The founders of the startups come from all different types of backgrounds and travel far and wide to compete in this competition. About 40% of the entrants identify as women of color and about 20% identify as immigrants. Classically, only 2% of venture capital is awarded to female entrepreneurs. So-Gal Foundation, who mission is to empower diverse founders, aims to change that. The judges for the Indiana Chapter will hail from: Graham Allen Partners, gBETA, High Alpha, Elevate Ventures, Lighthouse Capital, Detroit Ventures, and Angels. The finalists from the Indiana Chapter and each of the other competitions will continue on to vie for a share of the $600,000 of investment capital that will be made available. All finalists will also participate in the SoGal Startup Bootcamp that is scheduled to take place in Silicon Valley, California.
Zietchick Research Institute will pitch for their development of a treatment to prevent blindness in premature infants. Zietchick is located in the Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center in Plymouth, MI. The founder, Dr. Tammy Movsas, a pediatric eye doctor, is dedicated to preserving eye health in vulnerable population— women and children. She and her team are working on developing a drug for retinopathy of prematurity. The disease is more commonly known by its initials– ROP. ROP is a leading cause of visual disability in children around the world. It affects premature infants of all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. Current treatments include laser surgery or drugs that need to be injected into the eye. The team at Zietchick Research Institute is aiming to develop a treatment can be given by eye drop. This will make it easy to administer. Also, it will be able to be administered in countries where eye surgeons are not as available.
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