BioRankings

Statistical data analysis startup BioRankings just got a letter of ‘intent to fund’ from the National Institutes of Health for a $230,000 grant. 

“This will take us in a new direction, allowing us to do some statistical innovative work in the area of Internet of medical things,” Director of Business Development Tommie Pierson Jr. told the 4thEst8. The firm is partnering with Wash-U School of Medicine NICU (newborn intensive care unit) where they are “placing tiny sensors on babies to record things like heart rate, temperature, and respiration rate.”

The grant charges BioRankings with statistically finding early indicators of health problems, and predicting them. 

HomeTraq

Three-sided marketplace for the real estate and banking industries, HomeTraq just partnered with Beyond Housing – a community development organization.

“Whey you use our platform it’ll immediately let (prospective home buyers) know that the house may be eligible for a $15,000 down-payment assistance program,” HomeTraq chairman Mark Gorman told the 4thEst8. 

The St. Louis startup distributes its platform through banks, credit unions and mortgage companies to help them retain customers. It’s free to home buyers. The company started in 2019,  landed an Arch Grant and is in with Capital Innovators. 

EDURain

Eventually it’ll offer prospective and current college students a slew of services, but EDURain just cleared the proof of concept for the foundation of everything – paying for off campus housing before that student loan is distributed in the first weeks of class.

“This is the hardest part. You have to get other people to lend money to people that they don’t know yet,” CEO Bryon Pierson told the 4thEst8. “We were able to have ten students apply for – and be approved – for loans for (off campus) housing.” 

Off campus housing is less expensive than on, but that first month’s rent and security deposit have to be in place before a student can move in.