Award will help ramp up Pendar X10 commercialization
MassVentures recently announced that Pendar Technologies was one of the winners of its 2020 SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) Stage II grants. The $200,000 grant will help Pendar to ramp up commercialization of its Pendar X10™ handheld standoff Raman chemical detection instrument. Pendar X10 is used by first responders and defense personnel to accurately identify unknown chemicals from a distance of up to 3 feet in under 30 seconds, significantly increasing accuracy and safety in the field. Pendar is manufacturing the devices in their Cambridge, MA facility.
The MassVentures START program was initiated in 2012 to assist Massachusetts-based companies in commercializing technologies developed under SBIR and STTR contracts. This highly competitive program supports Massachusetts-based entrepreneurs and innovators as they make the leap from concept to commercialization. Stage II grants are awarded to the most promising Stage I winners from last year. Pendar X10 was recognized with a Stage I award in 2019 and has continued to improve the technology and gain market momentum.
“Over the past year, Pendar X10’s breakthrough capabilities have been impressing field users and gaining accolades and awards from industry experts,” said Dr. Daryoosh Vakhshoori, CEO and Founder of Pendar Technologies. “Our key patented technological innovations have resulted in safe, rapid, and accurate standoff chemical detection. Standoff detection opens new applications, such as enabling easy and accurate chemical identification utilizing robots, an exciting new direction for robot-assisted and autonomous field operations. The MassVentures START program Stage II award will help us meet the growing demand for highly accurate field instruments that are setting new standards in chemical identification.”