Innovation and technology were on display at TechFW’s Impact Showcase & Awards, where the spotlight was on enterprising inventors and their life-changing products.
The annual event, held March 3 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, offered a variety of innovative products ranging from bio-medical advancements to cutting-edge electric vehicle chargers for commercial as well as residential use, allowing owners to charge two Teslas in a garage at the same time.
Again this year, awards were presented in the categories of Rising Stars, Impact Award and People’s Choice.
The Impact Award, honoring remarkable achievement, was presented to Eosera Inc., a woman-led biotech company that manufactures a line of ear-care products and a nasal rinse product for instant sinus relief.
Elyse Dickerson and her business partner, Joe Griffin, founded Eosera in 2015. The founders partnered with TechFW and spent nine months testing solutions in the lab before they came up with their introductory product, Earwax MD, which works in as little as 15 minutes to dissolve and clear earwax.
The Fort Worth-based company now has seven over-the-counter health care products, which are available at more than 13,000 retail outlets across the country. The company experienced a two-year revenue growth of 433 percent – Inc. magazine ranks it No. 25 on the list of the fastest growing private companies in Texas and No. 1 in Fort Worth.
In her acceptance speech, Dickerson thanked TechFW for its support along the company’s journey.
“We wouldn’t be here without all the amazing resources in this county,” she said.
Rising Star Award winners were Revitalize Charging Solutions, Chute Help and AyuVis Research.
While working as former manager for AT&T Communications, Edward Morgan operated two computer stores in Louisiana until Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Morgan lost his stores and moved to Fort Worth.
Morgan continued working with AT&T but intrigued by the prospect of entrepreneurship, Morgan joined TechFW’s incubator in 2014 and its accelerator in 2015, which led to a successful pilot project with the city of Fort Worth for his company, Revitalize Charging Solutions Inc.
The Fort Worth company designs and manufactures electric vehicle supply equipment for commercial use and is moving into the home charger market with easy-to-use equipment.
“Our goal is simple, to keep Electric Vehicle Drivers’ battery charged and their vehicle drivable, Morgan states on his company website. “We are most proud of being able to help America go green and be a conduit for EV drivers to refuel their vehicles.”
The centerpiece of Chute Help’s inventive products is a fully automated roping chute, which provides the convenience of a remote-release roping chute that is suitable for almost any arena setting so cattle ropers can practice their skills on their own property. The North Texas firm also manufactures other products and accessories to support team ropers and the cattle industry.
Besides a Rising Star Award, AyuVis Research also received the People’s Choice award for its groundbreaking biomedical research. The Fort Worth company, founded by Dr. Suchismita Acharya, is developing new immune therapies that treat inflammatory and infectious diseases.
The company’s initial focus was developing a treatment for a hospital-based, complicated infectious disease that exhibits high rates of bacterial resistance and death. The company then expanded its research to treatment of respiratory diseases, particularly bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a serious and chronic lung disease affecting infants.
TechFW is a business accelerator and incubator that has helped technology businesses start and grow since 1998. Support is provided through the assistance of coaches, mentors and established entrepreneurs.
The Impact Showcase & Awards had been a staple of TechFW’s mission of support for tech startups before the coronavirus outbreak.
“This was the return of the event with the last showcase held in 2019,” said Hayden Blackburn, executive director of TechFW. “We held off on making it a virtual event the past two years as there is amazing value in bringing all the players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem together for a night of exploration and celebration of tech innovations and the founders making them a reality.
“The connections made at these celebratory events have immeasurable potential to change the trajectory of these startups,” Blackburn said. “The event helps empower attendees and make them into storytellers that can spread the news of these innovations to family, friends, colleagues, and the greater community.”