Hardware & IoT Startups

The deck identifies inefficiencies and high costs in antibody manufacturing as a significant problem, with traditional resin columns being a major bottleneck.

The problem is clearly defined as the threat posed by hostile UAVs and drones to military and critical infrastructure, with a lack of effective autonomous counter-drone systems in the market.

TX

Size, weight, and power constraints for antennas and EMI shielding across military, aerospace, automotive, and medical device applications.

San Francisco, California

The problem is clearly defined as the high failure rates in soft tissue surgeries, particularly in hernia repairs, due to inadequate suture and mesh integration, leading to costly and painful...

Low-cost unmanned surface and aerial systems are shifting maritime power asymmetries, enabling agile actors to challenge larger fleets and protect/deny critical trade chokepoints.

Colorado

Humanoid robotics rely on bulky, expensive geared actuation systems that limit dexterity, compactness, and affordability.

Modern wars show massive damage from drones (FPV, Shahed, loitering). Current defense is too expensive, too slow, and not scalable. Europe and Ukraine urgently need a cost-effective, autonomous...

Kentucky

Large number of lost or stolen handguns annually (500k–700k). Everyday carry increases risk of loss/theft ~300x. Lost/stolen guns are often used in crime.

Austin, TX

Family and professional caregivers lack real-time situational awareness and tools to keep elderly or cognitively impaired loved ones safe, especially those at risk of wandering or falls. Traditional...

Houston, TX

Ceiling fan blades accumulate dust, allergens, pet dander and are hazardous to clean (risk of falling).

New York City, NY

Multi-family building owners face high water costs, poor communal laundry experience, and many buildings lack infrastructure for in-unit washers/dryers.

Fragmented, inflexible lighting market forcing compromises on price, design, installation, and functionality.

Carrboro, NC

Large volumes of flared and vented methane and an energy-intensive, costly methanol production industry; plus increasing maritime regulatory pressure and need for lower-carbon marine fuels.

Houston, TX

Sensors today are limited by low surface-area materials, leading to lower sensitivity and potential failures in critical systems (e.g., Deepwater Horizon, Boeing 737 MAX). There is growing demand for...

Dover, DE

Fleets face significant costs, downtime, and fatalities due to accidents driven by driver fatigue, stress and undetected vehicle issues. Traditional fleet systems lack integrated driver health and...

Dalton, TX

Public safety personnel (law enforcement, military, private security, industrial workers) face rising violence and on-the-job injuries. Existing body armor is largely non-instrumented and lacks...

Oxygen delivery for COPD is outdated: bulky tanks and concentrators limit mobility and accessibility for patients requiring long-term supplemental oxygen.

Recyclers lack the knowledge and automation to capture value from the $250B resale market; rising labor costs are making manual sorting unsustainable.

AI and advanced computing require more powerful and energy-efficient semiconductors, but current industry is limited by the size of interconnect wires (20 micron), limiting performance and efficiency.

No existing action cameras can be used accessory-free for comfortable, safe first-person capture in contact sports.

Columbia, MO

Hobby farmers and backyard gardeners often neglect watering plants or monitoring animal infrastructure (e.g., electric fences, chicken coops) leading to stress and loss of animals/plants.

Toronto, Ontario

High transaction fees (up to ~4%) and slow settlement times (days) that hurt SMB cash flow and profits.

Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Slow, error-prone retail checkout processes leading to long queues, abandoned carts, higher labor costs and limited inventory visibility.