Three St. Louis startups received $50,000 each during the WashU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards April 17, the first funds distributed by the WashU Venture Network Follow-on Investments.
The joint effort between WashU’s Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the In St. Louis, For St. Louis initiative awards up to $150,000 each year to companies with WashU ties that previously have won funding through Arch Grants, the local nonprofit that awards equity-free grants to startups.
The goal is to support startups with a high probability of remaining in St. Louis after the grant period is complete.
“The Skandalaris Center, through our WashU Venture Network Follow-on Investment and our partnership with the In St. Louis, For St. Louis initiative, is proud to support ventures that are ready to scale,” said II Luscri, managing director of the Skandalaris Center and assistant vice provost for innovation and entrepreneurship. “This collaboration gives our most promising startups the fuel to grow faster — and to continue making a meaningful impact in the St. Louis region.”
Eligible startups were invited to submit investment materials, which Venture Network student analysts and Skandalaris Center staff then reviewed to assess their viability, scalability and potential regional impact. The team held in-person pitches and Q&A sessions with each startup before making funding decisions.
$50,000 investments went to the following three ventures:
- AirSeal: This medical technology company is developing a novel blood test for peripheral arterial disease, with intellectual property licensing obtained in partnership with WashU. Founders Stephen Wu and Mohamed Zayed, MD, PhD, are both WashU Executive MBA graduates.
- uFab: The rapid-turn circuit board startup, focused on domestic manufacturing, is committed to hiring from WashU and Ranken Technical College. Tyler Richards, a 2022 engineering alumnus, established the company in 2022.
- WingXpand: A modular drone company with applications in defense, emergency services and agriculture, WingXpand also has strong ties to St. Louis’ geospatial and aerospace sectors. Co-founder James Barbieri, a 2018 MBA graduate, is a St. Louis native.
“These follow-on investments are the perfect example of WashU’s commitment to our region,” said Lisa Weingarth, senior advisor to the chancellor and executive director of the In St. Louis, For St. Louis initiative. “There are visionary entrepreneurs and exceptional talents here in St. Louis, and we want to keep them here. We hope this funding helps their businesses grow, thrive and stay here to benefit and boost the local economy.”
Skandalaris Center leaders also announced the 2025 Global Impact Award winners and the spring 2025 Skandalaris Venture Competition Awards at the event, held in Anheuser-Busch Hall. Learn more on the Skandalaris Center website.
