PRODUCTS
Irvine-based storage hardware maker Enmotus Inc. unveiled its AI-powered solid state drive, called the FuzeDrive SSD.
The product is in demand: Enmotus met its $100,000 Indiegogo campaign goal in under 10 minutes.
The FuzeDrive learns how individual users make use of their computers and selects storage settings accordingly.
The SSD “reacts to the way the user actually uses their storage, rather than focus on raw speeds and feeds,” Chief Executive Andy Mills said. “We wanted to offer the community a device that performs more smoothly and consistently over its life.”
The product, made by Taiwan-based Phison Electronics Corp., is still available for preorder on Indiegogo and deliveries are expected to begin in November.
Enmotus is an alumnus of Aliso Viejo-based accelerator Octane. Its backers include Tech Coast Angels, the Tandon family of the former Tandon Corp. (now Western Digital Corp.), and Exponential Ventures in Corona del Mar.
Robotics Assistance Devices, a developer of automation software and hardware for on-premise surveillance, recently announced product updates that address the health crisis.
The company, led by Laguna Niguel resident and founder Steve Reinharz, unveiled a facial recognition feature that detects when a person enters a facility without wearing a mask, as well as a temperature-taking screener.
Following installation, RAD products require no human contact to operate and send automatic alerts to security teams for follow up.
The devices are meant to be a helpful tool for security guards, which reduce confrontation and remove bias from unpleasant scenarios such as a patron who doesn’t want to comply with a mask requirement, Reinharz said.
RAD products are used in a variety of locations such as gated communities, shopping centers and real estate properties in about 17 states to increase customer safety and reduce crimes and other security risks, he said.
Products are available to rent via Santa Ana-based Allied Universal and Securitas Security Services USA.
In the near future, the company said it plans to reveal mobile autonomous products.
PureBioLogix is selling its alcohol-free hand sanitizer and disinfectant products to clients including Boeing Co., CBRE Group Inc. and several police and emergency response agencies.
The firm, which is a subsidiary of SmartGreen Innovations LLC, uses a private chemical formulation that is nontoxic and provides 12-hour germ protection that will survive several hand washes, OC resident and Chief Executive Assaf Tadmor told the Business Journal.
By contrast, alcohol is evaporative and requires constant reapplication to ensure proper disinfection, he said.Â
Tadmor, a former Navy SEAL and veterinarian, developed the product while in search of an antimicrobial disinfectant that could be used for animals.
The same product can be used on countertops, fabrics and an assortment of materials.
PureBioLogix’s main customers were nonprofit organizations until the pandemic, when the company started to experience exponential growth, Tadmor said.
The company is now setting up an office in OC as it continues to scale.
FINANCING
Cactus Medical LLC, an Irvine-based medical device maker, received a $1 million Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation.
Cactus Medical is developing a device to detect fluid in the ear to improve the diagnosis for ear infections in children, as well as prevent the over-prescription of antibiotics due to misdiagnosis.
The new funds will be used to complete device development and safety work for submission to the FDA.
Cactus Medical paused its clinical work earlier this year, according to Chief Executive Samir Shreim, and used the time to create a better, more cost-effective design to provide to the end-user: pediatricians in primary care and emergency room settings.
When it is safe to resume clinical work, Shreim said the company expects to enroll at least 90 children in a six to nine-month trial at UCI Medical Center and La Veta Surgery Center in Orange.
The recent award brings the firm’s total funds to nearly $1.5 million, with support from the National Institutes of Health and the West Coast Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics, an FDA-sponsored accelerator based out of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
PARTNERSHIP
Aliso Viejo-based music artist distribution platform Octiive last month partnered with Zurich-based Onescreener, a marketing tool for musicians.
Octiive users will receive access to a free trial and discounted subscription rate to Onescreener through the deal.
“Onescreener allows artists to put their best foot forward by creating a beautiful and shareable website,” Mershad Javan, founder and chairman of Octiive, told the Business Journal. “Our users always asked if we had additional marketing tools, so the partnership was a good fit.”
Octiive, previously known as MondoTunes, provides music distribution, marketing and mastering services to independent artists and labels with a range of annual subscription and service packages.
Its platform connects to Spotify, Apple, Pandora and more than 600 online music stores.
Over 100,000 artists and 4,000 labels currently use the service, which ensures users keep 92% of royalties.
Javan, who is CEO of Zurich-based Mictic, said Octiive got its start via a music distribution agreement with Universal Music Group.
London-based Anakando Media Group shares an ownership stake in the 15-person company.
ACCELERATOR
Octane, the Aliso Viejo-based business accelerator, announced its third nonprofit cohort last month.
New participants for the program, which is supported by the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, include:
• Huntington Beach-based STEM Advantage, which provides paid internships, scholarships and professional developer opportunities to low-income students at California State University schools.
• Dreams for Schools, an Irvine-based organization that aims to enhance STEM education via robotics and web development programs for K-16 students.
• Bridge to Connect of San Juan Capistrano, which aims to assist first-generation students with coaching in areas including financial literacy, leadership and networking.
• SciPrism, a San Diego-based nonprofit that is building an open platform to connect and provide scientific research, publications, grants, technologies and patents in one place.
BOARD MEMBER
Allevion Therapeutics, an Irvine-based wearable device maker, recently added Jack Wang to its board of directors.
Wang is CEO of HeMo Bioengineering in China and former CEO of Singapore-based Biosensors International.
He joins as Allevion prepares to commercialize its neuromodulation wrist device, which uses nerve stimulation to treat hand and leg tremors in patients with a movement disorder called essential tremor, Allevion Chairman Shawn Moaddeb told the Business Journal.
The Smartcuff device stores patient profiles and data in the cloud, which can help physicians better care for their patients, he said.
The firm, launched by medical device incubator Adventus Ventures three years ago, said it sees commercial opportunities for its smartcuff in the U.S. as well as emerging markets in Asia where invasive therapies are not widely available.
Allevion has raised several million dollars from Adventus Ventures since its inception and completed an undisclosed round at the end of September.
