LaunchIt, through the , is an intensive eight-week hybrid course focused on . The program includes coaching, mentoring and curriculum including lessons on customer discovery, product validation and other considerations when preparing for market launch.

The eight innovator team leads in the spring 2023 session were:

• Leanne Bledsoe, a researcher at Western Kentucky University, who works with fluorescent dye tracing products and services for investigating potential contamination to groundwater.*
• Rachel DeWees, a doctoral student at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who’s developing lightweight, long-lasting lithium-ion batteries meant to improve the mileage capability electric vehicles.*
• Saba Gray, founder of BioGLITZ, who’s developed a biodegradable, hemp-based glitter, while exploring her product application for environmentally-conscious textile manufacturers, artisans and consumers.
• Candace Harrington, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing who’s developing “iCanDriveSafely”, an AI-driven mobile app helping those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias make smarter driving choices.*
• Caleb He, an undergraduate student who’s developing a tool to help doctors in developing countries with an easy and reliable way to provide quantitative measurement of tissue rigidity for earlier detection of breast cancer.*
• Laura Leon Machado, a researcher at UofL’s Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, who’s developing a pediatric postural control chair meant to improve spinal conditions.*
• Ryan G. Nazar, a neurosurgeon, developing a software application, Practical Healthcare, creating a community of health care consumers to empower a patient-first approach to health care engagement.
• Melissa Smith, an assistant professor in the UofL School of Medicine, who’s developing genomics and bioinformatics tools for predicting individual responsiveness to viral vaccines or infectious disease.*

Starred participants received LaunchIt tuition funding and support through UofL’s NSF I-Corps site program, which pairs innovative UofL faculty, staff and students (undergraduate and graduate) with entrepreneurial mentors to drive research-backed technologies to market.

Harrington, who had no business experience prior to LaunchIt, said the experience changed her perspective on the potential impact of her research.

“I started LaunchIt with a good idea and no business knowledge,” she said. “Over eight weeks, I developed the acumen to pitch a business and commercialization plan to over 100 people, with potential investors expressing interest in supporting our innovative start-up! What an amazing program!”

The LaunchIt program is offered by , a group within the UofL Office of Research and Innovation that works to launch and grow startups, and is supported in part by Amplify Louisville. LaunchIt coaches include the office’s Entrepreneurs in Residence, knowledgeable founders with an in-depth understanding of launching and growing a business. The program also taps into the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for its speaker lineup, bringing in real-world experience and insights of local innovators, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

“The participants in this cohort represent such a breadth of industries, each working to turn a good idea into a good product,” said Will Metcalf, an associate vice president of research and innovation who leads UofL New Ventures. “I’m proud of their progress this session and the connectivity this program creates between industry and our campus, helping to launch new companies, ideas and economic development.”

The next session of LaunchIt, beginning in fall 2023, is now enrolling. More information and registration is available at .

The Pandemic-Related Product Acceleration & Responsive Entrepreneurship Program, or , partners UofL researchers with companies and members of the community to scale up innovative ideas. The end goal is to grow existing companies or spin up new ones to bring those ideas to market.

PRePARE selected five projects in this round, each of which receives project management, entrepreneurial support and up to $50,000 in direct costs to fund product development at UofL. Those projects are:

• Geolocation-enabled app to support first-generation Asian immigrants and their second-generation caregivers: UofL researchers Dee Antimisaris (public health) and Lihui Bai (engineering) working with the ;

• OxyCART: An efficient and durable oxygen concentrator for COVID-19 and beyond: Researcher Gautum Gupta (engineering) working with medical equipment company, , and non-profit, ;

• Wicked Smart Pad: Washable bedding with sensors for the detection and mitigation of moisture events: Researcher Cindy Harnett (engineering) working with tech startup, ;

• Utilization of Melanated Healthcare app to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans and persons of color: Researchers Mollie Aleshire (nursing) and Monica Wendel (public health) working with , an app developer aimed at preventing racial bias in health care; and

• Pre-commercialization prototype refinement and in vivo testing of a novel over-the-scope enteral feeding tube and enteroscope to improve severe COVID-19 nutrition support: Researcher Stephen McClave (medicine) working with medical technology company, .

“I’m extremely pleased with the strong and diverse group of projects in this first round of PRePARE funding, each of which tackles one of the many changes and challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Paula Bates, professor of medicine and a lead on the grant. “By furthering these projects, we can make a real impact that not only hastens the end of this pandemic, but also increases resilience against future ones.”

Applications are now open for the second cycle of PRePARE project funding. UofL is soliciting ideas for filling unmet needs and solving problems from community partners in the seven-county Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency economic development district. The district, centered around Louisville, includes Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties.

Community partners can be individuals, companies or organizations. UofL students, staff and faculty also are encouraged to submit ideas. Ideas may be submitted through the .

PRePARE is part of UofL’s office, which works to launch and grow startups built on UofL intellectual property and helps to manage a suite of aimed at turning research into viable commercial products. UofL is one of only a handful of universities in the U.S. to receive each of these innovation-associated awards, and it’s the only one to receive all of them. 

“Programs like PRePARE that create connectivity between industry and our campus are absolutely critical to innovation and economic development,” said Will Metcalf, an associate vice president for research and innovation who heads UofL New Ventures and helps lead the PRePARE grant. “By connecting our researchers with entrepreneurs and the community, we can work together to develop companies and products that solve problems, like those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and make a positive impact on our world.”