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Charan Kilari showcases his AI-driven video production platform to Sherry Tie, left, and Bianca Rosales. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Techstars ‘Demo Day’: USC-associated startups present investment pitches
Trojans exhibit products ranging from a novel language application to an innovative beverage device at an event sponsored by the USC Office of Research and Innovation and the USC Stevens Center for Innovation.
An alumnus of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering promotes an AI-driven platform to enhance video production from idea to script to final cut. A diabetes expert and ex-professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC presents a patient-operated medical device that could assist individuals in losing weight without medication or surgery.
These two initiatives, led by USC-connected entrepreneurs, were featured among nine startups at the inaugural “Demo Day” for the USC and Techstars Digital Economy Program. Supported by lively music, the founders presented their concepts and business proposals — Shark Tank-style — to prospective investors.
“You represent the talent that will make USC renowned, and this nation exceptional,” stated Ishwar K. Puri, USC’s senior vice president of the USC Office of Research and Innovation, who initiated the event earlier this month.
Techstars: nurturing future entrepreneurs
Techstars — currently accepting applications for its upcoming cohort — welcomes nearly anyone with a connection to USC: students, alumni, faculty, and former faculty. Techstars fosters future innovators with professional insights, timelines, workshops, and mentor access.
The program initiates with a special event, Startup Weekend, where innovators and creators collaborate, exchange ideas, and fine-tune their product or service concepts. Following this is University Catalyst, a 10-week online course aimed at assisting businesses to make their initial steps towards commercialization.
The most promising ones are invited to join the Accelerator, a rigorous, full-time three-month program. Additionally, at that stage, Techstars offers up to $220,000 in investment in return for a small equity stake in the enterprise.
“They’re dedicating 50 to 60 hours a week,” noted Gabriel Schlumberger, managing director of USC and Techstars. “They achieve two to three years’ worth of advancement in approximately 13 weeks, culminating in Demo Day. That’s essentially the conclusion of the beginning.”
Investors present at the Techstars’ Demo Day listened to a presentation for a Keurig-like protein shake machine conceived by a mechanical engineer holding an executive MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business. Another USC Marshall graduate promoted an AI-supported language instructor aimed at teaching conversational English to non-native speakers.
Techstars event showcases USC creators across diverse fields
“It reflects very positively on USC that such a varied array of founders is engaged in multiple disciplines, with each developing potentially transformative solutions…
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“We’re merely striving to enhance them, and we’re working to cultivate them into exceptional entrepreneurs,” Schlumberger commented.
Following her presentation, endocrinologist specialist Elizabeth Beale commended the program for assisting her in bringing her vision closer to fruition. Years of experience with diabetes patients motivated her to address the underlying issue — obesity — through innovation.
Her invention — a slender, unobtrusive tube secured to a patient’s molar at the back of the mouth — is capable of delivering an appetite-suppressing nutrient solution directly to the small intestine. Essentially, it acts as a nonsurgical gastric bypass.
“It operates on the same principle as surgical procedures, yet it is completely reversible,” Beale stated. “A nurse can administer it in a home setting. Individuals can consume food while using the tube. They can engage in normal social activities, and no one is aware of its presence.”
Jessie Tran, the creator of the AI-powered language coaching enterprise Native, remarked that during her attendance at the inaugural Startup Weekend, she possessed only a vague notion of her business potential. It was there that she partnered with her co-founder, Rex Ordonez, who contributed his programming expertise to her business acumen.
“He can create things extremely quickly, and he hails from Viterbi,” noted Tran, who achieved her master’s in entrepreneurship and innovation from USC Marshall last year. “And we’ve been collaborating ever since.” They currently have 300 English language learners testing their offering.
Brian Kordich, the founder of the protein shake brand EasyShake, expressed his intention to expand into additional pod-based beverages. He emphasized that both USC and Techstars are recognized for their extensive networks of mentors and advocates worldwide.
“Together, we navigated all the peaks and valleys of launching a business, continuously motivating each other to excel,” Kordich remarked. “The feeling of community … was an incredibly positive, transformative experience, and I am genuinely thankful for the chance to take part. Fight on, Techstars!”
DEMO DAY STARTUPS
The inaugural Demo Day of USC + Techstars highlighted nine startups:
- Alsteni Medical, a patient-operated medical device designed to activate the body’s own appetite-suppressing hormones without pharmaceuticals or surgeries. It was established by endocrinologist Elizabeth Beale, an alumna and former clinical medicine associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
- EasyShake, a Keurig-like system for protein shakes. Founded by Brian Kordich, a mechanical engineer with an executive MBA from USC Marshall School of Business.
- Henna, a customer-discovery platform for researchers to aid in the commercialization process. Founder Arsh Haque is a USC Gould School of Law alumnus.
- Native, an AI language coaching tool intended to teach conversational English to non-native speakers. Founded by USC Marshall alum Jessie Tran.
- Praxi, a technical accounting solution that simplifies business contracts into lists and memos. Founded by USC Marshall alumnus James Kinda.
- Preface Health (formerly Fluency), an AI-driven assistant for outpatient care. The founder is Geoffrey Gu, an alumnus of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
- Prismia claims “faultless AI documentation for real estate.” Founded by Charlie Geraci, an alumnus of the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy.
- Silver Spur Therapeutics is innovating a drug delivery system to treat an advancing form of kidney disease. Co-founder Eun Ji Chung is an associate professor of biomedical engineering at USC Viterbi.
- VideoDraft, an AI-enhanced platform that optimizes video production from inception to completion, automating processes such as scripting, storyboarding, editing, and more. Founded by Charan Kilari, a former engineer at Apple who obtained his master’s in multimedia and creative technologies from USC Viterbi.
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