Two new companies join Venture Creations

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Kracke Photography

ThermApparel, makers of a lower cost, discreet, flexible garment that assists patients with multiple sclerosis or other conditions by regulating body temperature in hot weather, has joined RIT’s Venture Creations business incubator, along with the company Positive Science.

Rochester Institute of Technology’s Venture Creations business incubator has announced the recent inclusion of two new companies to its roster.

ThermApparel, founded by RIT students Bradley Dunn (MFA, industrial design, Baltimore); Kurtis Kracke (MFA, industrial design, Rochester, N.Y.); and Crystal Mendoza Paulin (biomedical engineering, Dallas), is a lower cost, discreet, flexible garment that assists patients with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cerebral palsy or other conditions, by regulating body temperature in hot weather.

ThermApparel has won several innovation awards including second place in the RIT Tiger Tank competition, second place in the RIT Effective Access Technology Conference’s Product Competition, and the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival’s Al Sigl Award.

“It’s our mission to create lightweight cooling garments with discretion in mind,” said Kracke. “We especially hope our garments will increase comfort and decrease fatigue during exercise and forms of physical therapy so that users can increase and improve their health and quality of life in daily activities. We’re looking forward to a productive partnership with Venture Creations in order to make our product available to those who need it most.”

Positive Science, founded in 2006 by RIT alumnus Jason Babcock ’02, ’00 (color science, imaging and photographic technology), is an eye-tracking system that can be utilized by clients for a wide variety of projects. Hardware systems are customizable to allow researchers to explore applications in all areas of eye tracking; software provides an eye-tracking solution for the Mac OS platform that uses intuitive calibration and custom graphics. The company also provides post-capture reviews and comprehensive training.

To date, Positive Science products have been used by several clients including RIT, New York University, University of Rochester, Duke University and Nottingham University- Malaysia Campus, among others.

The addition of ThermApparel and Positive Science brings the number of companies in Venture Creations incubator to 25.

“The addition of ThermApparel and Positive Science to our already impressive roster of innovative companies further demonstrates Venture Creations’ commitment to boosting economic development in our region,” said Richard Notargiacomo, Venture Creations director. “By providing quality coaching, professional consulting and connections with industry professionals, Venture Creations creates an environment in which new businesses can develop, thrive and successfully bring their tech-forward products to market.”

Venture Creations was created in 2003 to provide services to incubating companies, facilitating the development and operation of these companies for the purpose of advancing the educational and research missions of RIT through the enhancement of faculty, student and staff involvement in high technology. It was also created to promote economic development and competitiveness in Monroe County and New York state by encouraging and facilitating the transfer of technology resources to the marketplace. Thirty-one companies have graduated from the incubator and together have created 439 jobs.