We are pleased to announce the 12 grantees of the Spring 2018 Prototyping Fund!  These teams were selected from over 40 applications from 15 NYU schools and colleges. In its tenth iteration, the Fund received a record-setting number of cross-school applications: 16 teams were collaborations between students from two or more NYU schools. 

The objectives of the Prototyping Fund, managed by the Entrepreneurial Institute and Greenhouse at the Tandon MakerSpace are to:

• Provide student teams with the support and resources necessary to build prototypes
• Help articulate and/or move to the next stage of product development
• Encourage multidisciplinary collaboration between students at NYU

On 2/15, Phase 1 awardees met at the Tandon MakerSpace to learn about the basics of prototyping.

Phase I of the NYU Prototyping Fund awards teams up to $500 to build and test hardware and software prototypes. This semester, 12 teams were selected representing 8 NYU schools and totaling over $4,500! Proposed ideas include wearable technology, medical devices, and sustainable energy innovations.

We are also excited to share the recipients of Phase II funding. This extension phase provides additional funding (up to $2000) to past Phase 1 awardees to support the further fabrication and testing of their prototypes.This semester, we'll be awarding a total of $5,000 in Phase II funding! Participants from Spring ‘17 and Fall ‘17 were eligible to apply, and 3 teams were selected based on the technical feasibility, detailed plan of next steps, expert involvement, and long-term feasibility of the concept. Recipients of the Phase II grants will continue to build their product while receiving training and support through Entrepreneurial Institute's programming and mentorship from startup coaches.  

Meet the Teams!

Phase 1:

BedTrain: Portable, in-bed resistance training product that improves the value of hospital care by targeting frail elderly patients at risk for deconditioning. Andrew Adelsheimer, School of Medicine MD/MBA ‘19; Will Small, School of Medicine MD/MBA ‘19; Monica Mendoza, Tandon MS ‘19

G-Ware: Wearable device for geriatrics that performs high-level biometric scanning using sensors for heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen rates, temperature, and respiration rate.  Rhea Patel, CAS BS ‘18; Paramjot Kaur, CAS BS ‘18; Sachin Shastri, Courant MS ‘19

Merciless Motors: Efficient, powerful and lightweight motor. Anna Kotyza, Gallatin BA ‘19 and Nader Ahmed, Tandon BS ‘19

OurTown: Competitive strategy board game, rooted in social work education, that helps form positive interdependence among players. Mi Sophia Lyu, Steinhardt MA ‘18; Henry Samelson, School of Social Work (Staff); Aniol Saurina Maso, Steinhardt MS ‘18; Frankie Tam, Steinhardt Ph.D. ‘20

Project 52: Device that improves the comfort of wearing a Virtual Reality device by offering flexibility to interact with the world without removing your VR device. Shreyas Puttaraju, Tandon MS ‘18; Sarvesh Sivaprakasan, Tandon MS ‘18

ResiLift: Fitness tracker to aid appropriate resistance for a particular exercise. Nehal Shah, SPS BS ‘28; Jamie Kirby, Tandon BS ‘20;

Safer Together: A mobile app that connects women/femmes to travel public transit together, thereby lessening the vulnerability experienced when traveling alone. Aida Mehovic, Tandon BS ‘19; Brittany Kendrick, Tandon MS ‘18; Emily Muggleton, Tandon BS ‘19; Camila Morocho, Tandon BS ‘19

Sensahead: Blood-based biosensor that acts as a diagnostic tool to detect mild traumatic brain injuries. Olivia Patton, Tandon BS ‘18; Shayam Parasram, Tandon BS’18; Aramis Sostre, Pace

Silicone Prosthetics: 3D-scanned and printed silicone breast prosthetic to help women who have undergone mastectomy surgery and cannot undergo further plastic surgery. Elad Mashiach, CAS BS ‘18; Sapir Mashiach; Rebecca Zeidman

Soxygen: Geriatric wearable that motivates users to track their health by measuring blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, sleeping patterns, and steps. Mittal Rana, CAS BA ‘18; Danielle Vargas, Gallatin BA ‘18; Matias Pollevick, Stern BS ‘16

Sympal: Developing a new class of clear orthodontic aligners that are not only invisible but also allergen-free and infused with antimicrobial and cavity-preventing properties. Cheryl Shao, College of Dentistry DDS ‘18;  Cindy Wong, Tandon BS ‘17; John Capozzolo, Tandon MS ‘19

VIP Smart Cities-Power System: Smart solar charging stations for electric vehicles. Maggie Shao, Tandon BS ‘19; Mohamed Elgohary, Tandon BS ‘19; Henrique Rizzo Tandon BS ‘18; Amy Yin, Tandon BS ‘18; Joshua Ojo, Tandon BS ‘20

Phase 2:

Food Period: Organic food products that allow women to support their menstrual cycles naturally. Britt Martin, CAS ‘18 and Jenn Kim

Sorty McSortFace: Smart recycling bin that uses machine learning to determine the materials of the deposited object. Rishub Nahar, Stern ‘21; Earl Co, Tandon ‘16; Kevin Van Nguyen, Wagner ‘17; Mohammed Yassen, Stern ‘19

Rindopu: A smartpen that transfers drawings from paper to online. Ruby Pittman, Tandon ‘20; Lindsey Kim, Tandon ‘19; Marlaina Riegelsberger, Tisch ‘19

Learn more about the awardees and join us for the final showcase on Tuesday, May 1 at 12:00pm. Come by the Leslie eLab to see these fantastic prototypes!