James January-February 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 40
PK What are some examples?
TD For industry, one of the best-known
comes from the company Pindrop.
Back in 2012, GRA was the earliest
investor in this technology out of
Georgia Tech, which identifies very
sophisticated deepfakes in audio.
Pindrop’s technology is now a definitive industry leader, saving financial
institutions and other sectors billions
of dollars. And the company is headquartered in Georgia.
As for products for people, a good
example is an invention out of Emory
called Dr. Noze Best. It provides parents of young kids with hospital-grade
nasal suction when the kids are sick.
You can order it on Amazon and Target.com. GRA provided the founders
of the company with early investment
and advice.
PK As you talk about Georgia’s research universities, what surprises
people most?
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TD Many people aren’t aware of the
full extent of our universities’ output
in research and entrepreneurship. It’s
astounding. AI technology to help
farmers sort onions. A skin patch that
administers vaccines without pain. A
potential drug to treat chronic sinusitis, now entering clinical trials.
Moreover, our researchers are moving science closer and closer to new answers for semiconductors, Parkinson’s
and Alzheimer’s diseases, alternative
energy. The list goes on and on.
PK What’s next for GRA— how do you
plan to build on your efforts?
TD We’re seeing some interesting
opportunities for leveraging cross-university collaboration into landing
more major research awards. This
involves getting top university scientists to work together in some highly
creative ways.
On another front, we recognize
there’s potential to move even more
promising technologies out of university labs in our state. The challenge is
to help university scientists see how
their latest finding might take a different path from publishing a paper in a
research journal.
Publishing remains the best
step in most cases, and that benefits
humankind in one way. But often it
helps to explore the entirely different path of entrepreneurship. That’s
where Georgia Research Alliance can
help bring discovery to life.
