TWELVE finalists for the Student Edition Live Pitch and Showcase within the 3686 Entrepreneurship Festival in Nashville, Aug. 28-29, were announced today.

We've provided links for your drill-down, which will probably leave you pretty impressed by the talent assembled.

Mark Harris PhD

Some readers will be surprised to find familiar names among the teams pitching -- including Mark Harris PhD, the guy whose NextGxDx became Concert Genetics, and who's now a director there, but also a co-founder and CEO of a startup dubbed HeroWear (below).

With a total $60K in prizes at stake, sponsor Launch Tennessee said today that on Wednesday, Aug. 28, "each finalist team will have three minutes to pitch before a panel of judges who will evaluate the proposed product or service and the team's ability to execute on its business model." Additional info about prizes here.

► The following companies are 2019 Student Edition Live Pitch finalists (comments and corrections welcomed):

► ARMS Cyber (Nashville), founded by Vanderbilt University graduate students, creates adaptive cyber defense technologies based on diversity, security, and resilience to make critical software applications unhackable. Tim and Brad Potteiger, respectively CEO and CTO.

► Chito-Armor (Memphis), founded by University of Tennessee Health Science Center graduate students, is a biodegradable, chitosan-based paste used as a targeted drug-delivery system to minimize and eliminate infections. F6 team here.

► Cogentis Therapeutics (Nashville), cofounded by graduate students at Vanderbilt University, is a pre-clinical biotech company working with the National Institutes of Health and academia to cure Alzheimer's disease. CEO Kit Werner.

► Compass (Memphis), founded by University of Memphis students, is a courier company that specializes in on-demand delivery of HVAC parts, materials, and equipment. CEO Ryan Pierce, CIO Isaiah Allenlundy.

► eLab Repairs (Chattanooga), founded by students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Lee University, installs, maintains, and repairs digital fabrication equipment such as 3D printers, CNC routers, and laser cutters. Co-Founder-CEO Chantz Yanagida.

► HeroWear LLC (Nashville), founded by Vanderbilt University students, is an advanced technology company that develops assistive clothing solutions to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and associated medical costs for individuals in manual labor careers such as package handling or manufacturing. Co-Founders: CEO Mark Harris; CIO Matthew Yandell; CSO, VP Karl Zelick.

► Intelligent Systems (Nashville), founded by Vanderbilt University students, helps clients monitor the vitals of their buildings to protect occupants and property while saving time and resources through real-time performance tracking, predictive analytics, and preventative maintenance measures. Timothy Darrah and Edmund Kuryla.

► Mímoma (Memphis), founded by University of Memphis students, creates stylish, protective underwear for children and teens who struggle with uncontrollable urination, so that they can fearlessly attend school and sleepovers. Founder-CEO Michelle Williams-Miles.

► Qardian Labs (Knoxville), founded by Sofia Tomov, a high school student dually enrolled at the University of Tennessee, provides artificial intelligence-based software solutions for making fast and accurate cardiac risk assessments.
Founder: Sofia Tomov

► Quantum Lock Technologies (Oak Ridge-Knoxville), founded by students at the University of Tennessee in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, offers cutting-edge security that combines the power of quantum information with state-of-the-art encryption and user-friendly software. CEO: Erica Grant

► QuikFix (Memphis), founded by students at Rhodes College, connects local college students to homeowners or businesses that need an extra hand with small jobs or chores. Co-founder, CEO: Ben Siegel

► Winter Innovations (Knoxville), founded by University of Tennessee students, invented EasyWhip, a patent-pending surgical needle designed to improve the speed and accuracy of the whip-stitching step in orthopedic reconstruction procedures like anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and rotator cuff surgeries. Founder/CEO: Lia Winter. Related here.

Launch Tennessee, officially Tennessee Technology Development Corporation, is celebrating its 21st year in business. VNC

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