40 startups to present at Midwest Deep Tech Demo Day in San Francisco

Startups from leading Midwest universities will present at the Midwest Deep Tech Demo Day, taking place June 23 at Third Coast Foundry in San Francisco.

The event will showcase ventures working across advanced manufacturing, AI, robotics, quantum, semiconductors, energy, life sciences, diagnostics, materials, photonics and other deep tech sectors.

Participating startups are affiliated with member universities of Third Coast Foundry, a new San Francisco-based hub designed to strengthen the Midwest's collective presence in one of the world's most active venture ecosystems. Member universities include Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, Purdue University, The Ohio State University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Washington University in St. Louis.

Presenting teams include:

Carnegie Mellon University

• Analogical Engines // Analogical Engines is an AI platform that helps R&D teams escape familiar solution spaces and accelerate breakthrough innovation by identifying and adapting ideas from unexpected domains.
• Chameleon Semiconductor, Inc. // Chameleon Semiconductor provides embedded FPGA IP that adds post-deployment flexibility and security to custom ASICs - enabling algorithm updates, hardware redaction, and PQC agility without a silicon respin.
• CollAI // CollAI is an AI incident commander for fintech, with on-prem PII redaction and steganalysis.
• Oryn // Oryn builds the physics-native world model for robots, starting in manufacturing and expanding to humanoids for high-precision physical labor.
• ReflectAR // Today's AI understands pixels. ReflectAR is building AI that understands the world in 3D. This isn't another graphics engine - it's the infrastructure layer powering real-time spatial intelligence and volumetric communication.

Northwestern University

• Astroform // Astroform is developing inflatable metal structures for space, defense, and energy.
• AstraClips // AstraClips makes every video speak any language - seamlessly.
• HIDENN-AI // HIDENN-AI is developing physics-based AI for engineering through natural language.
• Mattiq // Mattiq is enabling frontier materials AI with experimental data at scale.
• MINERALIZE, LLC // Using an electrode system, electricity, and minerals naturally occurring in seawater, MINERALIZE's patent-pending technology strengthens coastlines, mitigating coastal erosion in a way that is cost-effective, permanent, and environmentally sustainable.

Purdue University

• Aerovy // Aerovy is the AI operating layer for connected hardware.
• Ixana // Ixana develops Wi-R E-field connectivity chips for always-on, low-power Physical AI wearables and edge devices.
• Resolvr // Resolvr is a Bitcoin-native insurtech turning bitcoin and stablecoins into insurance collateral, backing real-world risk and creating access to institutional, insurance-linked yield.
• Rothalion // Rothalion delivers power at the speed of demand.
• Vibe Robotics // Vibe Robotics is building affordable humanoid robots that automate high-frequency service and household tasks, enabling real-world data collection and scalable physical AI adoption.

The Ohio State University

• Contextual // Contextual is breaking the context limit of language models.
• Empower Battery Technology // Empower Battery Technology is developing anode material enabling batteries to charge five times faster, unfazed by cold weather.
• ForgeNest Inc. // ForgeNest Inc. is a deep tech, dual-use company in the advanced manufacturing space, combining AI and robotics to provide critical metal components. FN's launch product is the Agility Forge platform, capable of delivering advanced forging capabilities.
• RedNOx, Inc. // RedNOx develops ultra-sensitive gas sensors that help mobility, agriculture, and industrial customers measure and reduce NOx and N₂O emissions in real time.
• Relantic // Relantic is developing camera-first agents for the physical world.

University of Chicago

• Meridian-Neuro // Meridian-Neuro digitizes brains at the nanoscale to transform AI and medicine.
• QDIR, Inc. // QDIR, Inc. develops thermal cameras for drones.
• Qualla Labs // Qualla Labs brings quantum measurement into biology through genetically encodable fluorescent-protein quantum sensors and an automated readout instrument to measure live-cell functional recovery for regenerative and personalized medicine.
• Slideflow Labs // Slideflow provides hospitals with a single platform to discover, develop, and deploy pathology AI biomarkers in-house, replacing slow, expensive send-out testing and turning pathology labs into revenue centers.
• staC12 // staC12 is building the materials foundation for the next era of semiconductor and quantum technologies.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Archean Sciences // Archean computes with living neurons for autonomous, human-relevant drug development and energy-efficient AI.
• Dark Matter Robotics // Dark Matter Robotics assists and replaces human labor in labs and businesses with near plug-and-play autonomous robots - one platform to deploy, manage, and scale, with no integration team required.
• Rapid Analytix Division (RAD) // Rapid Analytix Division is transforming construction material testing with 5-minute real-time analytics that help producers reduce downtime, overdesign, and material waste.
• RapiCure Solutions // RapiCure Solutions is reimagining resins.
• Synergy Research Labs, Inc. // Synergy Research Labs, Inc. is commercializing gallium oxide materials and devices for the miniaturization of high-power electronics.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Dirac Labs Inc. // Dirac Labs is building a universal positioning system using quantum sensors. Its NV-diamond magnetometers and magnetic navigation software deliver unjammable, drift-free positioning for defense, autonomous vehicles, and underwater systems.
• Intelligible // Intelligible is developing grounded enterprise reasoning.
• Magic State // Magic State is building the software stack for quantum computers.
• OpTerra Technologies // OpTerra delivers a fundamentally new photonic substrate built for the bandwidth- and memory-starved reality of modern AI. By revolutionizing photonic compute, memory, and communication, OpTerra overcomes the limits of existing AI infrastructure.
• Saturn Soilsense // Saturn Soilsense is building global soil nutrient infrastructure.

Washington University in St. Louis

• BEACON-Neuro.AI, Inc. // Early warning. Better decisions. BEACON-Neuro.AI, Inc. accelerates stroke care through early prediction of severe brain edema.
• Carbonwell // Carbonwell is developing 24/7 carbon-negative power at gigawatt scale.
• Gateway Photonics // Gateway Photonics builds a wearable OCT headset that delivers clinical-grade retinal imaging, making premium eyecare accessible everywhere.
• NeuroMap // NeuroMap is the evidence layer for brain surgery. The company connects the world's neuroscience literature to each patient's surgical target.
• ProvanAI // ProvanAI turns every mammogram into a predictive test for ovarian cancer, enabling early detection and saving lives.

The Midwest Deep Tech Demo Day is supported by Unicorn sponsor Harmonic AI; Series A sponsors Cooley and J.P. Morgan; Seed sponsors ACME Capital and Aprio; and Host sponsor INSEAD San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation.