Lighthouse Labs has announced the companies selected to participate in its Spring 2023 Accelerator program. Now in its eleventh year, Lighthouse Labs puts founders’ needs at the center of its program and engages the entire community in the process of innovation and disruption.

“This cohort’s companies offer bold solutions to address current-day problems in industries ranging from logistics to cybersecurity, health/wellness to retail, and real estate to software,” said Paul Nolde, Managing Executive Director at Lighthouse Labs. “This group of startups represents the best of innovation and entrepreneurship across the Commonwealth and beyond.”

During the evaluation process of almost 200 companies, local innovation leaders including startup supporters, key investors, healthcare entrepreneurs, and Lighthouse alumni founders identified applicants ready to accelerate the growth of their ventures during the eleven-week program. Of the applications, 49 moved forward to the first round of reviews, and 17 participated in interviews. Eight teams were selected to join Lighthouse Labs.

Introducing Lighthouse Labs Batch 14

• 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 software 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.

More about Batch 14

• The cohort is one of the most diverse in Lighthouse Labs history, with 70%+ of the founders coming from groups traditionally underrepresented among entrepreneurs.
• Five teams are from Virginia.
• Three teams are health or health & wellness focused; the remaining five teams are in high-tech, high-growth industries.

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. The Spring 2023 accelerator program kicks off on March 13 in Richmond, with a Meet the Cohort Social on March 15 and Demo Day on May 23, 2023.