OU Grads Launch Award-winning Startup
Babel Analytics, a promising new startup founded by two recent University of Oklahoma graduates, was awarded a $250,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a tool for diagnosing laser eye injuries. Babel Analytics’ device aims to help servicemen and women receive improved care following exposure to a laser.
Catherine Ha and William Booker, who graduated from OU in May, secured a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract with the Defense Health Agency to prototype the world’s first handheld clinical decision support tool. DHA is interested in the development of this tool because lasers are common in the battlefield and can pose a great threat to servicemen and women.
Many of these devices operate at wavelengths that are absorbed by the human eye, which can produce harmful effects. The tool created by OU graduates can automatically identify retinal damage after laser exposure. Laser injury to the retina does not cause immediate pain and may go undetected until long-term damage to the retina causes vision loss.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to develop these cutting-edge tools that will help keep America's service personnel safe from harm. We could never have done it without the resources that Oklahoma has made available for young entrepreneurs,” said Booker. “We founded Babel Analytics through the Sooner Innovation Fund, refined our approach through the OSU I-Corps program, and received invaluable guidance from the Tom Love Innovation Hub and their Oklahoma Catalyst Programs. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the top-notch Computer Science faculty at the University of Oklahoma for putting us in a position to compete at a national level. It is an exciting time to be involved in the Oklahoma entrepreneurship community.”
If their research is successful, the two OU alumni are positioned to receive a follow-on Phase II contract of $1.1 million, said Tom Wavering, executive director of the OU Tom Love Innovation Hub and their statewide Oklahoma Catalyst Programs. Since 2018, the Oklahoma Catalyst Programs have helped 10 Oklahoma startups, like Babel Analytics, secure $6.25 million in early stage funding.
“We walked Catherine and William through every step of strategizing, writing and submitting a very strong DoD SBIR proposal and connected them with other key entrepreneurial resources at Oklahoma State University, Career Techs, and others,” Wavering said. “With unparalleled support and mentoring from our Oklahoma Catalyst Programs and the strong partnerships across Oklahoma’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, we are seeing more and more of Oklahoma’s graduate students launch promising startups.”
Article Published: Wednesday, October 23, 2019