Today's Date: March 28, 2024
Headlands Research Announces Fifth Research Site under Partnership with Pfizer to Improve Diversity in Clinical Trials   •   Cadence OTC Announces Community Investment Campaign to Support the Movement for Accessible Birth Control in Post-Roe America   •   Kontrol Technologies Enters into Amended Credit Agreement with Secured Lender   •   Newegg Makes Tech More Affordable for Students, Faculty and Staff with Affirm Offer   •   Empowering the Future of Optometry: Axcel Learning Partners with KMK Optometry to Redefine Board Exam Preparation   •   HCA Healthcare Releases 2024 Annual Impact Report   •   Grove Collaborative Launches Grove Co. Rebrand with New Ready-to-Use Assortment in Beautifully Sustainable Aluminum Packaging   •   United Makes It Easier for Customers Who Use Wheelchairs to Book Flights That Can Accommodate Their Personal Device   •   Health Care Costs Top the List of Financial Worries in Retirement, New Research from eHealth and Retirable Shows   •   Meijer Continues Fight Against Hunger with $2 Million Donation to Midwest Food Bank Partners   •   KFC TAKES FINGER LICKIN' GOOD TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL WITH NEW SAUCY NUGGETS IN FIVE DRIPPING FLAVORS   •   Sprinklr Appoints Amitabh Misra as Chief Technology Officer   •   Grundfos Revolutionizes Wastewater Management with Metasphere Smart Water Sensors   •   Mark Cuban Backs Overplay, the No-Code Game Creation Platform, Following Shark Tank Appearance   •   Cisco Sponsors SANS Institute Cohort to Close Cybersecurity Skills Gap   •   Community Health Systems Addresses Health Disparities through Doctors’ Day Donations and Second Annual Jars of Love Peanut   •   Courageous Parents' Dr. Chrissy Chard to Lead a TEDx Talk on Transformative Discipline Practices   •   CYNTHIA BAILEY PARTNERS WITH KINDRA TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT VAGINAL HEALTH DURING MENOPAUSE   •   Ready. Set. Food! and ObvioHealth Launch Innovative Trial to Correlate Infant Food Allergy Prevention with Reduced Healthcare Co   •   Zuniga Health's 'Elevate' health plans fit the needs for Hispanic small businesses
Bookmark and Share

Healing System for Vaginal Tears Takes Top Prize at UCI Stella Zhang New Venture Competition

IRVINE, Calif. , May 26 /Businesswire/ - A promising treatment for vaginal tears impressed judges at the UCI Stella Zhang New Venture Competition enough to earn the team VagAligna the $20,000 first prize in the 2023 competition on Thursday, May 25, at the University of California, Irvine Paul Merage School of Business.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230526005328/en/

VagAligna took home the top prize at the Stella Zhang New Venture Competition at UCI. (Photo: Business Wire)

VagAligna took home the top prize at the Stella Zhang New Venture Competition at UCI. (Photo: Business Wire)

According to team leader Fiza Qureshi, there currently are no healing treatments for women suffering from vaginal tears, most commonly occurring during childbirth – pain medicine and time are all that’s available. She and her teammates – Hailey Matyac, Angie Espino, and Maile Adams – have come up with a healing protein to be administered through an adhesive hydrogel applied directly on the wound.

Because this is a medical product, it will require clinical trials and FDA approval. But, Qureshi said, this team of bio-medical engineers has come up with the very first direct healing solution for an all-too-common problem.

That promise was enough to convince the five judges at the Grand Finale to award VagAligna the first prize for 2023 out of the 10 finalists presenting Thursday evening. The second prize, $5,000, went to Leprendo, an online specialty food product and produce company connecting producers directly with restaurant chefs and private consumers.

All 10 finalists also received prize money for finishing first ($10,000) or second ($5,000) in their respective business tracks, making the total prize pot $100,000. About 100 teams began the journey seven months ago, working on proposals through the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

This was the 19th annual New Venture Competition. It became the Stella Zhang New Venture Challenge last year after Stella Zhang, a 2005 UCI graduate with an MBA from the UCI Paul Merage School of Business, made a significant contribution to the event and the prize money pot.

Zhang is a cofounder and partner at Sunstone Management Inc. and American Lending Center (where she is COO), both headquartered in Irvine.

“This event means so much to me,” Zhang said to open the finals. “We’ve watched past winners go on to accelerators and beyond. We’re so proud to witness this journey.”

The other teams presenting – and taking money home – were:

  • Helios – A license plate kit with advanced safety features to enhance driver safety.
  • Orii.AI – An AI scheduling platform to aid students with time management.
  • Help Belt – A device that helps those with arthritis or other disabilities with buckling seat belts.
  • Omni Pet Club – A diverse modern and inclusive leash system for all pet owners.
  • ChewRank – Connects foodies with friends to share rankings, creating an unbiased ranking system
  • Hyperion Therapeutics – A set of mechanism-based Therapeutics targeting early retinal disease.
  • Shower Power – A shower system with technology to recycle the 5% of water wasted at its source.
  • TeamMade – Creating affordable and sustainable housing with Accessory Dwelling Units.

Dr. Imran Currim, distinguished professor of marketing, faculty director at the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a founder of the New Venture Competition, said much the same before awarding the giant prize checks.

“We’re seeing the future here,” he said. "The amazing hard work these teams have put in is just the beginning.”

For more information about the Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, click here.

About Sunstone Management

Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital sponsor firm located in Southern California that invests in diverse early-stage technology entrepreneurs who seek to build great companies. We believe in the aspirational power of the American economy to attract and inspire investors and entrepreneurs from throughout the world. We deliver new and exciting opportunities for economic growth through the creation of innovative public-private partnerships, and our unique experience across government, education, and private sectors. Identified by Financial Times as one of America's Fastest Growing Companies three years in a row.

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Crunchbase | Pitchbook


STORY TAGS: Photo/Multimedia, Award, Product/Service, Science, Research, Pharmaceutical, General Health, Health, University, Education, Other Health, United States, North America, California,

Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News