INQBATION LAB UPDATES
January 2026
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As we kick off the new year, we’re proud to celebrate three years of impact at the Querrey InQbation Lab, marking meaningful growth across our startup portfolio, programs, and partnerships. This issue highlights new Q residents, upcoming programs and courses, and a robust slate of events supporting researchers and founders at every stage. We’re also reflecting on recent milestones, fundraising wins, SBIR awards, and national recognition across the Northwestern innovation ecosystem. 2026 promises to be a year of continued momentum.
We wish you a wonderful and prosperous new year!
| | | CELEBRATING 3 YEARS OF IMPACT | | | | Since its launch in December 2022, The Querrey InQbation Lab has ignited a wave of innovation across Northwestern. In just three years, it has been home to 23 startups that have catalyzed the creation of over 115 jobs and raise more than $72 million in funding to bring breakthrough research to the public. With 20 unique programs and 6,000+ event registrants, The Q has energized the university’s ecosystem through seminars, workshops, and pitch showcases. Through strategic partnerships across campus, including Feinberg, Kellogg, Trienens Institute, and Northwestern Medicine, it has awarded $3.7 million in proof-of-concept funds, fueling cross-disciplinary collaborations and commercialization. The rocket is launched—and we're just getting started. | | |
WELCOME TO THE Q!
The InQbation Lab welcomed three new startups in the second half of 2025.
To learn more about InQbation Lab Resident Startups, visit the Q RESIDENT STARTUP PAGE.
| | Laborecom Therapeutics (Prof. William A. Muller, Feinberg) is developing a peptide therapeutic to prevent long-term damage to the heart after a heart attack. | | Third Coast Dynamics (Prof. Michael Markl & Dr. Bradley Allen, Feinberg) is developing a cloud-based risk stratification tool for aortic diseases that uses AI to provide hemodynamic imaging biomarkers from standard CT angiography and MR angiography images. | |
NylaNova (Profs. Tobin Marks & Yosi Kratish, Weinberg) delivers a one-step chemical recycling technology that converts post-industrial and post-consumer nylon waste into high-quality caprolactam. | | |
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THE Q PRACTICUM, OUR *NEW* LIFE SCIENCE INTERNSHIP
The Q Practicum is a new offering by the InQbation Lab. Led by Elan Ness-Cohn, Senior Manager of Life Science Ventures, the program welcomes trainees to an immersive, hands-on program focused on evaluating real Northwestern therapeutic technologies through an investor and commercialization lens. They will work directly with Q staff and industry experts to conduct diligence, pressure-test assumptions, and build non-confidential decks on assets with translational potential. We’re excited to launch this inaugural cohort and enrich the experience of our Northwestern trainees interested in biotech, venture, and life science entrepreneurship. READ MORE
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KELLOGG-Q "COMMERCIALIZING INNOVATIONS" COURSE
For the 3rd year, The Q is partnering with Kellogg to offer ENTR-958: Commercializing Innovations, a one-quarter winter course which provides MBA students with the opportunity to be embedded in Northwestern research centers and institutes and to test the market feasibility. READ MORE
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FUTURE FOUNDERS
The Future Founders Program is back for its second year! Fifteen exceptional early‑career scientists will be chosen to take part in a dynamic two‑day workshop led by Kellogg Clinical Professor Michael Foley. Participants will sharpen their storytelling skills, clarify the impact of their research, and build confidence as emerging innovators. The experience concludes with our Spotlight Showcase in March, where each Future Founder will deliver a three‑minute pitch to a live audience and compete for prizes. READ MORE
| | RECENT PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS | | MIDWEST BIOTECH STARTUP SHOWCASE in SAN FRANCISCO | | |
INVO was thrilled to co‑host this outstanding event, which welcomed more than 250 attendees and featured over 35 high‑growth healthcare startups from Northwestern and leading Midwest universities. In a fast‑paced program of company demos and networking, founders showcased innovations across advanced therapies, biologics, diagnostics, medical devices, small molecules, software, and enabling platforms. The lineup spanned seed‑stage ventures through Series B, clinical‑stage, and commercial companies, highlighting the depth and maturity of the Midwest’s biotech pipeline. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an energizing celebration of the region’s growing impact in translating academic innovation into real‑world solutions. A full list of participating companies and their contact information is available HERE.
| | 2025 MEDTECH STUDIO BUSINESS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP | | |
The Q wrapped up its second year of the MedTech Studio Business Research Fellowship. Over ten weeks, our fellows, thirteen 3rd and 4th year medical students, performed critical due diligence on medtech innovations. After conducting extensive interviews and research, they presented their findings to a Selection Committee composed of clinicians, strategics, investors and entrepreneurs. A special thanks to our dedicated instructors and mentors. READ MORE
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The Q hosted its third Pitch Studio with support from Kellogg students. The event brought together MBA student coaches, Northwestern founders, and a curated group of investors to help early-stage startups strengthen their investor readiness. We’re excited to continue this exciting collaboration with Kellogg! Stay tuned for our healthcare-focused event this spring! READ MORE
| | | | Congratulations to Prof. John Rogers (McCormick) and his team on developing a millimeter scale, wireless, dissolvable pacemaker and being recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2025! READ MORE | | | | Congratulations to NylaNova (Profs. Tobin Marks & Yosi Kratish, Weinberg) for being named one of three 2025 Climate Solutions Portfolio grantees by the Apparel Impact Institute. READ MORE | | Acuitive Technologies (Prof. Guillermo Ameer, McCormick) has commercialized Citregraft, with its first surgical use in November 2025, introducing a next‑generation, citrate‑based bone graft substitute engineered to mimic natural bone chemistry and power regeneration. READ MORE | Syenex (Prof. Josh Leonard, McCormick) has entered a strategic collaboration with Leucid Bio. The partnership will use Syenex’s VivoCell™ platform to help deliver Leucid’s next-generation CAR-T therapies directly in the body, streamlining how these treatments are made and bringing them to patients faster. READ MORE | | Coral Innovations' (Prof. Vinayak Dravid, McCormick) OleoSorb® has now been successfully manufactured in-line at their contract partner’s facility, putting them on track for board-foot production volumes. This marks its move from lab to market, with pilots and customer deployments up next! READ MORE | Lilac Solutions (Prof. Christopher Wolverton, McCormick) co-founded by David Snydacker, PhD ’16, and built on technology spun out of Professor Christopher Wolverton’s lab at Northwestern, has successfully completed its lithium extraction pilot on Utah’s Great Salt Lake. READ MORE | | Epicore Biosystems (Profs. John Rogers and Roozbeh Ghaffari, McCormick) in partnership with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, is helping F1 Academy drivers optimize hydration and performance, advancing both sports science and equity in athletics by expanding research on female athletes. READ MORE | Vanqua Bio (Dr. Dimitri Krainc, Feinberg) has entered an agreement granting Biogen exclusive worldwide rights to its preclinical, oral C5aR1 antagonist. The deal—which includes $70M upfront and up to $990M in potential milestones—significantly strengthens Biogen’s early‑stage immunology pipeline. READ MORE | | Laborecom Therapeutics (Prof. William A. Muller, Feinberg) was awarded an NIH Phase I SBIR (NHLBI) for $400K to advance LBRC-101—its approach to limiting heart muscle damage when blood flow returns after a heart attack. Congratulations to Q Entrepreneurial Fellow and CEO, Lucas Shores! READ MORE | | Opera Bioscience (Prof. Danielle Tullman-Ercek, McCormick) was awarded a $1.25M Phase II SBIR from NSF to scale up three different classes of proteins, showcasing the versatility of its technology and advancing toward a process for commercial protein manufacturing. READ MORE | | Amphix Bio (Prof. Samuel Stupp, Weinberg) raised $12.5 million in seed funding. The company is advancing a powerful new class of materials, supramolecular therapeutic peptides, to treat degenerative diseases and promote healing after traumatic injury. Funding will be used to advance its experimental paralysis-reversing drug toward human trials. READ MORE | | Sibel Health (Prof. John Rogers, McCormick, and Dr. Steve Xu, Feinberg) closed its Series C extension financing round, bringing its total Series C funding to $39M. Their extension included several strategic investors, Maruho Co., Ltd and Samsung Next, and builds on the company's initial Series C round, which closed earlier this year led by The Steele Foundation for Hope with significant participation from Dräger. READ MORE | | |
Q Founder Seminars are open to all members of the Northwestern community. We are excited to welcome Foley Hoag LLP who will lead an in‑person series focused on legal topics for startups, offering practical guidance for entrepreneurs navigating the commercialization landscape. A limited number of office‑hour appointments may be available; those interested can express interest HERE.
Stay tuned for other upcoming Q Founder seminars. Future events will be posted on the InQbation Lab website.
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Q Founder Seminar: Sharing Equity with Co-Founders, Employees, and Service Providers
February 18 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM CT
When launching a startup, how you structure equity can have lasting consequences for your ownership, team dynamics, and investor relationships. This session will break down the essential considerations and common pitfalls founders face when dividing ownership stakes and granting equity to others. Register Here
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Q Founder Seminar: Fundamentals for Financing Your Startup
April 22 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM CT
Raising capital is one of the most exciting and complex milestones in a startup’s journey. Understanding how ownership, valuation, and investment structures work is key to making smart decisions that set your company up for long-term success. This session will equip you with the essential knowledge to navigate the fundraising landscape with clarity and confidence. Register Here
| | OTHER NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES | | EXPLORE NORTHWESTERN STARTUPS ACTIVELY FUNDRAISING | |
Explore The Q's curated lists of startups built on Northwestern-owned intellectual property that are actively fundraising.
This dynamic tool highlights the teams advancing breakthrough science toward market-ready solutions. SEE LIST
| |  | SUBMIT NOMINATIONS FOR THE NORTHWESTERN INNOVATION PRIZE FOR HUMAN-MACHINE PARTNERSHIP | This Kellogg $250,000 global prize honors groundbreaking accomplishments made possible through collaboration between humans and the purpose-built machines they create. Nominations are now open through March 15, 2026. Follow the NI Institute for updates and shareable content. | | | 'ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT NORTHWESTERN' NEWSLETTER | |
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