Case Western Reserve University, three NE Ohio companies receive a total of $950,000 from Third Frontier

The Ohio Third Frontier Commission on Thursday, Dec. 6, announced it approved a total of $3.15 million in awards to boost entrepreneurs and technology startups statewide — nearly $1 million of which went to recipients in Cuyahoga and Summit counties.

The largest single award went to NextTech Inc. in Toledo, which received a $2 million grant to provide entrepreneurs with resources including mentorship by veteran entrepreneurs and industry professionals; access to investors and capital; help with recruiting talent; incubators providing co-working spaces; and accelerators guiding entrepreneur teams through a three-month business “boot camp.”

Here are the recipients from Cuyahoga and Summit counties:

• Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland was awarded $500,000 for the Case Western Reserve University Technology Validation and Start-up Fund.

• CollaMedix Inc. in Shaker Heights was awarded $150,000 to test and manufacture a new collagen technology used to hold together and provide structural support to tissue.

• Electrionic Systems Inc. of Hudson was awarded $150,000 to configure and test a potassium sensor using an electrochemical technique.

• Hedgemon Inc. in Akron was awarded $150,000 to prototype football helmets fitted with its impact-protection liner inspired by hedgehog quills.

• Agile Ultrasonics Corp. in Columbus was awarded $100,000 to buy equipment that will allow the company to scale a prototype that processes composite materials.

• MAFAZO LLC (Ignyte Assurance Platform) in Dayton was awarded $100,000 to develop and integrate cybersecurity technology from the Air Force Research Laboratory to improve data collection and analysis.

Source: Case Western Reserve University, three NE Ohio companies receive a total of $950,000 from Third Frontier