The Office of the Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Pennsylvania has announced the first investments from its StartUP Fund, a $10 million University-backed initiative to accelerate the development and commercialization of technologies emerging from research across all twelve of Penn’s schools. The inaugural investments support three Penn faculty-founded companies: Vasowatch in maternal health, Peptaris in AI-powered drug discovery, and OneFiltr in advanced radio-frequency filtering technology.
“Penn researchers are developing technologies with the potential to address some of the most important challenges facing society today, and many of these solutions have the potential to create entirely new markets,” said John Swartley, Penn’s Chief Innovation Officer. “I am thrilled that the StartUP Fund is able to provide the critical early-stage capital needed to support Penn spinout companies as they translate these types of innovations into products with real world impact. These first three investments are truly reflective of the extraordinary breadth of research and entrepreneurship across Penn.”
Vasowatch: Predicting a Leading Cause of Maternal Death
Vasowatch, co-founded by Stefanie Modri, a clinical adjunct professor in Penn Nursing, and former Penn Engineering faculty member James Weimer, is developing a non-invasive monitoring system designed to predict the risk of maternal postpartum hemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal death. The company is advancing its Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) technology and preparing for a pivotal clinical trial targeted to begin in early 2027. The StartUP Fund investment will support further optimization of the technology and the upcoming trial.
“We are deeply grateful to Penn for their support of Vasowatch. Our predictive technology was initially developed by Penn researchers with the goal of minimizing postpartum hemorrhage complications and deaths during childbirth,” said Christine Rohan, CEO of Vasowatch. “The StartUP Fund provides us with critical early support to accelerate this vital technology through the regulatory approval process.”
Peptaris: AI-Designed Peptide Medicines
Peptaris, co-founded by César de la Fuente, a Penn Presidential Associate Professor, and Marcelo Der Torossian Torres, a research assistant professor in the Perelman School of Medicine, is advancing an AI-powered platform for the design, discovery, and optimization of peptide therapeutics. As interest grows in peptides as a distinct class of medicines, so does the need to systematically optimize their properties for therapeutic development. The investment will support further development of the platform and experimental validation of the company’s initial therapeutic candidates.
“We are very grateful to Penn and the StartUP Fund for supporting the launch of Peptaris out of our laboratory,” said de la Fuente. “This investment gives us an important opportunity to advance and validate our AI-driven platform for discovering and optimizing peptide medicines that will hopefully make a meaningful difference for patients.”
OneFiltr: Simplifying Wireless Hardware
Rounding out the first cohort, OneFiltr, co-founded by Troy Olsson, a professor of electrical and systems engineering in Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, is developing a compact, tunable radio-frequency filter designed to simplify the complex, costly hardware used in advanced RF systems. The technology has potential applications in defense, radar, satellite communications, and quantum computing. OneFiltr will use the investment to develop and produce its device for advanced evaluation by major aerospace and defense companies.
“The StartUP Fund is a really great example of Penn’s commitment to supporting faculty innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Olsson. “Their investment provides OneFiltr with the critical initial capital it needs to further refine the tunable RF filter technology developed in my laboratory and get it into the hands of industry partners where it has the potential for groundbreaking impact in the field of wireless communication.”
