WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and TechConnect Ventures announce that 11 technology institutions won the crowdsourcing competition “Power of the Passengers Challenge” campaign.
“Co-creating and crowdsourced innovation are no longer novelties for TSA; it’s an imperative to build a pipeline of solutions, increase our capabilities and expand the transportation security marketplace,” said TSA Chief Innovation Officer, Dan McCoy. “The Power of Passengers challenge has been an incredible opportunity to broaden innovation for TSA and our partners.”
The crowdsourced effort presented TSA with more than 125 technologies or concepts to consider.
“We are really proud that this challenge delivered great concepts and many potential technology solutions that seem actionable and promising for TSA,” said Nick Kacsandi, executive director of TechConnect Ventures. “The depth and breadth of innovations - from novel applications for TSA data to advancements in sensors and even COVID-19 mitigation technologies - reinforces the real power that exists among the passenger crowd.”
TechConnect Ventures will award $215,000 to be split among one grand prize winner and ten focus area winners. They are:
- Grand prize: Synthetik Applied Technologies, LLC, Texas $30,000
- First place in security effectiveness: Wheel The World, California, $25,000
- Second place in security effectiveness: ITsimple, LC, Georgia, $20,000
- Third place in security effectiveness: Complex Systems, Texas, $15,000
- First place in operational efficiency: SecureInsights, LLC, Washington, D.C., $25,000
- Second place in operational efficiency: Larry Zeng and Megan Zeng, Utah, $20,000
- Third place in operational efficiency: Daniel Saab, Ohio, $15,000
- First place in passenger experience: HearRo, Inc., California, $25,000
- Second place in passenger experience: Knightscope, Inc., California, $20,000
- Third place in passenger experience: 101 Research LLC, Virginia, $15,000
- Most creative response: Identy, Inc., Delaware, $5,000
The challenge campaign included partners from NASA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate. For more information about future sprints and challenges, visit TechConnect Ventures on the internet. To read more about the challenge, visit powerofpassengers.techconnectventures.com.
TechConnect Ventures cultivates and qualifies a growing multi-disciplinary community of technical experts embedded in virtually every leading technology transfer office, commercialization office, university, research lab, incubator, and funding agency worldwide. For 20+ years, we have provided custom strategic programs, connecting our clients to new or previously unknown sources of external innovation, including over 20,000 vetted technologies. We have sourced over $25 billion in funding for innovators in our network. Learn more and work with us: https://techconnectventures.com/.
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