The Southside Bethlehem Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) has awarded $80,000 in funding so far to early-stage startup companies in Bethlehem for 2019. This funding is invested at the earliest stages of companies that possess promising technology that is in the process of being commercialized. Many of these companies are pre-revenue. A significant amount of KIZ Tax Credit Awards will be announced later this month by the Pennsylvania DCED.

“The Southside Bethlehem KIZ continues to attract entrepreneurs with great ideas and ambitions, but who are not quite ready for traditional financing,” says Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez. “Our KIZ can serve as a model for other communities across the country and thriving companies in Bethlehem today credit the KIZ with helping them launch and grow.”

The following companies have been awarded $15,000 Technology Transfer Grants for significant projects that, once complete, will allow the company to capitalize on new revenue to help grow the company.

UBMe is a “Local Network for The Modern World” and a geosocial messaging app for sending text, videos and photos, and for discovering what’s happening around you at any given moment. UBMe goes far beyond social networking by creating a new and interactive communication dynamic, in which people can “check in” to wherever they are NOW (concert, ballgame, college campus, local business, etc.) and join a live group chat for that place with other people inside. The app currently works in 100+ million places.

Almas Foods International has identified opportunities in the healthy non-alcoholic beverage market. The first product in this category will retail under Zaffrus brand and will be “Saffron Lemonade with Raw Honey and Basil Seeds.” The project is to construct a semi-automatic small size (almost 1,000 units per day) beverage production line, including mixers, fillers and basic lab equipment.

HootBoard has created a smart information kiosk platform that currently can be used as a concierge platform for spaces. HootBoard based kiosks have been deployed in various indoor scenarios like building lobbies, workplaces, schools and colleges, co-working spaces, etc. This grant will be used to present this solution at the Destinations International conference and find initial clients/partners in this space.

Aeria Pro will be first to market with Tiger Fins as a means to eliminate monotonous steps in the day of a window cleaning professional. Tiger Fins is a professional window cleaning brush accessory with a simple, universal design. Using the provided cord and bronze pad on plate attachment to cleaning brush, it will be the first of several like products that reduce bodily deterioration and fatigue while revolutionizing time on task.

Ray Valentin and Pauline Ribau of Testar (Aeria Pro), the most recent grant recipient, said, “KIZ funding is empowering Aeria Pro and helping launch next stages of our flagship product development along with a suite of related innovative solutions to the window cleaning industry. The relationships built through the grant are key to future success and scaling sales, which will in turn bring added community notoriety and employment. We are grateful to have this partnership!”

Other funding provided by the KIZ includes student internship grants of $2,500 each. There was a total of $17,500 awarded to seven companies to hire student interns from Lehigh Valley-based colleges and universities.

The KIZ also funded companies who used the community-accessible Fab Lab at the Northampton Community College – Fowler Center. Bonn Brewing used the resources at the Fab Lab to design and create new tap handles that will help market for an additional revenue stream as they partner with local establishments. NEATCap Medical also used the Fab Lab to further their design of an apparatus to decrease stress caused by high-frequency sounds for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Contributed article