A startup that aims to help people suffering from osteoporosis and osteopenia won Hofstra University Zarb School of Business‘ round of the InnovateHER competition, according to a press release from the school.
The winner, QB Sonic, is developing a noninvasive ultrasound stimulator to help maintain bone tissue.
“We are very pleased to win this competition,” QB Sonic Chief Executive Officer Sharon Barkume said in the press release. “Starting a medical device company, especially on Long Island, is a challenging task requiring a lot of hard work. It is rewarding to have our hard work acknowledged.
InnovateHER is business plan competition for products and services that have a measurable impact on the lives of women and families, have the potential for commercialization and fill a need in the marketplace. According to QB Sonic, osteoporosis and osteopenia affect more than 50 million women in the U.S. alone.
QB Sonic now advances to consideration by the Small Business Administration. Entrepreneurs chosen to advance by the SBA will compete March 16-17, 2016, at the Women’s Summit National Finals in Washington, D.C., for cash prizes of up to $40,000.
The newly launched Hofstra University Center for Entrepreneurship administered the competition. Judges include Dr. Elizabeth Venuti, senior associate dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business; Dr. Anne Hamby; and Dr. Veronika Ilyuk, both assistant professors of marketing and international business.
“Hofstra received a number of strong applications, and the judges found that QB Sonic’s business plan displayed the potential of the technology to have an impact on the lives of millions of women and a strong commercialization strategy,” Executive Dean Mark Lesko, who leads the Center for Entrepreneurship, said in the school’s press release.