Here is how innovation becomes enterprise

Faculty-founded startups in UB SEAS have secured over $30M in funding

Close-up of a person using a smartphone-based eye-tracking system during a measurement session. A camera attachment mounted in front of the phone is positioned to record the eye, while the screen displays a magnified view of the eye with a target graphic and the heading “Measurement.” The setup demonstrates mobile vision-tracking or eye-monitoring technology in a research or testing environment.

The startups address significant societal challenges surrounding stroke care, Alzheimer's disease, hearing loss, infectious disease, cancer, brain aneurysms and energy storage.

Five companies founded or co-founded by faculty members in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have secured over $30 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), Johnson & Johnson, and several other agencies and organizations.

POP Biotechnologies (POP BIO)

This life sciences company is led by Jonathan Lovell, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of biomedical engineering. POP BIO's novel platform tackles infectious diseases, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Since its inception, POP BIO has secured nearly $25 million in total grants and investment funding, including from organizations like NIH and CEPI.

Jonathan Lovell, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Neurovascular Diagnostics

This company, co-founded by UB Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Hui Meng, is developing a low-cost blood test to catch unruptured brain aneurysms before they burst.

Last year, Neurovascular Diagnostics secured over $870,000 in new funding, and the startup is in its third year of a $2.9 million NIH SBIR Phase II award.

Hui Meng, UB Distinguished Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

QAS.AI

Co-founded by Ciprian Ionita, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, QAS.AI develops artificial intelligence for surgical optimization. Their software helps neurosurgeons make better intraoperative decisions.

QAS.AI received $100,000 from Johnson & Johnson and nearly $1 million from a NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award.

Ciprian N. Ionita, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Auspex Medix

Auspex Medix, founded by Wenyao Xu, professor and Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and director of UB's Center on Translational AI and Digital Health, focuses on creating AI-powered digital health tools across home care and clinical settings. The company's work impacts several application areas, and it has developed assistive devices for at-home stroke rehabilitation and a smartphone-based instrument designed to assess hearing in older adults with cognitive diseases.

The company has secured over $650,000 over the past two years from the NIH.

Wenyao Xu, Professor and Carl V. Granger Endowed Chair, Director of Research, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

IBEX Materials

IBEX Materials, co-founded by Mark Swihart, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, advances battery materials innovation. Since 2025, the company has received over $300,000 in funding from the U.S. Army and the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub's Commercialization and Collaboration Center (C3) Tech Hub Resources & Innovation Vouchers for Enterprises (NY THRIVE) program.

Mark Swihart, SUNY Distinguished Professor, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

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