Startup stories move differently from the lab to real-world impact. Some grow with a public launch, others by building a strong customer base for their innovative product or service. And a few reach a stage where joining a strategic partner allows their ideas to go farther than a small startup could alone. 

In 2025, four companies with Cornell-originated technologies — SafetyStratus, Bactana Corporation, Guard Medical and Halo Labs — were acquired by global corporate partners, allowing Cornell technologies to reach broader markets. While different disciplines, these companies’ journeys share familiar roots: innovations born inside Cornell labs, and inventors and founders who believed their ideas could solve real-world problems. Licensed from the Center for Technology Licensing (CTL), the underlying technologies broadened their reach beyond the labs and into the market.  

“Each of these companies reflects Cornell’s commitment to advancing and translating research that improves lives,” said Alice Li, executive director of CTL. “When Cornell innovation matures into solutions that industry partners want to grow at scale, it indicates scientific merit as well as real-world need and meaningful impact.” 

SafetyStratus: Making workplace safety simpler and stronger 

Research is collaborative by nature. In labs, hospitals and manufacturing facilities, teams rely on shared spaces, equipment, materials and each other. SafetyStratus grew out of recognition that keeping those environments safe — tracking chemical inventories, monitoring safety training, managing compliance tasks and incident reports — is painstaking work. 

Traditionally, that information lived in clipboards, spreadsheets or siloed systems. These scattered records made it difficult for safety professionals to act quickly and consistently in the best interest of their employees’ safety. 

SafetyStratus, based on technologies from Cornell’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety Administration, developed a platform to bring all of that together. Its cloud-based software helps organizations coordinate environmental, health and safety (EHS) programs in one place, reducing risk while supporting a culture of accountability and care. 

In September 2025, the company was acquired by Ideagen, a global provider of compliance and risk management software. With Ideagen’s reach, SafetyStratus’ approach to simplifying complex safety environments can expand to more research institutions and workplaces worldwide.  

“Becoming part of Ideagen opens a new chapter for SafetyStratus,” said Aditya Avadhanula, founder and CEO. “The combination of our technology and Ideagen’s global reach positions us to deliver greater value, innovate faster and shape the future of EHS software.” 

Bactana Corporation: Rebuilding gut health 

Gut health influences everything from metabolism to immunity to cognitive function in humans and animals alike. But improving it can be complicated. Many treatments rely on broad-spectrum antibiotics or supplements that don’t address underlying biological processes. 

Bactana Corporation took a different approach. The company develops probiotics and postbiotics designed to improve intestinal and metabolic health in animals by supporting their existing biological systems. The company was established based on technologies from the College of Veterinary Medicine and incubated at the Center for Life Science Venture (CLSV) from 2017 to 2019. Bactana received a Cornell gap funding award that allowed the company to attract additional investment. Bactana graduated from CLSV in 2019, a milestone that marked its transition to a viable business partner.  

“Our incubator is proud to have supported Bactana’s journey from concept to commercialization,” said Ying Yang, interim director at CLSV. “Their success in translating groundbreaking microbial research to products supplying global veterinary market underscores the importance of fostering innovation at its early stages.”  

Today, Bactana’s products are helping both livestock and companion animals alike. For livestock producers, this work could reduce antibiotic use while improving weight gain and disease resilience. For companion animals, it could offer new ways to restore intestinal health with fewer side effects. 

In May 2025, Bactana was acquired by Kemin Industries, a global health and nutrition ingredient manufacturer, advancing its technology and expanding its products to a bigger market. 

Guard Medical: Post-surgery healing at home 

Surgical recovery does not end when patients leave the operating room. For many, wound healing requires vigilance against the potential for infection and can cause discomfort during dressing changes. 

Negative pressure wound therapy has long helped improve healing outcomes, but current devices are large, costly and difficult for patients to use outside clinical settings. 

Guard Medical, co-founded by researchers and clinicians at Weill Cornell Medicine, has created the NPSeal, an easy-to-use, lightweight and portable device that offers negative pressure wound therapy, allowing patients and caregivers to apply it on their own. The goal is to make advanced wound care accessible, intuitive and less burdensome. 

In 2025, the company was acquired by a global medical device manufacturer, a step that supports larger-scale distribution and integration into surgical recovery pathways. 

“Guard Medical’s progress reflects the translation of clinical insight into practical innovation happening at Weill Cornell and across campuses,” said Lisa Placanica, senior managing director of CTL at Weill Cornell Medicine. “This is an example of how Cornell discoveries can directly and positively impact lives.” 

Halo Labs: Advancing biologic analysis 

Halo Labs, originally founded as Optofluidics and based on research by David Erickson, the S.C. Thomas Sze Director of the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, develops analytical instruments that help scientists assess the stability and purity of biological drugs. By detecting tiny particles that can affect the safety and effectiveness of protein-based therapeutics, the system can develop treatments for diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders.

In May 2025, Halo Labs was acquired by Waters Corporation, expanding the company’s technology into a broader portfolio of tools supporting global biopharmaceutical research.

Each of these companies followed a familiar Cornell arc, starting with an idea rooted in research, close partnership and funding support through intellectual property licensed from CTL, and benefiting from collaboration across Cornell’s innovation ecosystem and external partners who helped shape the science beyond campus.