Early-stage founders secure $55K to bring their prototypes to life.
Turning an idea into a working prototype is one of the most challenging stages of entrepreneurship. It’s the point where imagination meets hard engineering, where feasibility becomes real, and where founders often struggle with the resources needed to move forward.
The Texas Tech Innovation Hub’s Prototype Fund is designed to bridge that gap.
Each year, the Prototype Fund awards financial support to early-stage entrepreneurs with high-potential technologies that require prototype development or early technical validation. Recipients receive milestone-based funding to build, test, and refine a functional model of their innovation lying the groundwork for commercialization, investment, or Accelerator-level readiness.
The Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) sponsored the awarded $55,000 across four diverse ventures representing both Texas Tech and the broader regional entrepreneurial community. These founders are solving real-world problems spanning agriculture, healthcare, sports technology, and social impact.
Here are the ventures moving one step closer to market.
AgVAx ($20,000) | Team: Seth Cope & Will Searfass, Undergraduate Students, Davis College of Agriculture
Vaccinating day-old chicks is a labor-heavy, error-prone process in poultry hatcheries. AgVAx Delivery Systems replaces that manual workflow with automated vaccine-delivery machines designed for consistency, precision, and high-volume hatchery operations. With Prototype Fund support, AgVAx will refine its hardware and prepare for broader commercial deployment across U.S. poultry networks.
Milk Monitor ($25,000) | Team: Kaytlin Krutsch, Assistant Professor & Researcher, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), School of Medicine’s InfantRisk Center
As cannabis use rises, breastfeeding parents face new questions about safety and exposure in human milk. Milk Monitor, founded by TTUHSC’s Kaytlin Krutsch, is developing the first at-home device capable of detecting active cannabis components in breast milk — giving families clear, science-based answers within minutes. Prototype Fund support will accelerate sensor testing and user validation, helping bring this critical health tool into homes and clinics.
Check-Up Sports ($5,000) | Team: Arie Williams, Community Entrepreneur, Texas Tech Accelerator Cohort 9 Startup
Basketball thrives on connection from finding games, players, to open courts, yet there’s never been a platform built for that ecosystem. Check-Up is changing that with a gig-economy style hub that links players, organizers, and court owners through scheduling, payments, and event management tools. With Prototype Fund support, founder and Accelerator participant Arie Williams will continue building the platform infrastructure needed to scale to new cities.
Tapped-In Mediaworks ($5,000) | Team: Richard Gaines, Community Entrepreneur, Texas Tech Accelerator Cohort 9 Startup
Thousands of justice-impacted individuals reenter society each year with limited support. Tapped-In Mediaworks, working alongside the Returning Citizens Association, provides curriculum-based reentry programs, mentorship, and media platforms that amplify stories, reduce recidivism, and strengthen families. Prototype Fund support will help founder Richard Gaines expand digital tools and production capacity to grow the organization’s national reach.
A Shared Thread: Innovation Backed by Action
Though their industries differ, each Prototype Fund awardee reflects the same core truth: innovation becomes impact only when someone pushes it forward.
The Prototype Fund celebrates that leap; the moment founders refine an idea into something testable, tangible, and ready for the next phase. Whether it’s improving food safety, empowering parents, reimagining community sports, or strengthening reentry support for returning citizens, this year’s awardees are shaping industries and building momentum.
And with $55,000 in Prototype Fund support, they’re one step closer to launching solutions that will make a difference across Texas and beyond.