A blood test that simplifies breast cancer screening. An artificial intelligence-powered app that helps music students find their voice. And a self-described “flight simulator for physical therapy students.”

These three projects — each being built by a University of North Dakota faculty member, researcher or student — were selected as winners in the inaugural Lift-Off Showcase, hosted last week in the Gransberg Community Room of the Gorecki Alumni Center at UND. 

The event capped off the university’s Innovation Moonshot Summer Accelerator, which included 10 startup teams that competed for a slice of $20,000 in alumni-sponsored early seed funding. (While the accelerator started with 12 teams, two dropped out due to personal circumstances.) 

“There was this ambition that was coming, and we knew that we had struck a chord when we saw so much energy arise.”  

Andrew Armacost, UND President

The accelerator was part of the Innovation Moonshot Initiative, a yearlong program organized by UND’s Center for Innovation (CFI) aimed at commercializing university intellectual property. The initiative launched earlier this year after President Andrew Armacost challenged the university to produce four new companies in one year.

Introduced at his 2025 State of the University address, the message resonated.

“I had a number of curious-minded people from across the campus, faculty members, and graduate students and undergraduates, who came to me proudly and said, ‘I want to be the moonshot,’” Armacost said. “There was this ambition that was coming, and we knew that we had struck a chord when we saw so much energy arise. This is the culmination of that energy.”  

Man in a green shirt speaks into a microphone on a stage at a UND event, with a grey backdrop and string lights behind him.
Andrew Armacost, president of the University of North Dakota, addresses attendees at the Innovation Moonshot Summer Accelerator Lift-Off Showcase in the Gorecki Alumni Center at UND in Grand Forks (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Getting breakthroughs out of the classroom and into the real world

UND last year was named a Carnegie R1 institution, a designation assigned to universities in the top tier of research activity. Tech transfer activity — the process of converting research into commercial businesses — has increased dramatically over the past two decades at these types of universities.    

However, academics are not necessarily trained entrepreneurs. CFI director Amy Whitney approached Armacost last year to discuss how the Innovation Center could close that gap and turn laboratory work into real-world economic impact. 

“The objectives of the accelerator are to help our faculty think through not just their technologies, but how their technologies solve problems in the marketplace where someone has the ability and willingness to actually adopt that solution and pay for it,” Whitney said.

A trio of funded winners

A panel of judges — Sarah Louise, director of gener8tor’s 1889 Fund; Randy Trask, CEO of Q Station; and Michelle Ciesielski, project coordinator of the Great Plains Hub of the National Science Foundation I-Corps — awarded prize checks to three winners who split the $20,000 pool:

Detectology (awarded $5,000)

Biotech startup Detectology is producing a blood test that makes breast cancer screenings easier and more reliable. Ghosh presented.

A man stands on stage giving a presentation next to a screen displaying information about “Detectology” and three pictured individuals.
Postdoctoral research fellow Bappa Ghosh presents the Detectology pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

PT EMR (awarded $5,000)

Medtech startup PT EMR is developing a software application that guides physical therapy students through virtual training scenarios. Dan Stone, assistant professor of physical therapy and PhD. student, presented.

A man stands on stage holding a microphone, presenting a slide titled “PT EMR” next to a screen with University of North Dakota and partner logos.
Assistant professor Dan Stone presents the PT EMR pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

ND Vocal (awarded $10,000)

Musictech startup ND Vocal is building an AI-driven vocal training app for personalized one-on-one voice coaching, targeting music educators in large classrooms. Justin Montigne, assistant professor of voice and former touring member of the Grammy-winning group Chanticleer, presented.

A man stands on stage holding a microphone and tablet, speaking next to a screen displaying a presentation titled “One teacher. Forty singers. Forty minutes.”.
Assistant professor Justin Montigne presents the ND Vocal pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Preparing for launch

All teams will also continue to receive support and mentorship in the next phase of the Innovation Moonshot Initiative, even if they weren’t prize recipients. This is how the program can justify funding three startups while aiming to launch at least four viable businesses. 

While bringing four companies to market is an informal goal for the CFI and the Innovation Moonshot Initiative, meeting that goal isn’t a requirement to continue the program. 

Speaking from the event stage, Whitney emphasized that the Lift-Off Showcase was part of a long entrepreneurial journey for all participants. Later, she reinforced that sentiment when asked about its future during the evening’s networking and discussion session.

“It will run again next year,” Whitney said. “There is no doubt in my mind. We are all in.”

Following team presentations, Julie Collins, lead facilitator of the accelerator, joined gener8tor’s Louise in hosting a fireside chat to share entrepreneurial insight.

Two women sit on stools in front of a dark wall with small lights; one speaks into a microphone while the other listens.
Sarah Louise, Lift-Off Showcase judge and director of the gener8tor 1889 Fund, and lead facilitator Julie Collins (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

During her talk with Collins, Louise encouraged researchers to talk to their customers and apply their feedback to develop better solutions. For researchers more comfortable defending dissertations than winning over investors, the program created space for growth. 

“We had to talk to so many people who got to understand a lot of different things, which we did not anticipate being the researcher,” said Motoki Takaku, an associate professor of biomedical sciences and Detectology team member. “Overall, this was a fantastic experience, which changed our viewpoint on how to look at research totally from a startup perspective.”

7 more Moonshot startups to watch

Here’s a look at the remaining seven Lift-Off teams, whose projects spanned industries including aviation, energy, advanced materials and manufacturing, and life sciences. 

ESAS

Airspace safety software startup ESAS is working to provide real-time conflict detection and compliance record automation. Paul Snyder, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) program director, presented.

A man in a suit holding a microphone stands next to a presentation screen with charts, against a wall with small lights.
UAS program director Paul Snyder presents the ESAS pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Smart FracOp

Oilfield services technology startup Smart FracOp is designing software that leverages physics-informed AI to make hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) more efficient by improving real-time operational decision-making. Hadi Jabbari, associate professor of energy and petroleum engineering, presented.

A man stands on a small stage giving a presentation; a screen displays information about a team with text and headshots.
Associate professor Hadi Jabbari presents the Smart FracOp pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Quantum Optics

Advanced materials manufacturing startup Quantum Optics aims to produce bespoke optical thin-film coatings used in many consumer products and applications. Markus Allgaier, assistant professor of physics and astrophysics, presented.

A man stands on stage holding a microphone beside a screen displaying a “Quantum Optics” panel with headshots and names of three people.
Assistant professor Markus Allgaier presents the Quantum Optics pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Invisiscale

Healthtech startup Invisiscale intends to leverage smart bed technology (which uses embedded sensors to track biometric data) to offer continuous weight monitoring. Lina Bouakkaz, graduate research assistant, presented.

A woman is presenting a slideshow on stage to a panel of judges in a modern conference room with large windows and a “LIFT OFF” sign nearby.
Graduate research assistant Lina Bouakkaz presents the Invisiscale pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Volare

Business-to-business supply chain startup Volare is creating a centralized platform for UAS manufacturers to source materials that meet federal cybersecurity and compliance requirements. Puja Roy, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences, presented.

A woman in business attire gives a presentation on stage next to a screen displaying three profiles under the title “VOLARE.”.
Assistant professor Puja Roy presents the Volare pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Virvac LLC

Biopharmaceutical startup Virvac LLC is working on a novel host-cell-targeting method to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and viral bronchiolitis. Masfique Mehedi, associate professor of biomedical sciences, presented.

A man stands on stage presenting a slide about RSV and infant hospitalization, showing statistics and illustrations, with a microphone in hand.
Associate professor Masfique Mehedi presents the Virvac LLC pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Pilot Training

Aviation technology and training startup Pilot Training is developing a standardized and data-driven system for modeling expert flight instruction, intended to reduce training hours for student pilots while improving safety outcomes. Hyungwoo Jo, assistant professor of aviation, presented.

A man in a red shirt stands on stage next to a screen displaying “Pilot Training” and three headshots, with a black backdrop behind him.
Hyungwoo Jo presents the Pilot Training pitch (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)

Scroll to see additional photos from the event.

A mannequin in a spacesuit stands next to a screen displaying information about ESAS and two presenters at a LIFT-OFF event in a modern building.
The event atmosphere leaned into a space-influenced launch theme (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)
People gather and converse in a modern event space with rows of empty chairs, large windows, and a “Lift-Off” sign on the stage backdrop marked “UND.”.
The audience included faculty members, students, entrepreneurs and members of the local community (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)
Six people stand on stage; four hold a large check labeled “LIFT-OFF” for $20,000, awarded to “Omniology” as the Lift Off Winner. The background features a dark wall with the “UND” logo.
Seven people stand on a stage, posing with an oversized check for $10,000 labeled “LIFT-OFF” against a gray backdrop with the letters “CN” visible.
Six people stand on a stage; one holds a large ceremonial check for $3,000 made out to PT Genie from Lift Off.
A group of people in business attire converses and networks in a modern lobby with wooden walls and large windows during a professional event.
After winner announcements and closing remarks, attendees gathered for food and an informal networking session (Ben Sailer for Technical.ly)