Students from the School of Molecular Sciences excel at Venture Devils Demo Day

This fall, ASU’s Venture Devils Demo Day transformed Skysong Innovations into a showcase of bold ideas, rigorous science, and student-driven entrepreneurship.

The finalists and winners from the School of Molecular Sciences — including Esteban Gardea, an undergraduate majoring in biochemistry (medicinal chemistry); Logan Chang, a doctoral student in Professor Don Seo's lab; and Logan Hessefort, who is completing a PhD with professor Tim Long — tackled real-world challenges through chemistry, biochemistry and materials science.

Their winnings underscored how student founders are translating lab-born discoveries into scalable solutions, earning both funding and validation from judges, donors and the broader ASU community.

Logan Chang’s startup, Perlion LLC, captured funding in the Health Venture Challenge, a track supporting innovation across health care technologies, wellness and delivery systems. Health care represents one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy, $4.5 trillion annually, and Arizona continues to emerge as a hub for health innovation.

Perlion is an advanced materials company developing FDA-compliant sunscreen actives that deliver true full-spectrum protection, including UVB, UVA and high-energy visible (HEV) light. Its flagship technology, Solir, is built on a patented material that addresses a longstanding gap in U.S. sun protection — one created by decades of regulatory stagnation.

Because Solir is formulated entirely from FDA-approved ingredients, manufacturers can adopt it immediately without waiting for new drug approvals. This positions Perlion ahead of next-generation organic filters that remain unavailable in the U.S. market. Operating under a B2B model, the company supplies active ingredients directly to sunscreen and personal-care manufacturers.

Reflecting on Demo Day, Chang shared: “This is a fantastic opportunity for student-led startups to get a kickstart in fundraising and mentorship in the early stages of commercialization.”

Lysis Corp., another startup that competed in the challenge, earned recognition for the second time in the Social Impact funding track. Founded by Logan Hessefort, Lysis is tackling one of America’s most overlooked waste problems: polyurethane foam.

Each year, Americans discard roughly 4 billion pounds of foam from mattresses, furniture and consumer products. Despite its value, only about 5% is recycled due to contamination challenges that defeat existing methods. Lysis’s solution breaks foam down at the molecular level, recovering valuable chemicals that can be reused to create new foam products — reducing reliance on virgin, oil-based materials.

The process operates under relatively mild conditions using safe, inexpensive chemicals, making it potentially viable for distributed recycling across the United States. Hessefort’s vision is distinctly America-focused and aims to prove that recycling can be both profitable and scalable domestically.

“Walking up to that stage after the announcement, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Placing at Demo Day validated my belief that Americans recognize the importance of American recycling innovation," said Hessefort. “After years of developing this technology, having ASU and the community back this mission to build sustainable solutions for our communities means everything. This funding gives me the critical early runway the company needs to make a positive impact on the waste crisis.”

The startup SproutForge3D, founded by biochemistry undergraduate Esteban Gardea, addresses another persistent challenge — this time in STEM education: Students are often expected to understand complex molecular and biological systems without ever being able to physically interact with them.

SproutForge3D creates hands-on, modular learning kits that allow students to build and explore concepts such as DNA structure, base pairing and immune system interactions. By transforming abstract ideas into tangible experiences, the kits make science more accessible, inclusive and engaging for learners of all backgrounds.

“Being selected as a finalist for Demo Day is incredibly meaningful to me,” said Gardea. “ It represents not just progress for my company but momentum toward a future where high-quality, tactile STEM education is available to classrooms across the country. I’m excited to share this work, connect with the broader ASU innovation community, and continue building tools that help students see themselves as scientists.”

ASU’s Venture Devils Demo Day at Skysong highlighted the power of student entrepreneurship when paired with scientific rigor and community support. From health care innovation and sustainable materials to rethinking STEM education, the School of Molecular Sciences’s winners exemplify how ideas born at ASU are shaping industries and making measurable impact far beyond campus.