Pair of Upstate startups join SCRA member companies

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The South Carolina Research Authority has named two new member companies and awarded new grand funding to two others.

All SCRA member companies receive coaching, access to experts in SCRA’s Resource Partner Network, eligibility to apply for grant funding, and the potential to be considered for investment from SCRA’s investment affiliate, SC Launch Inc., according to a news release.

SkilRedi of Greer and VBASE Oil Co. of Pendleton were accepted as member companies. Advent Innovations Limited Co. of Columbia and FinSiteful of Swansea received new grant funding.

Advent Innovations Limited Co. received a $50,000 federal matching grant. The advanced manufacturing and materials startup provides services in modeling, analysis, design and product development using cutting-edge research with novel sensors, big data analytics and other smart technologies such as robotics, according to the release. Their customers include private corporations and government entities in aerospace, automotive, civil infrastructure and energy.

FinSiteful Inc., dba publicmind.ai, received a $25,000 project development fund grant. The Swansea-based information technology startup’s platform unifies disparate workforce data by providing secure, compliant, and accessible insights to foster collaboration across educational institutions, businesses and government entities.

SkilRedi Corp. is a Clemson University-incubated information technology startup that provides comprehensive training programs that enable individuals to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to pursue careers in advanced technologies, the release said. SkilRedi’s learning management system utilizes virtual and augmented reality and digital twin interfaces to train technicians and elevate workforce skills.

VBASE Oil Co. is a clean tech, sustainability and resilience startup that manufactures a new class of sustainable, high-performance synthetic ester base oils. Biobased, biodegradable, non-toxic and non-bioaccumulating, VBASE products are designed to meet and exceed the properties of conventional lubricants, exhibiting superior high-temperature and hydrolytic stability with exceptional cold weather performance.

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Grant funding is made possible, in part, by SCRA’s tax credit program, the Industry Partnership Fund, and its contributions that fuel the state’s innovation economy. Contributors to the IPF receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit, making it one way to help one of the fastest-growing segments of the South Carolina economy.

Chartered in 1983 by the state of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority fuels the state’s innovation economy through the impact of its comprehensive services to technology-based startups, academia and industry. SCRA provides funding and support to accelerate the growth of academic startups; high-quality lab and administrative workspaces; facilitation and funding for partnerships between and among industry, startups, and academic institutions; assistance and funding for the relocation of technology-based companies to South Carolina; and coaching and funding for startups that may also receive investments from its affiliate, SC Launch Inc.