TechNexus Venture Collaborative was thrilled to sponsor the inaugural Grainger Engineering Tech Startup Challenge, a highlight of the TechChicago Capital Summit on July 22. This event brought together some of the brightest minds in deep tech, and we were especially proud to have our co-founder and general partner, Fred Hoch, serve as a judge, contributing his expertise to identify the next generation of groundbreaking startups.
The Grainger Engineering Tech Startup Challenge, presented by The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, featured seven finalist teams vying for $200,000 in prizes. These teams represented a diverse array of technological innovation, spanning quantum computing, AI, healthcare, defense, sustainability, and advanced materials. Dean Rashid Bashir aptly put it, "The caliber of solutions we witnessed was truly exceptional. These breakthrough innovations address critical global challenges and have the potential to transform entire industries."
In addition to prize money, each winning team received a one-year membership at TeamWorking by TechNexus, our shared office space at the Civic Opera Building in Chicago.
Announcing the Winners
The competition was fierce, but ultimately, a few teams stood out with their exceptional vision and potential. We're excited to congratulate the winners:
- 1st Place: Xatoms (University of Toronto) took home the grand prize of $100,000 for their revolutionary approach to water purification. Xatoms is leveraging AI and quantum chemistry to discover new materials that purify water using just sunlight or LED light. Their novel photocatalytic molecules are set to transform water access for communities and industries alike.
- 2nd Place: K1 Semiconductor (University of Chicago) secured $50,000 for their game-changing wafer-splitting technology, which enables up to 20x wafer reuse across high-performance materials. Their proprietary platform promises enhanced efficiency and economics across vital sectors like mobility, clean energy, industrial automation, defense, and AI infrastructure.
- 3rd Place (Tie): Sharing the third-place prize of $12,500 each were Photon Queue (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Solitude Labs (University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of Colorado Boulder).
- Photon Queue is making significant strides in quantum computing by developing free-space quantum memories, potentially becoming the “RAM” for utility-scale quantum computers.
- Solitude Labs is building a decentralized cybersecurity platform to protect America's critical infrastructure, focusing on securing distributed energy resources to prevent disruptions to the energy grid.
We also commend the other finalist teams – Tandemn, Pilbo Health, and AG3 Labs – who each received $1,000 in prizes. The sheer volume and quality of applications, with 110 submissions from over 35 leading national and international universities, truly highlight the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit in the tech community.
TechNexus and the Future of Innovation
Our involvement in the Grainger Engineering Tech Startup Challenge underscores TechNexus’s commitment to fostering and supporting emerging technologies and the next generation of entrepreneurs. Providing the winning teams with annual memberships at TeamWorking by TechNexus is just one way we aim to empower these promising startups with the resources and collaborative environment they need to thrive.
The success of this inaugural challenge truly exemplifies Grainger Engineering’s expanding role as a vital partner in Chicago’s tech ecosystem. As Dean Bashir noted, "We remain committed to forging strategic collaborations with industry leaders, investors and innovators who share our vision for strengthening Chicago's position as a global tech hub.”
We at TechNexus couldn't agree more. Events like the Grainger Engineering Tech Startup Challenge are crucial for identifying and nurturing the innovative solutions that will shape our future. We look forward to seeing the incredible impact Xatoms, K1 Semiconductor, Photon Queue, Solitude Labs, and all the other participating teams will make in their respective fields.
Photo credit: University of Illinois/Purple Photo Group