Successful Startups
Avant Assessment, LLC (2002) designs, develops, and provides standards-based language proficiency assessments to measure students’ real-world proficiency in more than forty languages. Avant was formed by Dr. Carl Falsgraf, director of UO's Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS), in 2002 with entrepreneurs Dave and Sheila Bong. CASLS developed many of the assessment items and validated the test engine algorithms. Avant has gone on to offer professional development for language educators and advocate for legislative funding for the profession in addition to delivering language testing.
Defunkify (2007) (formerly Dune Sciences) launched by offering platform technologies for research at the nanoscale, including a novel tool for aiding analysis of structural, chemical, and functional characteristics using electron microscopy. Defunkify's work is based on green nanoscience technology developed in UO Professor Jim Hutchison’s lab. The company pivoted after using their palette of low-environmental impact cleansing compounds to formulate detergents for modern clothing and gear for the active outdoor and sports enthusiast. The company now offers a line of powdered and liquid laundry detergents and bottled odor-killing sprays that are not just environmentally friendly, but actually perform better than traditional harsh cleaners.
Electrical Geodesics, Inc. (EGI) (1992) had both research and clinical divisions to develop, manufacture, and distribute new brain wave analysis systems. EGI products are widely used in human neuroscience research laboratories around the world, addressing topics such as the mechanisms of visual attention, the abnormal frontal lobe development in autism, and brain activity during normal sleep. EGI was founded by University of Oregon Professor Don Tucker (psychology) and was acquired by Royal Philips in 2017. In 2020, Magstim, Inc. took on the Geodesic Sensor Net technology portfolio from Philips to integrate it with their line of transcranial magnetic stimulation products. Magstim has maintained staff in the Eugene office and has its American headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Inflexion, (formerly the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC)) (2002) conducts research and analysis directed at changing and improving educational policy and practices with the goal of increasing student success and college and career readiness. Inflexion's work involves highly developed standards-referenced methods and is a spin-out of the research activities of Dr. David Conley and the Center for Educational Policy Research at the University of Oregon. In 2017 after Dr. Conley’s retirement and the hiring of Matt Coleman as CEO, EPIC changed its name to Inflexion as they shifted from a focus on state and federal policy to one of direct partnerships with educators. Their new name is inspired by educators who prioritize a culture that truly supports students as they develop the skills needed to become lifelong learners.
Floragenex, Inc. (2005) uses an innovative molecular biology technique in next-generation DNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis tools to provide genetic research services for clients in agriculture, human health, and basic research. Floragenex was founded through the Technology Entrepreneurship Program by University of Oregon professor Eric Johnson (molecular biology) and UO alum Nathan Lillegard. In 2016, Sedia Biosciences, a Portland-based producer of point-of-care-based diagnostics for human diseases with a focus on HIV, acquired Floragenex as a wholly owned subsidiary and continues to operate the business today.
Insignia Health, LLC (2006) provides the Patient Activation MeasureTM (PAMTM), a self-assessment tool that evaluates patients' emotional dispositions, attitudes toward health care, self-management abilities, and use of health care. Insights from PAMTM allow caregivers and healthcare organizations to tailor support and allocate resources to effectively engage and activate the consumers they support. PAMTM was developed by Professor Judith Hibbard (health policy) and colleagues at the University of Oregon and is widely viewed as the gold standard of patient activation measures, supported by more than 700 peer-reviewed studies published in leading healthcare journals over the past 17 years. In 2021, Insignia Health was acquired by North Carolina-based Phreesia, a technology company founded in 2005 and publicly traded since 2019, which focuses on helping medical groups and health systems leverage patient intake to achieve their strategic objectives. PAMTM will be integrated into Phreesia’s solutions to enhance the patient experience, improve health outcomes, and lower the cost of care through patient activation.
InVivo Biosystems (formerly NemaMetrix) flagship technology, ScreenChip, enables real-time discovery of pharmaceutical compounds and, at the same time, provides insight into their mechanisms of action and toxicity. The ScreenChip platform does this by measuring the minute electrical signals in a C. elegans worm using microfluidics and micro detectors. The InVivo Biosystems technology is helping to advance drug research and is paving the way for novel therapeutic breakthroughs. Early adopters are currently using the InVivo Biosystems technology as a platform for investigations into Alzheimer's disease, anti-aging, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). In 2017, InVivo acquired the Salt Lake City-based Knudra Transgenics and its patent portfolio, CRISPR license, and library of existing transgenic animals (largely C. elegans nematodes). Knudra’s operations moved to Eugene and the combined company now provides essential services to pharmaceutical, nutraceuticals, and biotechnology companies around the world to speed research and drug development efforts, enabling earlier insights by closing the gap between cells and mice.
The Journalistic Learning Initiative (2018) is a non-profit corporation founded by the UO School of Journalism and Communication’s Professor Ed Madison to spread and further develop a dynamic and interactive model of student learning. Basing the teaching strategies on skills like research, interviewing, and writing, the “informed thinker” approach is supported by nearly a decade of academic research and is in use in elementary and middle schools through training materials, grants, and pilot programs in Oregon and California.
Ksana Health, Inc. (2019) is turning evidence-based, peer-reviewed research tools out of the lab of Dr. Nick Allen (psychology) into a suite of tools for patients, service providers, and healthcare companies to better identify individuals at risk for mental health crises and more. Dr. Allen co-founded the company with Will Shortt, software business leader and startup CEO, to expand and transform the Effortless Assessment Research System mobile device apps into a digital mental health platform technology. With the support of UO Translational Research Grant funding and participation in the RAIN Eugene Accelerator program, the company closed a $2M seed funding investment round in 2021 and has joined the Anthem Digital Incubator to pilot the company’s newest solution, Vira, to assist mental health providers using real-time data to develop personalized interventions for their patients.
LingroLearning (2017) builds “really cool digital language learning products that work,” from its headquarters in New York, NY. In partnership with some of the world's leading institutions, language researchers, instructors, and students, LingroLearning creates pedagogically sound, tech-enabled language learning products that are guaranteed to help anyone learn. Founded on a collaboration with the UO’s Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) led by Dr. Julie Sykes and tasked with jointly developing and delivering the LingroToGo mobile application, which is now available on Android and iOS platforms and incorporates over 120 unique and innovative language learning lessons with video, audio, graphics, and content. In partnership with CASLS, LingroLearning developed and launched Contrasena, the only e-textbook available for Spanish language and pragmatics, just before the pandemic sent many learners online. LingroLearning is led by CEO Steve Debow (former SVP at Pearson Education) and CIO Bob Hemmer (former Editor in Chief of World Languages at Pearson Education).
mAbDx, Inc. (2011) is an immunodiagnostics company specializing in creating novel immunodiagnostics through biomarker discovery and immunoassay development. mAbDx is developing effective diagnostics for diseases characterized by the common features of great clinical urgency and unmet diagnostic needs. The firm was the first company in the new Lewis Integrative Science Building’s designated corporate research and development space. In 2022, mAbDx continues to publish important research, including research on the Zika virus and stony coral tissue loss disease, and receives funding both through federal SBIR awards and matching grants from the State of Oregon.
MitoSciences, Inc. (2004) was founded by UO Professors Roderick Capaldi and Michael Marusich to advance understanding of the role of mitochondria (structures responsible for energy production in cells) in human diseases. MitoSciences has become the leading developer of anti-mitochondrial antibodies, mitochondrial assays, and products and services for mitochondrial toxicity screening. In 2011, the UK-based biotech company Abcam bought MitoSciences, which continues to operate in Eugene as a wholly owned subsidiary today.
NatureQuant (2019) was co-founded by human physiology researcher Chris Minson and is currently beta-testing the NatureDose™ app that lets users track their daily exposure to nature. Money from the University Venture Development Fund is helping Minson’s team scientifically validate NatureDose™ in combined use with the NatureQuant™ score. NatureQuant is also partnering with Ksana Health, another UO startup that specializes in digital mental health tools, to allow researchers to integrate NatureQuant’s technology in their investigations of the impact of separation from nature on modern human life and health, with the goal to eventually make these tools more accessible for health care providers to return us all to better health. NatureQuant is receiving wide and positive coverage in the press, including the Wall Street Journal, Outside Magazine, National Public Radio, CNN and the World Health Organization.
Northwest Prevention Sciences, Inc. (NPS) (2021) was launched to scale-up access to the Family Check-up (FCU). The FCU provides parents with the tools that they need to manage their children’s behaviors effectively and to build a strong and positive relationship with their children. Any professional that provides services to families with children can use the Family Check-Up. In fall 2021, NPS launched FCU Online, an eHealth intervention version of the FCU that can be administered to families with little or no staffing from schools. Development was guided by family and school focus groups, testing of the eHealth version, and adaptations based on feedback. NPS is making revenue and participating in company acceleration programs, including the Creative Destruction Lab.
ParaTools, Inc. (2004) provides consulting and training in parallel and distributed computing and performance evaluation tools, most notable of which is the Tau Performance System®, a BSD open-source application that improves the performance and productivity of nearly all of the world’s supercomputers. Company founders and UO Professors Allen Malony and Sameer Shende (Neuroinformatics Lab) developed the tool at UO, who licenses the trademark to ParaTools for use in service, training, and add-on development environments. ParaTools has brought companies such as NVIDIA, INTEL, CRAY, and IBM to Eugene for collaboration and for pioneering UO’s high performance computing programs.
Penderia, Inc. (2020) is developing novel sensor technologies to monitor the local physical conditions in the sites of orthopedic and other surgeries so that doctors can modify post-surgical therapy plans based on the observed mechanical state of the intervention site. Penderia was formed by Knight Campus faculty Dr. Ghee Ong, Dr. Robert Guldberg, and Dr. Salil Karipott. The core team also includes Dr. Ken Gall, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and serial entrepreneur with several completed company exits, including Vertera Spine with Guldberg. The company has received an NIH SBIR award to support further development work on this technology portfolio created at UO.
Perceptivo, LLC (2019) was founded to commercialize the use of the Pupillary Dilation Response (PDR) as a tool for pediatric audiology testing with a particular focus on infants. While working on brain perception projects in the Institute for Neuroscience, researchers designed a system to provide stimuli to infants and children measuring their pupillary reactions to test their hearing. The UO team received translational grant funding, SBIR funding, and a Murdock Foundation Commercialization Grant to move their technology forward. Perceptivo is currently partnering with OHSU to test infants in their hearing clinic using their first prototype system.
Perpetua Power Source Technologies, Inc. (2005) designs, manufactures, and markets renewable energy solutions for wireless sensors. They focus on offering cost effective and easy-to-integrate power products that last as long as the sensor electronics they power. Perpetua was founded by UO MBA alum R. Jon Hofmeister as a result of the UO's Technology Entrepreneurship Program (TEP) in partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Phylagen (2014) combines bioinformatic analytics with scalable, high-performance computing to determine and interpret complex genetic signatures and provide a powerful new decision-making tool for businesses. They currently offer the Ecology by Phylagen™ workplace monitor system to alert companies to the presence and spread of airborne illnesses like COVID-19 in indoor spaces in a cost-effective, discrete, end-to-end solution. Phylagen has received investment from Cultivian Sandbox, Breakout Ventures, 3M, and Johnson Controls.
SupraSensor Technologies (2013) focused on precision agriculture. The company further developed a nitrate-sensing soil probe created in the UO lab of Dr. Darren Johnson, redesigning it to maximize agricultural productivity, optimize fertilizer usage, and minimize environmental impacts. The company participated in the NSF iCorps program and received support from ONAMI and Oregon BEST (now VertueLab) as well as NSF SBIR awards. In 2016, the company was acquired by The Climate Corporation based in San Francisco, California.