Five teams from Penn were accepted into the NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Hub’s I-Corps Customer Discovery Workshop for biotechnology, health-tech and med-tech startups. These teams will get hands-on customer discovery, value-prop testing and mentor guidance to bring their innovation to market.
The five teams selected were:
CrisisCam
Technology: A tech-enabled service designed to enhance emergency medical response by leveraging the camera and microphone features of cellular devices. The platform allows 911 callers to transmit live video feeds or previously recorded footage directly to first responders.
Team members: Evan Gray, Wharton MBA delayed Fall 2026 (Entrepreneurial Lead)
Lucidigene
Technology: AI chatbots that guide patients through APOE genetic testing for Alzheimer’s anti-amyloid therapies, explaining risks, results, and next steps.
Team members: Angela Bradbury, MD, Clinician, PSoM (Entrepreneurial Lead); Melisa Lopez-Anton, PCI (Mentor)
Medibound
Technology: A system that tracks real-time vital signs (e.g., heart rate, SpO2, BP, weight) and initiates predefined clinical actions automatically (alerts, care-pathway steps, medication reminders, triage tasks) rather than only notifying a human.
Team members: Nick Harty, Undergraduate EE + Wharton, was PCI work-study (Entrepreneurial Lead); Aum Dhruv, Undergraduate, Princeton (Technical Lead)
Prism Optics
Technology: A low-cost, portable, self-administered vision testing device that delivers accurate prescriptions without optometrists, expanding access globally.
Team members: Danish Mahmood, Alum BE/SEAS (Entrepreneurial Lead); Aarush Sahni, MD Student, PSoM (Technical Lead)
Vital Companion
Technology: A digital supportive behavior tool to support self-management behaviors in chronic diseases.
Team members: Sarah Schrauben, MD, MS, Faculty, PSoM (Entrepreneurial Lead)