Within the TechCelerator@StateCollege program for local entrepreneurs, startups aren’t just given a boost to their business – they also compete for a pretty substantial prize.

Six teams undergo a rigorous training schedule each season. Weekly classes are held and the teams receive one-on-one mentoring sessions, so they’re better prepared to launch their tech-based startups in the next year. It all culminates in a final presentation and award ceremony, where each team presents their startup – from target market to the solution provided – to their peers and a panel of judges.

The entire process is made a little more difficult by the fact each team only gets six minutes to share their idea, followed by a five-minute question and answer session. Riding on the line? Up to $10,000 in prizes.

After graduating from the TechCelerator, many of the teams have gone on to see praiseworthy success. Out of the five years the TechCelerator has been in existence, it has managed to graduate 62 teams over the course of 11 classes. Of these 62, 56 have formed companies, received $19 million in startup funding and generated $7.8 million in revenue. Together, they have 121 full- or part-time employees.

So, who competed for this year’s prize?

LB Diagnostics
This company provides a vital service that they hope will transform clinical cancer. Current tissue biopsies can be invasive and painful, but a liquid biopsy remedies these issues with minimal invasion and pain. LB Diagnostics makes liquid biopsies more efficient, fast and accurate. They hope to market launch by 2021, and are currently in clinical trials at Hershey, testing with lung and prostate cancers.

FirstPick
Active sports enthusiasts everywhere can enjoy FirstPick, the app that allows you to find pick up games near you. With just a few taps, you can create your own pick up game of the sport of your choice, and find people to play with. In addition, FirstPick offers a service to sporting venues, allowing them to offer unbooked spaces (such as tennis courts) to interested players.

KNN Software Associates
If you’ve ever been to a hospital for treatment and faced the daunting task of having your medical records forwarded to your place of care, you can benefit from KNN Software Associates and their new solution. Patient medical records are often fragmented and spread over a variety of healthcare and insurance provider databases. This can increase costs and cause delays in treatment. KNN Software Associates has essentially created a patient portal website, where providers can access records all in one spot.

Medical Mirror
Medical Mirror combats the lack of accurate medical info for the elderly and those dealing with deliria and delirium. This lack of accurate medical info for caregivers and emergency responders can result in complications, extended hospital stays, overmedication, increased costs and more. The Medical Mirror is a heavy-duty, all-in-one storage unit that’s small enough to be used by each patient. Each lists patient allergies, medications, emergency contacts, food preferences and more. There are storage spaces for holding glasses, dentures, hearing aids and other items as well.

Simplr
With 15,000 photos shared every second, and large amount of those photos being edited before sharing, Simplr makes posting the best photos easier. Simplr sorts through the best photos in your feed, rating them by their aesthetic appeal, and then recommending them through technology that’s capable of recognizing line, shape, color and more. The intelligent cropping also keeps the focus on the best aspects of the photo, for easier edits. It all happens at an extreme speed, and Simplr is currently negotiating with one of the world’s largest phone manufacturers.

Visionese
Taking a virtual tour has never been so easy (or attractive!). Visionese is a 360-degree virtual tour company, combining panoramic and aerial drone photography to recreate an immersive and interactive experience. Some of their impressive projects so far allow you to take a virtual tour of the Penn State Arboretum and Black Moshannon State Park, among others.

The winners? Simplr claimed first place, receiving a check for $7,500, and FirstPick followed at second, receiving $2,500.