The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation launched Transform, an accelerator program for startups utilizing advances in data science and AI. Transform’s first cohort includes three startups that focus on hydrogen products, sweat monitoring for endurance athletes, and distributed ledger platforms. These startups will receive comprehensive support, including access to business and technical training, industry mentorship, venture capital connections, and funding opportunities. Transform has opened applications for Cohort 2, which will begin on April 17, 2023. The Data Science Institute and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation are crucial components in executing the University of Chicago’s vision of Data Science as a new discipline. DSI seeds research on the interdisciplinary frontiers of this emerging field and supports holistic data science education. The Polsky Center advances the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship and accelerates science and technology commercialization within the University of Chicago and the surrounding community.
UChicago’s Transform Accelerator for Data Science & Emerging AI Startups Announces Inaugural Cohort
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center has launched Deep Tech Ventures initiative and within that, Transform has announced its first cohort. Transform aims to provide comprehensive support to early-stage companies using data science and AI through business and technical training, funding opportunities, industry mentorship, and venture capital connections.
The first cohort includes three startups – Blackcurrant, Drip, and Notoros – that focus on hydrogen products, sweat monitoring for endurance athletes, and distributed ledger platform, respectively. These startups will receive total investments of around $250,000, which includes $25,000 in funding, access to computing resources at UChicago, credits for Amazon Web Services and Google for Startups, and a workspace in the Polsky Exchange on Chicago’s South Side. Moreover, the startups will have access to industry mentors, technical advisors, and student talent from the University of Chicago Department of Computer Science, Data Science Institute (DSI), and the Chicago Booth School of Business.
Shyama Majumdar, the director of Transform, expressed her excitement for the first cohort of startups and confident that the mentorship and networks provided by Transform will guide them towards success. Transform has an impressive lineup of mentors and networks that will provide startups with the support and guidance they need at this stage.
The first cohort is a perfect example of how data science is disrupting industries in different sectors. Michael Franklin, the faculty co-director of the Data Science Institute, said that it is thrilling to support the first cohort of startups as machine learning and AI continue to yield breakthroughs and push entrepreneurial innovation.
Transform Cohort 1:
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Blackcurrant: A B2B marketplace for buying and selling hydrogen products that apply advanced machine learning to predict hydrogen pricing and demand growth.
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Drip: A sweat monitoring device that offers a customized hydration plan to endurance athletes in real-time by combining sodium concentration data from sweat with biometric information from wearable devices.
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Notoros: A distributed ledger platform for a new generation of zero-trust applications that decouples application and ledger state, making application development simpler due to its highly available data.
Transform’s Cohort 1: A Global Innovation Powerhouse
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is at the forefront of global innovation, according to Abin Kuriakose, the chief strategy and innovation officer for the World Business Chicago, the City of Chicago’s economic development organization chaired by the Mayor. He believes the inaugural cohort of Transform will thrive in Chicago’s startup ecosystem and drive advances in data science and AI applications across several industries.
Transform has opened applications for Cohort 2, which will start on April 17, 2023.
About the Data Science Institute (DSI)
The Data Science Institute (DSI) is a crucial component in executing the University of Chicago’s vision of Data Science as a new discipline. DSI creates opportunities for interdisciplinary research, forms partnerships with industry, government, and social impact organizations, and supports holistic data science education. The mission of DSI is to address important scientific and societal questions through coordinated advances in applications, models, algorithms, and platforms. Learn more about DSI at datascience.uchicago.edu.
About the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation advances the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship and accelerates science and technology commercialization within the University of Chicago and the surrounding community. The center drives venture creation and technology commercialization through education, partnerships, and new venture support. By fostering connections that extend across the University, city, region, and world, the Polsky Center ignites a spirit of innovation and enables more ideas to have a meaningful impact on society. Learn more about the Polsky Center at polsky.uchicago.edu.
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