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2020 Most Fundable Companies

 

The Winners

Congratulations to the 2020 Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies. In our third year, more than 4,500 early-stage US startups from across all 50 states vied for a space on the list, making it the most competitive year yet. All 20 winners are worthy of serious investor consideration based on several company variables including financial projections, market opportunity, intellectual property, competitive advantage, and management-team expertise. Company highlights are included in the event stream replay.

 


Platinum


 

BNNano, Inc. logo

platinum trophy icon

BNNano, Inc.

Industry: Nanotechnology
Location: Burlington, North Carolina 
Founders: Steven Wilcenski, Jason Taylor
About: BNNano leverages cutting edge materials innovations to transform and return value to industrial commodities, facilitating applications such as aerospace, hypersonics, thermal management and additive manufacturing.

Steven Wilcenski

Jason Taylor

 
 

 

Calviri, Inc logo

platinum trophy icon

Calviri, Inc.

Industry: Biotechnology
Location: Tempe, Arizona 
Founders: Stephen Albert Johnston, Kathryn Sykes
About: Calviri will end cancer deaths worldwide via development of new diagnostic and therapeutic products, such as a chip for early detection of antibodies in blood, and preventive vaccines.

Stephen Albert Johnston

Kathryn Sykes

 
 

 

Terecircuits Corporation logo

platinum trophy icon

Terecircuits Corporation

Industry: Electronics Materials 
Location: Mountain View, California 
Founders: Jayna Sheats, Wayne Rickard 
About: Terecircuits has developed a new class of polymer and novel circuit assembly techniques to support microassembly and mass transfer for advanced displays and electronics.

Jayna Sheats

Wayne Rickard

 
 

 


Gold


 

Ai Software, LLC d/b/a Capacity logo

gold star icon

Ai Software, LLC d/b/a Capacity

Industry: Software Technology
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Founders: David Karandish
About: Capacity is a new kind of helpdesk, powered by artificial intelligence, that automates support for your customers and employees.

David Karandish


 

Athena, Inc. logo

gold star icon

Athena, Inc.

Industry: Software Technology
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Founders: Simone Spence
About: Athena (originally Don't Get Mad Get Paid) enables users to collect back child support in less time and for less money.

Simone Spence


 

Flower Turbines, Inc. logo

gold star icon

Flower Turbines, Inc.

Industry: Renewable Energy
Location: Lawrence, New York
Founders: Daniel Farb
About: Flower Turbines makes small wind turbines with aerodynamic innovations that allow them to change the world market for uses near people and buildings.

Daniel Farb


 

RRTC, Inc. logo

gold star icon

RRTC, Inc.

Industry: Materials
Location: Belle Mead, New Jersey
Founders: Rik Riman
About: RRTC is a platform-manufacturing technology company. Patented, low-cost, sustainable solidification technology creates novel composites with a performance edge for a wide range of applications.

Rik Riman

 


Silver


 

Agtools, Inc. logo

silver star icon

Agtools, Inc.

Industry: Software Technology
Location: Irvine, California
Founders: Martha Montoya
About: Agtools is a SaaS Food and Ag worldwide supply-chain platform offering real-time actionable intelligence data to increase profitability and avoid food waste. 2019 Microsoft ML/AI award winner.

Martha Montoya


 

Baby Barista logo

silver star icon

Baby Barista

Industry: Consumer Products
Location: Simi Valley, California
Founders: Cara Armstrong
About: Baby Barista’s connected machine revolutionizes infant formula feeding by making the perfect bottle in under 30 seconds and delivering organic formula right to your doorstep.

Cara Armstrong


 

ECFX logo

silver star icon

ECFX

Industry: Software Technology
Location: Venice, California
Founders: Dan O'Day, Nelson Quintero, Bill Burch
About: ECFX provides a cloud-based enterprise notice management system using intelligent automation to streamline the entire electronic court notice workflow with firmwide administration and analytics.

Dan O'Day

Nelson Quintero

Bill Burch

 

 

ExpressCells logo

silver star icon

ExpressCells

Industry: Biotechnology
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Founders: Matthew Handel, Oscar Perez-Leal
About: ExpressCells is a revenue-generating genetic engineering company that creates knock-in cell lines for biological research more quickly than competing technologies and enabling better experiments.

Matthew Handel

Oscar Perez-Leal

 
 

 

Global Thermostat logo

silver star icon

Global Thermostat

Industry: Renewable Energy
Location: New York, New York
Founders: Graciela Chichilnisky, Peter Eisenberger
About: Global Thermostat commercializes its advanced, multi-patented technology to transform carbon dioxide from a global liability into an opportunity for global prosperity.

Graciela Chichilnisky

Peter Eisenberger

 
 

 

Target Arm, Inc. logo

silver star icon

Target Arm, Inc.

Industry: Aeronautics
Location: Ridgefield, Connecticut
Founders: Jeffrey McChesney, Ryan Bigham
About: Target Arm's device, Tular, enables launch and recovery of both rotary wing and fixed wing drones from any moving vehicle, autonomously, and even during windy conditions.

Jeffrey McChesney

Ryan Bigham

 
 

 

WinSanTor, Inc. logo

silver star icon

WinSanTor, Inc.

Industry: Biotechnology
Location: San Diego, California
Founders: Stanley Kim, Nigel Calcutt, Lakshmi Kotra, Paul Fernyhough
About: WinSanTor is developing what may be the only disease-modifying treatment for peripheral neuropathy, a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that affects the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

Stanley Kim

Nigel Calcutt

Lakshmi Kotra

Paul Fernyhough

 


Bronze


 

Adranos, Inc. logo

bronze star icon

Adranos, Inc.

Industry: Defense and Space
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Founders: Brandon Terry, Chris Stoker
About: Adranos has developed a high-performance solid rocket fuel, ALITEC, that can increase the range or payload capacity of launch systems by up to 40 percent.

Brandon Terry

Chris Stoker

 
 

 

Cast21 logo

bronze star icon

Cast21

Industry: Healthcare
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Founders: Ashley S. Moy
About: Cast21 is changing the way the world heals with QUIN technology, a waterproof alternative to a cast or brace for broken bones.

Ashley S. Moy


 

Hope Trust logo

bronze star icon

Hope Trust

Industry: Software Technology
Location: Holmdel, New Jersey
Founders: Daria Placitella, Joshua Fishkind, Russell Fishkind
About: Hope Trust automates the special needs planning process, allowing families to ensure that the complex, interdisciplinary needs of their loved one will be fulfilled.

Daria Placitella

Joshua Fishkind

Russell Fishkind

 

 

Perfitly, LLC logo

bronze star icon

Perfitly, LLC

Industry: Software Technology
Location: New York, New York
Founders: Dave Sharma, Kash Vyas, Raghav Sharma
About: Perfitly’s AR/VR-AI platform enables online apparel shoppers to try on and visualize garments in 3D before buying, reducing returns and increasing sales.

Dave Sharma

Kash Vyas

Raghav Sharma

 

 

Perytor Therapeutics, inc. logo

bronze star icon

Perytor Therapeutics, Inc.

Industry: Biotechnology
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Founders: Ramon Coronado, Joshua Shaver
About: Perytor Therapeutics discovered a new category of drugs extracted from placental tissue that can be used to promote regeneration, while reducing pain and inflammation.

Ramon Coronado

Joshua Shaver

 
 

 

Wind Talker Innovations, Inc. logo

bronze star icon

Wind Talker Innovations, Inc.

Industry: Telecommunications
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Founders: Matthew Perdew, Ryan Luther
About: Wind Talker Innovations develops solutions to transcend the limitations of existing networks, allowing instantaneous and high-speed communications between users on- or off-grid.

Matthew Perdew

Ryan Luther

 
 

 


 

Semi-Finalists

We also learned about some great companies that did not quite make our top 20, who we'd like to highlight as semi-finalists.

  • 1Talon, Inc.
  • AECS Consulting, Inc.
  • Armchair Quarterback, Inc.
  • Axalume
  • Benchmark Space Systems
  • Big Rock Technologies
  • Boulder Learning, Inc.
  • Brevvie
  • Campground Views, LLC
  • Cruz Foam
  • Davenport SAF-T Systems
  • Disa Technologies, Inc.*
  • EasyKale Labs, LLC
  • EscrowTab, Inc.
  • Eyes 4 Lives, Inc.
  • FFL Communications
  • GameForm
  • GoSun, Inc.
  • Guardian Athletics, Inc.
  • Halo Ramp Company
  • HealthReel, Inc.*
  • i2Chain, Inc.
  • Japa, Inc.
  • Makeena
  • MedVector Clinical Trials
  • MICROrganic Technologies*
  • Morro Data
  • MuscleSound, Inc.
  • MyoGene Bio
  • MyPay Circle, Inc.
  • Neolth
  • Notisphere, Inc.
  • OcuMedic, Inc.
  • Overlooked, Inc.
  • PennyFly Entertainment
  • Perfect Point EDM Corporation
  • Power Orbital*
  • Primary Ocean, PBC
  • RSF Bio Therapeutics
  • Safe Rx
  • SAFE Steps
  • SafeDeploy
  • SEEMS Global Networok
  • STAX Engineering, Inc.
  • Susona, LLC
  • TapOnIt
  • Ternio
  • TracksNTeeth, Inc.
  • TygaBox Systems, Inc.
  • UCHardChip, Inc.
  • VideoKall, Inc.
  • Viper Drill, LLC
  • VUniverse

 

* Denotes finalists

 


 

Sponsors

Our growth would not be possible without the support of the following organizations. Thank you!

 

Platinum Sponsors

Lifeboat Ventures


Contact: Gopi Mattel, Managing Partner

 

 

Gold Sponsors

JPMorgan Securities logo


Contact: Ronald Munman, Executive Director, The Munman Group

 

 

Silver Sponsors

Chase Bank logo


Contact: Maria L. Garcia, Managing Director, North Los Angeles Region, Chase Private Client and Chase Investments

Chase Business Bank logo


Contact: Vaughn Lucas, Executive Director, Business Banking Market Manager for LA North

KPMG logo


Contact: Ryan Youhan, Business Development Director

PlanPerfect Inc.


Contact: Sheree Tallerman, CEO


 

Resource Partners

Audit Prep Services LLC logo


Contact: Michael Psomas, President

CellarStone logo


Contact: Gopi Mattel, CEO

Early Growth Financial Services logo


Contact: Vivek Gutheti, VP of Sales

Flying Point Industries logo


Contact: Gaurav Arora, Partner I John Gallo, Partner

GeoStrategies logo


Contact: Carl Schroeder, President

Mecoy Communications logo


Contact: Ryan Walker, Vice President

Miller Law Partners logo


Contact: Lee Miller, Partner

NGS Global logo


Contact: Bob Bellano, Senior Partner I Louis La Rocca, Partner

Principal Financial Group logo


Contact: Ryan Noto, Director - Retirement Services, Southern CA Region

SoCal IP Law Group logo


Contact: Jonathan Pearce, Partner

Scherzer International logo


Contact: Larry Scherzer, President

Netcapital logo


Contact: Eric Cox, Head of West Coast Initiatives


 

In-Kind Premium

Business Rockstars and CoFounders Lab logo


Contact: Steve Lehman, Chairman

Keiretsu Forum SoCal logo


Contact: Connie Harrell, President

 

 


 

In-Kind

AWS Amazon Web Services logo

Christian Angel Investors logo

Connective logo

Elevate My Brand logo

LAVA logo

Neutrino Donut logo

Paydrop logo

Pismo Ventures logo

Pitch Genius logo

Shoobx logo

Spark xyz logo

Startup Spark Mentoring logo

Syndicate 708 logo

 

 

 


Disclaimers: Final stages may include an on-site or remote interview and a background check. Pepperdine University, in its sole discretion, may choose not to publish a company for any reason it deems appropriate. The Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies List does not represent an offer to sell securities. It does not constitute investment advice, nor is it an endorsement of any particular product or service. Pepperdine University is not a broker-dealer and does not perform services provided by a broker-dealer, including but not limited to any financial or investment advising.