The Grays Ferry innovation campus adds a robotics startup and two young healthtech companies.
By Roberto Torres / REPORTER
Didn’t we say to expect more surprises from the Pennovation Center?
Since we told you Hershey Co. was going to be the inaugural corporate tenant at the 200,000-square-foot Grays Ferry space, three additional companies have been announced as upcoming members of the community.
1. COSY
This artificial intelligence company, a member of 500 Startups’ 17th batch of graduates, just leased the first “Inventor Garage” at Pennovation.
COSY (short for Cognitive Operational Systems) makes robots that navigate retail store floors and manage inventory through beacon-free technology in spaces without access to GPS. The startup is a spinoff of Penn’s GRASP Lab, and is cofounded by Jonas Cleveland and Kostas Daniilidis.
“It feels like the beginning of something special in Philadelphia,” Cleveland said. “The Pennovation Center is the
right place for us to be.”
There are five Inventor Garage spaces along the building’s eastern bank. They can be customized to a company’s needs, and are meant to be a throwback to many garage-inspired startups of yore.
2. XEED
Alfredo Muniz and Sade Oba, both recent Penn grads, set out to help Parkinson’s disease patients with lightweight sensors that gather accurate information on limb movement.
The idea earned them the inaugural President’s Innovation Prize, and $100,000 to develop their idea, plus a dedicated space at Pennovation for tests and research.
Oba said the space at Pennovation Center will help the company make bigger strides in the early stages of its development.
Muniz, formerly an undocumented immigrant, said XEED’s goal is helping Parkinson’s disease patients understand and monitor their progress.
3. Fever Smart
This wireless thermometer startup founded by Penn undergrads shared the 2016 President’s Innovation prize with XEED. As part of the prize package, it’s also joining Pennovation.
“Fever Smart is looking forward to working out of the Pennovation Center as a way to stay connected with the Penn community,” said Fever Smart cofounder William Duckworth. We first told you about the company back in 2014.
Penn President Amy Gutmann said the Ivy League institution was glad to welcome these companies to the space, slated to officially open Oct. 28. “They are joining a community of innovators that is taking shape at the Pennovation Center,” she said.
View article at http://technical.ly/philly/2016/06/30/pennovation-center-cosy-xeed-fever-smart/