Innovation Fest pitch winner touts unexpected treat: growing his animal health startup in Kansas

Emmanuel Bijaoui’s first time in Kansas — for Tuesday’s Innovation Festival and onboarding for the incoming Plug and Play Topeka cohort — has left the Treat Therapeutics founder with a lasting impression of the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, he shared.

Craig Mason, founder of Kansas City-based Myndset, chats with the co-founders of Pet Portal AI during the BioKansas Startup Pitch Competition at Innovation Festival; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“We always talk about the Animal Health Corridor,” he said after winning the festival’s BioKansas Startup Pitch Competition at the Overland Park Convention Center, “and being here and seeing it on the ground — all the big companies that are around — you really feel that this is the place to be for animal health.”

New York-based Treat Therapeutics — a pet clinical trial platform helping to accelerate research and development for pets by working directly with real, home-based dogs and cats — took home the top prize in the competition, a free year of membership to BioKansas and consulting from Wichita-based Arc Technologies Group.

“I’m really happy to win this here,” Bijaoui continued. “And I’m super excited to come back to Kansas and hopefully grow aspects of business here, as well.”

The Innovation Festival — presented by BioKansas — is a one-day scientific conference that brings together a vast array of students, professionals, life science experts, and many more, according to the organization. The conference showcases and explores the opportunities, challenges, resources, and innovations that exist in the Kansas and broader Midwest bioscience ecosystem.

Three Kansas City-based startups participated in the pitch competition: Myndset (Craig Mason), Portrayals XR (Tricia Keightley), and Wellphoria AI (Jon Crawford).

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Tricia Keightley pitches her startup, Portrayals XR, during the BioKansas Startup Pitch Competition at Innovation Festival; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Amie Norton pitches her Manhattan, Kansas-based startup, CustomNano, during the BioKansas Startup Pitch Competition, ultimately earning second place; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Jason McKinley, Arc Technologies Group, poses questions to pitch competitors alongside fellow judges at Innovation Festival; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Amie Norton with Manhattan-based CustomNano — which is unlocking the potential of nano eggshells to combat pests in stored products — was named the second-place finisher. This was the first pitch competition for Norton, who is conducting research at Kansas State University and was encouraged by her mentors at the school’s Center for Entrepreneurship Accelerator program to join the event. She’s hoping to make connections through the conference who can help her commercialize her product, Norton said.

“It was a good feeling,” she said of earning second from the judges, “because people really cared about my ideas. It really was a great experience just to get out there and pitch an idea.”

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Vetabolics — another Plug and Play Topeka startup that offers a non-invasive, urine-based test utilizing patented machine learning technology for the early detection of specific cancers in dogs — took home third place.

Pitch competitors and event organizers for the BioKansas Startup Pitch Competition at Innovation Festival; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Jon Crawford pitches his Kansas City startup, Wellphoria, during the BioKansas Startup Pitch Competition at Innovation Festival; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Pitch competition participants included:

• Arterra Pet, Jonathan Willbanks, Austin, Texas — Arterra has developed a strong researched-backed supplement for pet health and longevity.
• Branvine, David Park, Gardena, California — Branvine is a pet supplement company offering a range of targeted — often vegan — power and liquid health formulas for dogs and cats with the mission of extending pet lifespan.
• CustomNano, Amie Norton, Manhattan — CustomNano is unlocking the potential of nano eggshells: a game changing approach to combat stored product pests.
• Hoomanely, Sai Supriya, Palo Alto, California — Hoomanely is redefining pet longevity and enhancing their lifespan by building the world’s best “pet-first” ecosystem of interconnected smart devices and right-conscious products that are engineered to peak and sustain a pet’s well-being and prosperity.
• Myndset, Craig Mason, Kansas City — Myndset helps build mental strength like you train your body.
• Pet Portal AI, Ryan Gruzen and Harold Lee, Tarzana, California — Pet Portal is using AI to analyze all pet information and provide insights for pet parent’s informed decision making. 
• Portrayals XR, Tricia Keightley, Kansas City — Portrayals is an inner child healing virtual reality experience.
• Treat Therapeutics, Emmanuel Bijaoui, New York — Treat is a pet clinical trial platform helping to accelerate research and development for pets by working directly with real, home-based dogs and cats.
• Vetabolics, Del Allison, Huntington Beach, California — Vetabolics offers a non-invasive, urine-based test utilizing patented machine learning technology for the early detection of specific cancers in dogs.
• Wellphoria AI, Jon Crawford, Kansas City — Wellphoria is an app that get to know you deeply — so you can sleep better, focus longer, and be more like you.