Houston Technology Center Announces Winners of the Inaugural Goradia Innovation Prize

HOUSTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston Technology Center (HTC), a business accelerator and the largest business incubator in Texas, announced the winners of the Goradia Innovation Prize awarded to early stage companies that are commercializing innovative technology within the Gulf Coast region.

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"The Goradia Innovation Prize inspires entrepreneurialism, which supports the Gulf Coast region with job growth, and takes innovation the last mile to reach customers, consumers and patients," said Walter Ulrich, president and CEO of the Houston Technology Center.

This year's winners were announced at the Gulf Coast Innovation Conference & Showcase (GCIC&S) to a sold-out crowd of over 550 attendees on September 30.  "GCIC&S brings together Gulf Coast academic and research institutions to highlight trends around the commercialization of technology," continued Ulrich. "This was the perfect event to announce the first recipients of the Goradia Innovation Prize."

The Grand Prize winner, Rebellion Photonics received $50,000.  Rebellion Photonics is an advanced optics company that has invented a revolutionary technology using hyper-spectral imaging that allows users to see the chemical composition of an object in real time while simultaneously taking a still photograph or video. 

First Place winner, SeprOx Corporation received $25,000.  SeprOx Corporation is commercializing a revolutionary system that separates pure (>99.95%) oxygen from air for use in hospitals, nursing homes and welding/fabrication shops.  

Second Place winner, Nano3D Biosciences, Inc. received $10,000.  Nano3D Biosciences, Inc. seeks to create the industry leading standard for 3-dimensional cell culturing solutions. 

Third Place winner, Blue Box Health, Inc. received $5,000.  Blue Box Health, Inc. is a technology-enabled case management corporation focusing on early detection and mitigation of chronic disease decompensation, first product is Blue Scale for heart failure patient care. 

Honorable Mentions received $2,000 each and included Advanced Guidance Systems, LLC, Barinetics Corporation, C-Voltaics, General Methanol, and OrthoIntrinsics, Inc.  

Advanced Guidance Systems, LLC is an early stage software technology company focused on mobile devices: iPhones, iPad, iPod Touch, Android and others. Barinetics Corporation is a medical device company developing GastroPace™, a revolutionary neurostimulation therapy for obesity. Companies that use C-Voltaics' (C-V-enabled) offering will manufacture their solar cells more cost effectively while providing a higher efficiency and lower cost per watt to their customer base.  General Methanol develops and licenses a process that converts methane to methanol.  OrthoIntrinsics, Inc. is commercializing a breakthrough technology that delivers superior measurement of hand muscle strength and function that can improve diagnosis, treatment decision-making and rehabilitation for a range of upper-extremity and neuromuscular disorders.  

The selection of awardees is based upon the commercial potential of the innovation, the soundness of the business plan, the potential for job growth within the region and the likelihood of significant long-term success.  A structured and disciplined process is used by a prestigious panel of judges to evaluate the finalists and select the prize winners.

The Houston Technology Center gratefully acknowledges the support and contribution of Mr. Vijay Goradia, his wife, Dr. Marie Goradia, and their family, for donating $1 million to fund the Goradia Innovation Prize which will be distributed over the next 10 years.

About Houston Technology Center

Named among Forbes' top 10 "incubators changing the world," The Houston Technology Center provides education, insight, and access to capital that entrepreneurs need for commercialization. The Houston Technology Center is a business accelerator and the largest technology business incubator in Texas, advancing the commercialization of emerging technology companies in the greater Houston area.  A 501(C)(3)nonprofit organization, HTC assists Houston-based entrepreneurs within several key sectors: energy, information technology, life sciences, nanotechnology and NASA/aerospace technologies.  

For more information, visit www.houstontech.org.

SOURCE Houston Technology Center