At the end of June, our team attended Part One of a series on Diversity & Clinical Trials hosted by Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Newlab. The talk, entitled Access and Trust, featured panelists Ramona Burress of Janssen, Eric Roberts of Real Chemistry, and Sophia Goodison of GSK. Kimberly Tableman, CEO of Medicine X, moderated the event.

The discussion centered on the importance of recruiting diverse participants for clinical trials. It also highlighted some of the challenges and potential methods for establishing access and trust in clinical trials and beyond.

The panelists emphasized that building health equity is a collaborative process. It requires conscious, continuous effort and communication from all trial stakeholders: clinicians, participants, and sponsors.

Communicating with trial participants early and often

Clinical trials for new therapeutics and medical technologies aim to produce broadly applicable results. To ensure that new drugs and devices can help as many people as possible, Burgess, Roberts, and Goodison stressed that clinical trial leaders and staff must maintain clear and consistent communication throughout the trial. Clear communication helps trial leaders and staff to continuously gather input from participants. 

As such, the panelists strongly urged trial sites to initiate dialogue with participants as early as possible. Early patient engagement makes for more efficient, lower-cost studies. Most importantly, early engagement is an opportunity to build trust before a trial starts.

Consistent and transparent communication translates to participants feeling appreciated. They may also view trial site clinicians as more reliable and trustworthy. In the end, that trust yields higher retention and, consequently, stronger results.

Utilizing communication technologies to inform, educate, and empower

Poor communication in clinical trials can lead to hesitancy, distrust, and subject dropout. Roberts stated that effectively utilizing communication technologies, like smartphones, in clinical trials “informs, educates, and empowers.” Ultimately, communication technologies can enable higher levels of trust among participants.

Smartphones and similar devices are also important tools for addressing barriers to access. They can circumvent physical distance as an obstacle by virtually bringing trials to participants. They can also help clinicians identify disparities in healthcare access.

Further, communication technologies help streamline the informed consent process by providing clear, detailed answers to participants’ questions. Communication technologies are a powerful force in bridging gaps in accessibility, educating trial participants, and enabling trust.

Social media and the power of infectious trust

Social media plays a powerful role in shaping public perception. People are continually exposed to information through social media and often use it to research answers to questions they have. As such, it is critical to consider the role that the accuracy of information shared via social media (or lack thereof) could impact participants’ trust. In turn, trust can affect retention and a study’s effectiveness. 

Social media also has many benefits. For example, social media influencers can play an important role in amplifying trust. Collaborating with social media influencers is a creative way to increase clinicians’ reach to populations who may not even be aware of their eligibility for certain trials. 

Considering influencers’ power on consumer behavior to create what Burress called “infectious trust” may aid a trial site’s efforts at repairing hesitancy and addressing any concerns participants have.

Developing inclusive technology in any industry

At SeedSprint we facilitate collaboration between startups, universities, and corporations that fosters positive and sustainable change. 

While the J&J Innovation and Newlab Series on Diversity & Clinical Trials is focused on clinical trials, its themes resonate in product development for all industries. Innovators in technology areas from chemical and materials to software to transportation and beyond can learn from the panelists’ wisdom.

Understanding how to develop widely accessible technology that can benefit as many people as possible is essential to forging more inclusive innovation ecosystems. We must listen to the prospective beneficiaries of our technology, gain their trust, and empathize with their needs. In the end, their insights will help us develop solutions with the greatest impact.

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Last week, we attended a talk with best-selling author Jordan Ellenberg hosted by the Brooklyn, NY-based Secret Science Club. Ellenberg spoke about his new book, Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else (you can purchase the book from independent bookstores online).   

In addition to being a best-selling author, Ellenberg is a professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert in arithmetic geometry. In his talk, he made compelling arguments for geometry’s relevance to a wide range of topics, from politics to epidemic management to the stock market, and even baby name trends. 

Geometry and government 

Throughout his career, Ellenberg has applied his mathematics expertise to many different sectors. For example, he once presented a brief to the Supreme Court about how mathematics can be used to take party bias out of redistricting.  

As is, the state legislature decides upon redistricting, allowing current members to prioritize their future political victories. In Ellenberg’s words, “legislators are given the key to their own district preservation.” His solution? A mathematical concept called the random walk. In this process, randomly moving objects wander away from their starting point. Random walks are frequently observed in physical and biological sciences — and perhaps soon, in government and politics (thanks to Ellenberg). Essentially, this principle could be used to create logical district maps, taking politicians’ input out of the matter and instead favoring proportional representation.  

Geometry and language 

Another interesting tidbit Ellenberg discussed was the role of geometry in predicting language. Firstly, he used n-gram language models such as bigrams and trigrams to generate baby names based on the letter combinations of popular baby names. The result? Baby names that sounded eerily familiar to ones you’ve heard even though they were not common.

Some examples he provided included “Corby,” “Melicia,” and “Luxton”. Sometimes, real names were produced as well, capturing English style successfully. For example, when using popular names from 1971, he generated both “Jean” and “Jeane.”  

Ellenberg then used a GPT-3 API to generate strings of English text from a geometry textbook. The GPT-3 API returns a natural compilation of phrases when given a text prompt. His experiment resulted in artificial English sentences that looked like humans could have written them. They sounded correct, yet lacked meaning. Pretty cool! 

Geometry and innovation 

The bottom line: geometry can apply to all STEM disciplines, not just mathematics itself. Who knows, perhaps geometry could be the key to developing your next great innovation! 

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Over the last two decades, the toxicity of hundreds of pesticides in the United States doubled for pollinators and other species that contribute to ecological balance. Pesticides are meant to protect crops from harmful pests. However, they can end up doing more harm than good.

As environmental sustainability becomes an increasingly important issue, more and more companies aim to offer healthier and more sustainable solutions. 

Paving the way to safer crop protection strategies

Part of the 500 FoodTech companies to watch by Forward Fooding, ClearLeaf is a Costa Rica-based startup. The company develops sustainable crop protection strategies. Through these strategies, ClearLeaf aims to protect the environment and optimize farmers’ profits.

As a nation, Costa Rica is a global leader in sustainability. More recently, the country has experienced rapid growth in technology innovation, especially in the life sciences.

ClearLeaf’s mission is to treat plants as carefully as we would with our skin. It’s a valuable approach since traditionally, pest control can lead to a number of long-term problems. For example, pest control methods can weaken soil, cause environmental destruction, and cause health problems for workers and consumers.

ClearLeaf’s solution to these problems is a line of non-toxic contact-action liquid emulsions that enhance plant growth while simultaneously managing pests.

Emerging into the Global Market

Recently, ClearLeaf’s flagship GotaBlanca® product obtained a certificate of conformity to the Europe Union Organic Standard. At the same time, the company raised a $500,000 Seed Round. Now, ClearLeaf is beginning to raise a Seed Plus Round of $2.5 million.

“We are also in the process of moving our headquarters into the US to facilitate growth into that market, better also for IP protection and lastly, be closer to our new investors and strategic partners,” says Nestor Zuniga, ClearLeaf’s Managing Director.

In other news, the company secured a broad distribution agreement with one of the largest agrochemicals distributors in Costa Rica and Central America.

“We are proud to open this new chapter for ClearLeaf. We already have interested investors for this Seed Plus Round and are open to hearing from more, to go forward with the development of our Company and our vision for safe and sustainable agriculture,” says Zuniga.

Growth for Startups

As startups like ClearLeaf emerge into the market, they often face new challenges. Some of the most common challenges can include scaling production capabilities, gaining access to new markets, and securing funding to fuel continued growth.

The SeedSprint platform puts emerging technology startups, technology commercialization staff, and industry tech scouts from all over the world directly in touch.

New to our blog? Stay tuned for more news on emerging technologies and open innovation. To keep up with the latest, sign up for our newsletter!

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Samsung is currently accepting applications for a 6-month startup acceleration program for young companies with technology that can enhance or be used with Samsung products. The program, called Samsung Startup Acceleration Program (SAP), will award five startups a $100K grant and provide development support. The program is open to companies based in the US and Canada. Read on to learn more about the program, and be aware that applications close on April 17!

Samsung’s program is a great fit with many startups on SeedSprint. After all, our core mission is to facilitate collaboration between emerging technology and industry. Samsung’s SAP program is an excellent source of both funding and development and expertise for young companies with promising technology to work with an important player in the consumer electronics space.

Our team sat down with Raul Quino, Director of Technology Strategy and Partnerships at Samsung Research America, to learn more about the program.

SeedSprint: How does Samsung SAP fit into the company innovation strategy? Is it supposed to identify completely new technologies that turn into products or to fill in specific gaps?

Raul: Today, the program’s primary goals are to accelerate the launch of specific technologies that complement Samsung technologies. We are looking for technology or solution that can be applied to Mobile, TV, wearable, and future robot products. While we want to work with companies whose technology is in their roadmap, we are also eager to look at innovative products and encourage any company to apply. 

SeedSprint: Who is involved in evaluating submissions for the program? Does Samsung Corporate Ventures get involved, or the R&D departments?

Raul: The selection process is coordinated by Samsung Research America, Samsung Ventures, and Samsung R&D.

SeedSprint: Do you like when submissions detail how they see the fit with Samsung? Do you expect it? 

 Raul: This program was specifically made to work with companies that have a strong fit with Samsung’s products. The fit with Samsung is, in fact, one of the questions we ask companies when applying for the program. 

SeedSprint: If you could snap your fingers and have whatever technology you want – what kinds of tech would come through the accelerator?

Raul: There are too many to name, but some technologies we are excited about include: display technologies for battery, on-device AI, camera technology, computer vision, advanced materials, sensors, battery technology, audio technology, AR, wearables, home robotics, gaming, GreenTech, IoT, social platforms, CSR, and health/fitness.

Interested in Samsung SAP? Applications close on April 17th and can be submitted here. You can also reach out to jump@samsung.com for more information. Best of luck to all who apply!  

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As part of the 2020 TechConnect Virtual Summit last month, we attended a session called “Working with Defense Primes.” We had the opportunity to hear from Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program leads at four of the five US-based defense prime contractors: Alf Carroll of Raytheon Technologies, Kevin McGrath of Northrop Grumman, Craig Owens of Lockheed Martin, and Paul Staszak of Boeing. 

If you aren’t familiar with the SBIR/STTR programs, they are competitive awards-based Research and Development (R&D) programs available to US-based small businesses. Through the programs, small businesses have the opportunity to develop and commercialize their technologies. 

The SBIR and STTR programs are coordinated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and funded by one of eleven federal agencies. Some of these agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense (DoD). STTR differs from SBIR in that it involves collaborations between small businesses and US-based nonprofit research institutions. The DoD plays a critical role in the programs. In fact, the agency makes up over 40% of the SBIR/STTR budget. 

The benefits of startup-defense prime collaboration

So why work with a defense prime contractor? Small businesses receive all sorts of benefits from partnering with a prime. Some of these benefits include access to subject matter expertise and resources, roadmaps towards commercialization, resources for IP concerns, funding strategy guidance, and support during proposals. 

The collaboration benefits the primes too. Through the partnership, primes build long-term, strategic relationships with small businesses. Additionally, the partnership helps primes to deliver innovative solutions and advanced technologies to their customers. The primes often align innovative small businesses and their technologies to their innovation priorities. This alignment results in the development of more advanced technology that benefits both parties. 

How small businesses can initiate a collaboration with primes

So how does a small business get started on collaborating with the primes? In order to apply for SBIR/STTR funding through the DoD, a small business must meet the qualifications explained here. Most of the primes send out a topic interest list that can give hopefuls an indication of whether their emerging technology is of interest. If your technology is not listed, a small business can usually reach out to each prime to be added. If your technology aligns with one of the primes’ interests, you can fill out an SBIR/STTR form for that prime and email it to their SBIR/STTR department. 

Tips for Successful Collaboration

What is the best way to engage with the defense prime contractors? In the session, the speakers had some important advice for small businesses beginning the process:

1. Be flexible and able to pivot. The primes often will have ideas about how to adjust your technology to fit specific needs.
2. Be persistent about contact. Furthermore, understand where your contact is within these big companies. It is important to find the right person who can advocate for you.
3. Don’t be vague. Come prepared and be concise about where and how your technology will fit in at the prime with whom you are speaking.

We hope we helped to de-mystify the process of working with the US-based defense prime contractors. We wish you luck in advancing your technology through this process!

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We recently attended the (online) 2020 XR Access Symposium, where we learned from accessibility leaders with expertise in extended reality (XR). Not familiar with the term XR? XR refers to immersive technologies like virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. Everything from virtual reality (VR) headsets to Pokémon Go to mixed reality glasses are considered to be XR.

We’re big fans of the XR Access initiative, which was launched by Cornell Tech and Verizon Media in 2019, with support from the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT). Their mission is to make XR technologies more accessible to people with disabilities. And, they have high hopes for XR — they think it has the potential to pave the way for the future of accessible tech.

After all, there’s a lot of buzz about XR these days. And with good reason. XR allows us to access people, places, and experiences regardless of physical distance or other limitations.

In the age of social distancing and Covid-19, XR can make us feel closer even when we are apart. XR can help people who struggle with low vision navigate the world more effectively or help people who are hard of hearing enjoy audiovisual media.

At the symposium, the experts weighed in on these topics and more. Here’s what they had to say about how XR will make the world more accessible — and how you, the technology developer, can design tech with inclusivity in mind!

Considering accessibility needs during product development

Erin Hawley is a writer, gamer, and accessibility consultant who has written extensively on the importance of making AR/VR and video games more inclusive. Over the years, Hawley has worked on a number of exciting projects with some of the biggest names in tech. She worked with Microsoft to develop the Xbox Adaptive Controller. She’s also helped Logitech, EA Games, and Adobe review the inclusivity of their products.

As an experienced product tester, Hawley had some important advice for technology developers. She urged them to consider accessibility needs from the very beginning of product development. “It is much easier to include accessibility features before starting playtesting (the point in video game development when prospective users test the game for bugs or design flaws),” she said; it is very difficult to work backward. As a result, many games and devices don’t become accessible until the next update comes out — which can take years.

So what advice does Hawley have for technology developers? She recommends hiring more individuals with disabilities to test products before bringing them to market. And she emphasized that hiring product testers means paying them for their time. “Our time and knowledge are work,” she said. “Asking for our feedback needs to be done fairly.”

The role of language and culture in enabling access

Language and culture should also be considered when designing products and services that are truly accessible. In Europe, for example, hundreds of different languages are spoken. How can you design to accommodate people who speak different languages?

Dr. Pilar Orero, a professor at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and co-founder of the Media Accessibility Platform (MAP), has some tips. Orero’s research focuses on accessible captioning. “Accessibility and inclusion need to be a given when developing new technology,” she said. And this means including speakers of different languages. “Otherwise, we don’t understand each other,” said Orero.

Orero is an opera-lover, and she’s on a mission to make it accessible to all. She thinks VR can help. She and her team have used Oculus Quest and Google Home technologies to display captioning in multiple languages and to activate subtitles using hand gestures and voice commands. “Many Europeans do not have access to cars or live in rural areas. Virtual access to the opera allows people to immerse themselves in the culture from anywhere,” she said.

XR and the future of work

Joel Ward, a technology strategist and XR Product Manager at Booz Allen Hamilton, wants to see virtual reality integrated into the future workplace. Remote work may be the new normal, but are companies ready for the transition? According to Ward, “Our technology is not quite ready…XR, virtual reality, and augmented reality need to get better.” But sooner than later, he said, XR will be “a larger part of what we do.”

The “virtual office” will enable greater inclusivity, Ward argued. “Making workspaces accessible to everyone could be the silver lining in all of this.”

Ward, whose youngest son has Cerebral Palsy, is passionate about using technology to improve access. He is active in the XR Access community and helps the organization evaluate the accessibility of different technologies. He is hopeful that technology developers will do their part to design with accessibility in mind.

As a technology developer, here are steps you can take to make your tech more inclusive — through product development and beyond.

First, understand your end-users’ needs. Your users are diverse, and they have different needs. Experiment with features that will make your tech work for them. Remember, one size doesn’t usually fit all.

Your users are your greatest resource! Incorporate their feedback as you iterate on your design. After all, their buy-in could make or break your technology.

Involve user experience designers and accessibility experts throughout product development. They may be able to help you design a product fit for all users — not just some. Not only will you expand your user base, but you’ll empower your users, too.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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