Lighthouse Labs Introduces Batch 14

Lighthouse Labs introduced their newest group of “amazing founders!” The Spring 2023 cohort includes eight companies from across Virginia and the South that represent the best of innovation. The companies were selected from almost 200 applicants and stood out for their unique ideas, strong teams, and readiness to accelerate growth during our 11-week accelerator program, starting March 13. The cohort is among the most diverse in Lighthouse’s eleven-year history and includes five companies from Virginia.

All companies will receive $20,000 in equity-free funding, participate in weekly educational programming, get mentorship from Lighthouse’s extensive mentor network, and connect directly with local partners and investors.

Batch 14 includes:

• E-Sentience (Durham, NC; cofounders Julio Fredin, Sloane Tilley, and Fernando Webb) is developing a technology platform using non-invasive wearable devices to help people better understand and moderate their mental and physical health in real time. They are building the first commercially-available device to measure stress directly through “the stress hormone” – cortisol, with plans to add other natural biomarkers.

• Healp (Fairfax Station, VA; founder Elizabeth Tikoyan) uses artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing and big data to help patients with chronic and incurable conditions find health answers the medical world can’t provide. Their two-pronged approach works to solve the emotional side of diagnosis and alleviate the uncertainty by combining community and big data.

• Heroshe (Houston, TX; founder Osinachi Ukomadu) makes it easy for marketplace sellers to find and sell products anywhere online. The company offers timely and stress-free shipping solutions, with easy package tracking and no customs duties, from the US to Africa, with plans to expand into additional markets.

• Karambit.AI (Annandale, VA; cofounders Andrew Hendela and Eric Lee) is on a mission to stop software supply chain attacks. Their focus is making sure software is safe and working as intended, automating detection of potentially malicious modifications, reducing manual analysis backlogs, and analyzing software supply chains.

• Kilsar (Virginia Beach, VA; cofounders Zach Casey and Brendan Lawlor) is building AI and AR software for the Department of Defense and other commercial clients. Primary applications utilize advanced head-wearable displays and AI-enabled soft-ware to help people more easily and effectively do their jobs.

• Luminoah (Charlottesville, VA; founder Neal Piper) is a MedTech company driving value-based care in the home for patients requiring enteral nutrition, with a wearable device and digital health platform that provides personalized health insights for patients managing diseases such as cancer and GI disorders.

• Modi (Miami, FL; co founders Andrea Del Risco, Catalina Del Risco, and Ileana Del Risco) brings the fitting room to online shoppers, empowering apparel retailers with AI driven tools to ensure everyone has access to a personalized fitting experience.

• Project Mongoose (Richmond, VA; cofounders Jen Finn, Bernard Harkless, and Alex Otanez) is a Smart-Home-as-a-Service Platform designed for multi-family properties. The software helps rental property owners and managers get the most from smart technology investments and deliver a novel experience to their residents.

Meet the Cohort Social Event

Welcome the teams to RVA at our Meet the Cohort Social on Wednesday, March 15. The event, open to the entire Lighthouse community, will take place at the Slingshot Social Game Club (3301 W Clay St, Richmond, VA 23230) from 5 – 7 pm. Slingshot features Skeeball, bocce, duckpin bowling, arcade games, and more, plus a tap wall featuring 42 craft beers, ciders, and wines. Snacks and a sampler card for the tap wall will be provided!

You can RSVP here.