovery be so slow while the pace of our life keeps increasing? Can we get the materials for tomorrow
already today? Kebotix, born out of Harvard, is the “fabless” materials company that combines cutting-
edge AI and robotic synthesis to rapidly innovate new materials to build a better world.
12:25 – 1:30 NETWORKING AND LUNCH