Every month, we recap the biggest tech and startup happenings in Rhode Island. (To get this info every Tuesday, sign up for the Rhode Island Inno Beat newsletter.)
Let’s take a look.
In early January, a team from Rhode Island, including the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation and the state commerce department, were selected as one of 60 finalists and awarded $500,000 in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge to develop and scale regional industry along with training a new workforce.
Providence-based Research Instruments Corp. announced it had invented what could be the brightest bench-scale X-ray generator in the world. The company also announced it had been named a 2022 Prism Award finalist for its new patented device, which can produce X-ray mammogram images that are 20 times clearer than traditional X-ray images while using 95% less radiation.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee stressed the importance of building up the state's infrastructure at his state of the state speech. McKee proposed a series of key investments in the state’s blue economy in Davisville, East Providence and at URI with a "Smart Bay."
Providence based Ritual Motion celebrated the milestone of surpassing $700,000 out of $1M in crowdfunding. Last year, the company launched GUILD: Gamers United In Live Discussion. Ritual Motion has a $20M valuation at Start Engine with a little more than 200 investors seeding the first batch of money.
The University of Rhode Island hosted the state’s annual Food Systems Summit. Julie Stelmaszyk, director of food strategy with the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, outlined the gains the Ocean State has made in increasing food access and the hurdles that remain ahead.
General Dynamics Electric Boat announced plans to hire 3,000 employees to construct and test two Columbia class submarines. The company was awarded a $9.5B contract two years ago for the submarines, which will be the largest and most technologically advanced ever built by the U.S.
Brilliantly founder Kristen Carbone is ramping up for a huge year after launching her company, which is part social support group, part program space and part product launch pad for women affected by breast cancer. In recent months, the company has gained traction with its heated bra insert designed for women who have had breast implant reconstruction and, as a result, experience an overwhelming sense of coldness.
Bristol-based Composite Energy Technologies Inc. (CET), in conjunction with Spear AI and Current Lab, won first prize in the HACKtheMACHINE unmanned competition, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, multiple naval program executive offices, and industry partners. The company, which specializes in building underwater vehicles, won by targeting drug smuggling routes with artificial intelligence.
