The 7th Gear Challenge is an annual competition for science- and technology-based startups from UdeC’s Faculty of Engineering that wish to scale up to the United States. It is led by Chris Klaus, a prominent American entrepreneur and investor recognized worldwide for his technological development and cybersecurity achievements.
By: Carolina Vega and Estefanía Rivas, Communications Faculty of Engineering; Rogel Fierro, Gearbox – Faculty of Engineering rogfierro@udec.cl
Images: Gearbox UdeC
The second edition of this innovation and entrepreneurship challenge awarded six science-based technological companies led by students from UdeC’s Faculty of Engineering. These companies received an initial investment of US$25,000 from Chris Klaus, scalable to US$150,000, formalizing their ventures as companies based in the USA.
The teams underwent a rigorous preparation process lasting over six months to reach the final. It was led by Gearbox, the start-up pre-accelerator program of UdeC’s Faculty of Engineering. During this time, the teams underwent an intensive training and acceleration process, where they faced several filters and evaluations based on the progress and development of their projects’ technologies.
The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Pablo Catalán, emphasized that “Our students demonstrated a high technological knowledge and an ability to build business models that may be interesting for potential investors, as is the case with Chris Klaus. We are very grateful for his trust, for believing in our students, and for providing the possibility to give these enormous opportunities to them.”
The winning projects were:
LicitEasy
This tool is designed for tenders, quotations, and the purchase/sale of medical equipment. This digital solution seeks to simplify and streamline the bidding process on platforms like the Public Market (Mercado Público), allowing companies to significantly reduce the time and resources invested in these activities.
The team comprises Nicolás Lagos, Francisco Zambrano, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Martín López, all students of UdeC’s Biomedical & Civil Engineering program.
EMDS
Electrical machine design software that has application potential from research centers to industry. It offers an innovative and efficient solution for analyzing and designing electrical machines, allowing companies to reduce production times and costs and improve motor energy efficiency.
The team comprises Carlos Madariaga, a Ph.D. student from UdeC’s Engineering Sciences Faculty; César Gallardo, a former UdeC student with a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences; and Yenisley Pérez.
Deep Hub
This platform is based on Artificial Intelligence for analyzing aerial images of different sources and configurations, such as drones and satellites, that can be used for various purposes, such as providing technical support in monitoring and managing forests and natural resources.
The team comprises Karla Cerda, a former UdeC Civil Industrial Engineering student, and Manuel Pérez, a former UdeC Civil Industrial Engineering student with a Masters in Computer Science.
KITA
Faced with the increasingly prevalent health problems in young people (such as the high rate of obesity, depression, and sedentary lifestyle), KITA appears as an alternative for parents and guardians. Focusing on exercise, nutrition, and socio-emotional well-being, KITA is a mobile application that uses Artificial Intelligence to recognize all kinds of patterns in families, from their spaces to their available times.
The team comprises Francisco Ríos, a UdeC Civil Industrial Engineering student with a Masters in Industrial Engineering, and Valentina Ferrada, a former UdeC Civil Industrial Engineering student.
Sentinel Care
This project focused on developing technologies and services for prosthetics and orthotics. Its purpose is to increase the availability and facilitate access to these medical devices through resource optimization and introducing new, emerging technologies.
The team comprises Cristóbal Ramírez, a UdeC Civil Electronic Engineering student, Claudio Casanova, a UdeC Civil Electronic Engineering student, and José Purrán.
Last modified: 30 de enero de 2025
