Kalogon Inc. recently hauled in millions of dollars in new funds and was named a winner of an Orlando Tech Council startup competition — all in less than 24 hours.
The Melbourne-based maker of a high-tech wheelchair cushion has raised $1.9 million in seed funds from a group of Orlando investment groups, led by SeedfundersOrlando.
Orlando-based Deepwork Capital LLC, Orlando-based VenVelo LLC and Sawmill Angels, an investment group connected to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana, also participated in the round.
In addition, Kalogon secured federal grants from the U.S. Air Force and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living & Rehabilitation Research to bring the total new funds to $3.3 million.
This new capital will enable the company to scale around the world, hire more staff and enhance its product.
The Kalogon Orbiter Smart Cushion uses machine learning and patent-pending air cell technology to sense pressure points and redistribute weight to increase blood flow and improve comfort. Plus, a mobile app allows users to adjust the cushion's support themselves. This reduces the risk of pressure sores, which kill 60,000 Americans every year.
Kalogon officially launched the product in February.
Next, the 2-year-old company will make improvements to the cushion's algorithm to improve its medical efficacy and update the software, founder and CEO Tim Balz told Orlando Inno. "All of our existing and new users will see new software updates over the coming months that will increase the number of ways the cushion can customize to their lifestyle and activities."
Plus, the startup, which currently employs 10-15 people, will grow its sales team, as well as hire engineering, sales and marketing interns.
Balz also said he expects production of the cushion to ramp up, which would support the creation of new jobs at Rockledge-based BAC, a nonprofit that provides job opportunities for adults with disabilities. BAC's workforce handles a significant portion of the assembly of Kalogon's cushions.
This is SeedfundersOrlando's second time investing in Kalogon.
The seed-stage investment group, which has made 18 investments in Florida companies since 2019, put $195,000 into Kalogon a year ago, and SeedfundersOrlando CEO Dennis Pape said the company has exceeded expectations since that investment. "We previously backed Tim and his team of aerospace engineers and recognized they brought the 'Silicon Valley startup ethos' to Central Florida and were going to change the world with their smart wheelchair cushion technology."
While a student at Rose-Hulman, Balz led the creation of the first smart wheelchair, which could monitor data, detect when medical issues arose, call 911 and more. The late physicist Stephen Hawking publicly endorsed the chair.
Balz went on to work as a SpaceX engineer for three years. When he left SpaceX to start Kalogon, Balz recruited many of the top engineers he had worked with in the past from heavy hitters like SpaceX, Northrop Grumman and NASA.
Hours after Kalogon revealed the funding news, the company was selected as a winner of Orlando Tech Council's TenX Tech competition on Sept. 22.
Eight local startups showed off their innovative products to a packed house at Harry Buffalo in downtown Orlando. Kalogon won the judges' vote, while Winter Haven-based Overhead Intelligence won the audience vote. As a result, both will get to present at annual innovation expo Synapse Orlando on Oct. 21.
That adds to the company's other recent successes in the Central Florida startup ecosystem. Kalogon in March won first place — and $25,000 — at the Space Coast Pitch Challenge hosted by startup incubator Groundswell, where Kalogon is a member.
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