Introducing the 5th Manufacturing Hardware Accelerator Cohort

Rev: Ithaca Startup Works is delighted to introduce 21 physical product companies to the fifth Manufacturing Hardware Accelerator cohort.  

The Manufacturing Hardware Accelerator is designed to help teams move from an advanced prototype to a manufactured product. The program gives participants access to business mentorship, connections to local manufacturers, and introductions to investors, enabling their products to become market-ready.  

“This year’s cohort is queued up for launch – they have a critical mix of funding and customer traction, and I’m excited to see many of them move to commercial pilots and/or initial launch in the next 6 to 12 months!” said Deanna Kocher, Associate Director of Hardware Programs.  

Program leads will deliver weekly content with occasional guest speakers over the 12-month program. Workshop topics range from SBIR, funding and investing to packaging and distribution to sales and pitching. The primarily virtual program will include one week of in-person workshops and manufacturing facility site visits.

The 2025 cohort consists of 21 teams that all fall into a focused track. These tracks include: Classic, Climate Tech, or AgTech, each giving insights from industry experts in relative areas. 

The Classic Track is open to innovators in any field, Rev’s Classic Track provides manufacturing programming and mentorship across all industries. The 2025 cohort has 5 teams entering this track, including:  

• Marrs Solutions: Founder William Marrs has developed a touch-free toilet paper dispenser, a sustainable sanitation system addressing resource, hygiene, and waste management challenges.  

• The Glove Purifier: The team led by Ivory Heard has established a product that addresses hygiene and odor issues in athletic gear, specifically boxing gloves.  

• Playlingo Toys: Founder Annie Hua has created a multilingual children’s toy, giving parents the opportunity to preserve their heritage or teach multiple languages at home.  

• Plateful: Founder Malvina De Salvo is working on an AI-powered nutrition platform that gamifies healthy eating. Transforming mealtime into an educational experience that reduces pickiness, lightens the load for parents, and creates healthy habits in kids. 

• Canoeist Carrier: Terry Kent has created a canoe mobility product, a wheel system that attaches to the rear of a canoe or kayak, removing the burden of carrying.  

The AgTech track gives participants access to specialized industry programming and connected to experts and potential partners within the agriculture technology industry. The 2025 AgTech track has 10 teams, including:  

• Frost Methane Labs: Co-leads Olya Irzak & Angela Mitcham are working with Elizabeth Hillstrom to develop a methane emission reduction startup. Reducing methane emissions from agriculture and coal mining sectors making a positive impact on climate change. 

• PureNanoTech: Co-leads Stuart Hua & Yuhong Jiang have developed a nanobubble generator for enriching irrigation water with air-filled nanobubbles, allowing plants to absorb nutrients from water and fertilizers more efficiently, promoting faster and healthier growth. 

• Steward: Hannah James, Ph.D. ’27, created a ruggedized, low-cost virtual fencing ear tag to make digital agriculture more accessible to low-income countries. 

• UdderWays: Team lead Jayden Neal, working with Zachary and Jody Neal to create a cow-care hygiene product solving the problem of cross-contamination and inefficiency in dairy parlor prep routines. 

• Vetkiosk: Luis Barletta and Franco Masnyj are developing an innovative hardware and advanced software to offer a comprehensive solution for animal production. 

• Eutrobac: Team lead Jesse Wexler is working with Ellie Sangree and Patrick O’Mahony on an affordable, permanent method for removing nitrogen from water.  

• Pachyderm Industries: Brady Haugo has developed on a lightweight, electric, remote operated pruning tool, with optional remote viewing camera. Allowing users to cut vegetation without the downsides of traditional rope pruners. 

• BuzzHive: Founder Mike Bronikowski is building innovative AI-powered beehives that monitor bee health, optimize pollination, and enhance honey production. 

• Labby inc. : Team leads Julia Somerdin and Anshuman Das are working with Luca Chiossone on real-time, on-farm milk composition and health monitoring solutions, enabling early detection of issues like mastitis and delivering actionable insights to optimize productivity. 

• Budbreak Innovations: Jonathan Moon and Ertai Liu are working on a spatial data platform that provides growers with actionable insights, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize vineyard operations and improve profitability. 

The MedTech track participants receive specialized mentorship and networking opportunities with potential partners in the MedTech sector. The 2025 cohort has 6 teams entering the MedTech track, including:  

• F.A.S.S (Fast Access Safety Syringe): Hilario Castillo has developed a rotating mechanism similar to a color pen that will allow clinicians to easily switch needles to withdraw and administer medications. 

• APT Technologists: Trevor McQueen, Ph.D. and Winnie Liang, Ph.D., are working on versatile microfluidic connectors that directly address the current lack of standardization in the microfluidics field, with the goals of providing a reliable, easy-to-use, off-the-shelf solution to customers. 

• Minji: Mikah Jones and Christy Kelly are working on a comfortable sleep aid with a soft, non-invasive design, Bluetooth connectivity and active noise-canceling technology. 

• Triton Bio: Lorenzo D’Amico and Patrick Viste developed Mira: a benchtop incubator with built-in computer vision and cloud-connectivity which enables automated imaging and analysis of microbial cultures over time under specific environmental conditions. 

• NeurGear: Lead Jon Hacker has created ZenBud – An Ultrasound Vagus Nerve Stimulation headset designed for relaxation. 

• EquiPad: Pooja Patel and Sanjana Gurram are making comfortable, sustainable period products free and available in all public restrooms – just like toilet paper. 

Follow along on the Rev Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn more about the teams and watch their journeys unfold over the coming months.