Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/564353
t m c » p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 23 We encourage our founders to work with and learn from each other, but we're also building a community. […] We bring founders from previous cohorts back into the program to share their experi- ences and provide advice. — HESAM PANAHI, PH.D. Founder of RED Labs from previous cohorts back into the program to share their experiences and provide advice." Alumni companies remain heavily invested in that network. Medical Informatics, a Houston-based health IT startup, leveraged the connections they built to propel themselves forward—this June, they received FDA clearance to sell the first version of their data alert system. "We used OwlSpark as a launching pad to help recruit our initial team of five people, as well as three interns," said Emma Fauss, Ph.D., CEO of Medical Informatics, a company that performs real-time predic- tive analytics in critical care environments throughout the country. Medical Informatics currently resides in TMCx+, a shared co-working space adjacent to the TMCx accelerator. "We've come a long way since then, using the mentorship connections we cultivated and the wonderful advice we received to integrate into other hospitals around the country. We continue to encourage people within our companies to mentor other people trying to voyage into entrepreneurship— it's a difficult road, and it really takes a community." OwlSpark and RED Labs first collaborated last year for the inaugural Bayou Startup Showcase, which provided an opportunity for startup teams from both accelerator programs to showcase their businesses to the greater Houston community. While this year's event was structured around that same agenda, it was nearly impossible to distinguish which teams came from which university as they took the stage. "An interesting side effect of this collaboration between OwlSpark and Red Labs is the blurring of boundaries," said Panahi. "Throughout the summer, we've had people that traditionally work with one accelerator or university crossing over and helping out teams from the other. Many of these interactions have turned into meaningful relationships that will extend far into the future." Hesam Panahi, Ph.D., and Kerri Smith, kick off the second annual Bayou Startup Showcase at the University of Houston.