When it won second place in a university showcase tournament three years ago, it was just a student project and proof of concept, but it made news as far afield as the United Kingdom.
Ryan Saavedra and three of his UTSA classmates constructed a robotic prosthetic hand for their senior project for less than $700, a small fraction of the price of similar prosthetics on the market. Their 3D-printed prototype held up the possibility of disruption in a multibillion-dollar sector by offering bionic prosthetics augmented by artificial intelligence at a reasonable price. What comes next, the reporters questioned Saavedra?
He reflected on the event this week and remarked, “I had absolutely no notion. “I was a college student with no prior experience starting a business or marketing a medical device.” Actually, he
Saavedra founded Alt-Bionics, a company that is currently progressing steadily to bring his idea to market. Beyond San Antonio’s close-knit robotics industry, the enterprise has attracted interest from regional investment organizations and business watchers as it prepares to launch its first small-scale clinical trials.
Investor interest
The sales pitch made by Saavedra has found some fans.
Before taking second place at TechFuel, a Bexar County-sponsored company pitch competition, Alt-Bionics asked for $200,000 in a pre-seed investment round the previous year. about the end, it brought about $283,000.
A city-associated economic development organization and Alamo Angels, a regional network of angel investors affiliated with the Texas Research & Technology Foundation, whose accelerator Alt-Bionics passed through last year, were among the contributors.
Juan Sebastian Garzon, the executive director of Alamo Angels, stated in a conversation late last year that “they stood out as an investment opportunity.”
Saavedra was shocked by the influx of interested investors. I took a big breath and started crying when our round ended, he admitted. I’ve made a lot of progress.
His journey has been difficult. Almost ten years ago,
Thanks to all