Nine companies are on the path to jumpstarting their businesses as the newest applicants accepted into the RAMP fall cohort and inaugural On RAMP pre-accelerator program. 

The Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program (RAMP) is proud to announce 4 new teams who will complete their signature accelerator program, RAMP-in-Residence, and 5 entrepreneurs who will complete the pre-accelerator program, On RAMP, this fall. The programs will run concurrently, with RAMP-in-Residence participants moving through 12-weeks of business acceleration and On-RAMP cohort developing early-stage businesses to prepare for acceleration in a later cycle. 

“The beginning of a new cohort is always an exciting time for our organization,” said RAMP Director John Hagy. “There’s never a shortage of amazing ideas coming out of this region and it’s an honor to meet this group of entrepreneurs and help them realize their visions.” 

RAMP-in-Residence startups receive $20,000 in non-equity funding, expert mentoring, and free office space with high-speed internet in downtown Roanoke’s Gill Building. RAMP alumni also receive two years of free membership in the Roanoke- Blacksburg Technology Council; one year of membership in Virginia BIO; three years of membership in the Shenandoah Club; membership in Morrow; discounted office space; and three additional years of ongoing support through Exit RAMP – a suite of ever-growing and developing coaching and support services. 

RAMP-In-Residence fall cohort members are: 

• Drivingo (Blacksburg, VA) pioneers customer experience with touchless interfaces, conversational AI, and bespoke omnichannel retail systems. Drivingo boosts interactions across the hospitality and tourism industry from banks to grocery stores and airports, and the fast-food industry.

• DentAI (Richmond, VA) is revolutionizing the dental industry by automating the design of dental splints through advanced artificial intelligence. Our refined workflow offers a powerful tool for high-volume labs and dentists providing in-house treatments. DentAI’s mission is to reduce treatment design costs, enable more same-day appointments, and free up dental technicians to focus on complex cases, ultimately improving dental care efficiency and accessibility. 

• Accordium.AI (Blacksburg, VA) is developing a large language model platform to revolutionize the way users negotiate. This innovative application aims to assist sales, procurement professionals, executives, negotiators, and individuals involved in mergers and acquisitions by offering a comprehensive platform for negotiation preparation, role-playing, coaching, and execution. By creating a bounded universe embedded with a proprietary negotiation system, users will be able to enhance their negotiation skills effectively. The application will provide tailored role-play scenarios and coaching sessions to meet the unique needs of each user, ultimately empowering them to excel in complex sales, price negotiations, and various other high-stakes situations.

• Portcullis Research (Blacksburg, VA) is developing techniques to improve supply chain and lifecycle security for physical documents, trusted supply sources, and other routine business processes. These techniques integrate existing technologies to give companies and government agencies better lifecycle management of documents and assured supply chain artifacts.

RAMP will host a “Meet the Cohort,” open to the public, on October 10 at 5 p.m. at The Shenandoah Club in Roanoke for members of the community to meet the RAMP-in-Residence participants. The Fall 2024 Cohort will conclude their RAMP-in-Residence experience with “Demo Day,” scheduled for December 11 at the Inn at Virginia Tech when the entrepreneurs will present their companies to the region’s business leaders and investors.

Meanwhile, On RAMP participants will be hard at work prepping for acceleration. On RAMP is the first step for entrepreneurs looking to develop their early-stage companies in the technology and life science industries. Entrepreneurs in the On RAMP program will work with mentors to develop their business plans, refine their company pitch, and get connected to area resources.

“We work really hard to reduce barriers to entry for entrepreneurs in the idea stage of starting their businesses,” Hagy said. “On RAMP is the perfect starting place to develop a solid business foundation and grow relationships in the innovation ecosystem.”

The companies that make up the inaugural pre-accelerator cohort for Fall 2024 include ideas in the edtech, biotech, and agritech spaces.

On RAMP entrepreneurs for Fall 2024 are:

• Rufus Pasley (Roanoke, VA) is focused on establishing a company that will recommission wind turbine blades with recycling solutions to be the most cost and energy effective within the United States.

• Edward Gaines II (Stafford, VA) will develop Eudaemonia.ai, an innovative biotech, digital healthtech, and pharmaceutical company on the path to creating drug discovery and innovation within the neurodegenerative disease space and wearable technology. Their mission is to develop industry-changing products & treatments by using a combination of biological and synthetic sources. Their vision is to create a sports wearable thatmeasures hormones such as dopamine and serotonin related to athletes’ performance before, during, and after a game. 

• Amethyst Edmond (Roanoke, VA) is focused on repurposing infection within the human body into something that can be beneficial to the host. By identifying the life processes of microorganisms and comparing them to cellular processes in humans, we can determine a way to manipulate the microorganisms’ regular function into something that is beneficial rather than detrimental.

• Douglas Pitzer (Roanoke, VA) is developing Stroke of Genius LLC. His company seeks to reshape educational environments through technological devices in 3 areas: computer hardware devices, coding and gamification, and information technology fundamentals.

• Toni Sperry (Pulaski, VA) is developing Pod Farms LLC. Her company patented a
  vertical hydroponic system that allows for automation integration, vertical growing and
  is uniquely suited to support new growers and improve profit margins for industrial growers. Their systems can be used inside a greenhouse, significantly reducing input and equipment costs for growers. Currently, many growers are relying on European equipment and costly support because these solutions do not exist in the US. Pod Farms LLC designs and manufactures their own automated equipment that integrates with their system, providing in-house solutions for growers in the United States.

Since its founding in 2017, RAMP – the Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program serving western and central Virginia – has accelerated 52 companies that have collectively created 800+ new jobs and sell products and services to all U.S. states and internationally.