Two engineering alums have received Bridge Grant funding from the UWM Research Foundation to support the early stages of their startups and attract further investment.
The Bridge Grant Program invests in new companies of UWM faculty, staff and students who have licensed intellectual property through the Research Foundation. The foundation has awarded a total of $450,000 in Bridge Grants to 12 startups since 2021.
The first 10 startups to receive the funding have collectively attracted an additional $15.5 million in grants and investments to date.
The funding is made possible by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and donors who matched the funds, including Bader Philanthropies, Clarios, Dennis and Sue Webb, and members of the UWMRF board of directors. The two latest winners are:
Fluid Flow Experiences LLC
Founder Tom Hansen (’91 BS computer science, ’21 PhD freshwater sciences) is a programmer/analyst and researcher at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, who has developed a deeply interactive and scientifically accurate fluid flow simulation.
Called the Immersive Fluid Flow Experience, his display consists of a computer-simulated fluid flow model projected on a large wall or screen. As people move in front of the colored screen, they cast shadows on the projection.
A webcam detects the shadows and adds visual fluid responses around them, creating a complex and colorful series of spinning vortexes and eddy currents on the projected screen. The product is currently on the market for museum installations.
Hansen will use the grant to conduct further customer discovery and create marketing materials to explore both temporary and permanent installations.
PerryMedical LLC
William Perry (’23 BS biomedical engineering) is the primary inventor of a new design for a bariatric lift aid. Perry began creating the device as part of a senior capstone team. The product helps EMTs, nurses, and home caregivers move obese patients out of their beds.
One quarter of EMTs suffer a serious back injury within the first five years of their careers. Moving bariatric patients fuels many EMT injuries even though the volume of these calls is low.
With the bridge grant, the team will work on creating and testing a prototype and obtaining early feedback from a local ambulance company.