Updated: Sep 21, 2021

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LaVonda Brown is one of 50 founders selected for Google for Startups program focused on high potential startups from underrepresented entrepreneurs based in the U.S.

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(Atlanta, GA) — March 8, 2021 — EyeGage, a startup that increases the speed and accuracy of drug detection with computer vision analysis of the eye, today announced it was selected to join the second cohort of the Google for Startups Founders Academy, a nationwide 6 month, equity free program designed to help promising founders and their startups grow revenues and obtain access to capital.

The Founders Academy began on March 3 and consists of hands-on workshops across a range of topics including customer acquisition, hiring, and fundraising.  EyeGage, a drug screening technology company, is one of only 50 high potential startups that the Google for Startups team has selected for the first nationwide cohort. The founders Academy model was piloted in Atlanta last year with 45 Georgia based companies.

“EyeGage applied to the program to leverage Google's extensive research and testing platforms for training ML models with well-balanced, diverse eye datasets. We first heard of Google for Startups last year during our infancy, so we were on the lookout for the 2021 program announcement as we have grown exponentially over the past year. My interactions with Google date back to 2012 as a selected PhD student in the Google GRAD CS Forum. It brings me great joy to be back in the Google network almost a decade later,” says Founder and CEO, LaVonda Brown. “The support from Google for Startups comes at a critical time for EyeGage and will be used to further develop our technology and acquire B2B customers.”

“85 percent of participants from Google for Startups Founders Academy that we ran in Georgia reported that the program helped grow their startup, whether that be through job creation, fresh pathways to capital, new strategic partnerships, or increased  brand and marketing exposure,” says Jewel Burks Solomon, Head of Google for Startups US. “By expanding the program nationally, we’re hopeful that we can continue to level the playing field for underrepresented founders and their startups, like EyeGage by connecting them to the best Google has to offer.”

The EyeGage technology will help individuals and companies prevent fatal accidents by analyzing eyes for drugs and alcohol before operating vehicles/heavy equipment. The EyeGage technology runs on a mobile device that first takes a picture and video of your eyes, classifies features such as the pupil and iris, and then computes its measurements. Once that is complete, the system identifies any drugs and alcohol in your system. If a report is needed for documentation, the system will generate that as well. When compared to alternatives, the EyeGage technology is contactless (ideal for pandemic), non-invasive, objective/unbiased, secure, accurate, quick (test and results), does not require a clinical lab to analyze data, and self-administrable if desired.

About EyeGage

The EyeGage technology seeks to shift current drug screening solutions by introducing a new method that uses computer vision to analyze characteristics of the eye. EyeGage employs AI recognition and analysis algorithms that can be deployed on any mobile device or computing apparatus with an embedded camera. Ultimately, the EyeGage drug screening technology will help prevent fatal accidents, make our communities safer, and save lives.

About Google for Startups

Google for Startups works to level the playing field for startup founders and communities to succeed by bringing the best of Google’s products, connections, and best practices to startups. Paired with a deep commitment to create diverse startup communities, many of our offerings are designed specifically to provide underrepresented founders with access to resources and opportunities. We support startups everywhere to build something better. Because when startups succeed, we all succeed.

Google for Startups