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Vote now: Wake Forest teams participate in the Neuro Startup Challenge

Vote now: Teams from Wake Forest University School of Business, School of Law, School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences are creating new startup companies as part of a national competition.
Wake Forest teams participate in the Neuro Startup Challenge
Wake Forest teams participate in the Neuro Startup Challenge

By Stephanie Skordas, School of Business

Teams from Wake Forest University School of Business, School of Law, School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences are creating new startup companies as part of a national competition. These startups are designed to bring inventions to market to could help with a variety of brain therapies.

They are participating in the Neuro Startup Challenge, a competition that seeks to bring National Institutes of Health (NIH) research projects to clinical trials or commercial development. The competition is a partnership between NIH, the Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) and the Heritage Provider Network.

“This competition is reflective of the real world of technology startups where participant winners have the opportunity to pursue a career changing venture,” says Stan Mandel, professor of practice at the School of Business.

From January 12-16, the public is invited to vote for the teams and ideas they like best. Each team has created a two-minute “elevator speech” and a 350-word pitch outlining why they are the team to take the invention to market.

Here are the Wake Forest teams:

Invention 1: A therapeutic to treat drug addiction and ADHD

Vote here: Wake Forest University 1 & 2.A/ EncepHeal Therapeutics

Invention 2: A therapeutic for Alzheimer’s

Vote here: Wake Forest University 2.A/ Temporada Pharmaceuticals

Vote here: Wake Forest University 1&2.a (#2)/EncepHeal Therapeutics

Invention 4: A drug which alleviates brain mismanagement of dopamine to help patients with schizophrenia, PTSD or autism

Vote here: Wake Forest University 4.A

Invention 16: A diagnostic test that can detect and quantify the virulent form of the John Cunningham virus

Vote here: Wake Forest University 16.J/TAQ Technologies

From this point, teams will be whittled down during the competition’s phases, with winners announced on April 17.

Earlier this year, a Wake Forest team was named a winner in the Breast Cancer Start up Challenge, a similar competition.