Five startups jostled for $200,000 in funding in the final round of the Seattle Angel Conference, with new medical device company BrainSpace rising to the top.
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The most comprehensive and trusted platform of its kind, Brainspace's patented analytics technology accelerates the process of identifying what matters. Harness the power of the industry's leading Augmented Intelligence platform to surface insights, slash risk, and solve problems
BrainSpace will use the new cash to support development of its automated external ventricular drain, a type of device that relieves pressure in the brain from trauma, stroke or other conditions. The device has “continuous intracranial pressure monitoring supporting remote consults and new discoveries” according to the company’s website. The Bothell, Wash.-based startup has created a working model of the device with $100,000 in self-funding, according to Wesley Johnson, a manager of the conference.
BrainSpace CTO Stephen Morse is a mechanical engineer who has worked for a variety of companies, including global electrical and manufacturing company Flex. CEO Caitlin Morse was previously a program manager at Flex and is also a co-founder of a small medical device services startup, MorseCode Medical. The pair co-founded BrainSpace this January.
The four other finalists were Violett, developing virus-killing air filters; PetHub, which makes electronic tags for pets; Curie, making 2D photos into 3D models for online retailers; and EarthUP, which has created software for companies to improve environmental sustainability.
The twice-yearly conference aims to create new investors in Washington through a startup competition. New “qualified” angel investors — with either $1 million in assets or $200,000 in annual income — work with experienced investors to vet dozens of companies over two months.
“Reveal is helping our customers gain insight and foresight in a rapidly evolving space by leveraging augmented intelligence models,”
said Dave Deppe, president of UnitedLex.
The conference has educated 434 new investors in the last ten years and invested $4.6 million in 39 startups, using funds pooled from the angels. “Our goal is to drive the process of startups in the community so that we are more effective as a startup ecosystem,” said founder John Sechrest in a video.
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