How Chicago startup Beacon plans to grow smart disinfection device
Beacon, a Chicago startup born during the pandemic, is set to bring its innovative room-cleaning device to more homes and businesses in 2025.
A Chicago startup born out of the pandemic is ready to move into more homes and businesses after spending a number of years in research and development.
Founded in 2020, Beacon Technology Solutions — winner of Inno Madness 2025, Chicago Inno's annual bracket-style head-to-head startup competition — makes a wall-mounted smart device that uses Far-UVC 222 nm light to disinfect a room.
Beacon CEO Brian Clark said the Chicago startup has delivered its flagship product to hundreds of customers and will look to continue to expand its customer base in 2025.
"That's a big focus on 2025," Clark told Chicago Inno. "We're really excited to continue to tweak the product and make upgrades based on customer feedback and bring more features to them that solve the problem of staying safe from bacteria, molds and viruses."
Clark said Beacon's customers include both immunocompromised individuals and different types of businesses in the medical and education sectors to keep spaces safe, open and operational.
Clark added that developing a physical product has inherent advantages in today's market where every startup is looking to incorporate artificial intelligence and add .ai to the end of its name.
"It's something real. It's something tangible," he said. "It's something that creates value for people that can't be easily replicated in software."
Beacon fulfilled all its preorders and sold out of its initial product run in 2024, and Clark expects to announce a release date soon for the second-generation Beacon Light, which already has a growing waiting list.
The company recently received a grant from Illinois Tech to study how its light technology can be used to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases in public spaces.
"The big thing about technology like this is you have to continue to show people, not just help them," Clark said.
Sign up for the Business Journal's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Chicago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Coloured Ties Capital Inc. Announces Private Placement for Gross Proceeds of up to $750,000
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 4, 2025) - Coloured Ties Capital Inc. (TSXV: TIE) (OTC Pink: APEOF) (FSE: 97A0) ("CTI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 3,750,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.20 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $750,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit shall be comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one (1) common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one (1) Common Share at a price of $0.28 per share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. The proceeds from the Offering will be used by the Company for corporate and general working capital purposes. The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay a finder's fee to eligible arm's length parties. The finder's fee may consist of a cash fee equal to 8% of the gross proceeds of the Offering. INVESTEE COMPANIES COROPRATE UPDATE The Company is pleased to provide a material update on two investee companies. Lafleur Minerals Inc. ( Lafleur Minerals is proceeding to restart gold production at its 100%, fully permitted and updated Beacon Gold with supply from its nearby Swanson Gold Deposit. The Company is fast-tracking the restart of its 100%-owned, 750 tonne per day ("tpd") Beacon Gold Mill ("Beacon") in Val-d'Or, Québec, and has received significant interest from several groups for the purpose of financing the mill restart as well as to offtake material and support the ramp-up to full production with the goal to be generating cash flow by early 2026. Immediate plans to complete at up to 10,000 metres of diamond drilling at Swanson starting in June using existing flow-through (FT) funds, with over 50 promising drilling targets identified, among the other highly prospective Bartec, Jolin, and Marimac gold targets. A drilling contractor has been selected with drilling permits expected by early June. Recent exploration work by LaFleur Minerals at Swanson which included geological mapping and prospecting, soil sampling surveys, and Induced Polarization (IP) geophysics surveys, have resulted in several high-grade gold assay results (including 11.7 g/t Au in a grab sample at Jolin), and the identification of several new potential gold targets to be drill-tested during the upcoming drilling program. Further details are summarized below. Geological and engineering planning continues for a large bulk sampling program at the Swanson mining lease with an updated Scoping Study and mine plan to be submitted to Québec government for approval. The plan includes the extraction of an up to 100,000 tonne surface bulk sample at Swanson for processing at the Beacon Mill once it is in full production (anticipated by early 2026) First Towers and Fiber Corp - Merger with Akanda Corp. (NASDAQ: AKAN) First Towers is focused on tower development and operating its 700+ km fiber optic network in the attractive wireless market of Mexico, with an intention to expand to other Latin American countries. Owns the largest 5G dark fiber optic network in Central Mexico. 20-year master lease agreements in place for both tower development and fiber network. Preferred partner for providing tower development to the rural regions of Mexico. Veteran tower development team with 20+ years of experience in telecommunications infrastructure development. 27 towers deployed to date and an additional 6 under construction, with the opportunity to continue to develop in key Mexican markets. The Company currently owns 7,000,000 shares of First Towers and will own 2,800,000 shares of Nasdaq listed Akanda Corp. as per the Share Exchange Agreement post merger. First Towers Fiber Corp and Akana News Release dated March 10, 2025: Akanda Corp. Announces Share Exchange Agreement with First Towers and Fiber Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2025) - Akanda Corp. (NASDAQ: AKAN) ("Akanda" or the "Company") today announced that it entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with First Towers & Fiber Corp., a corporation existing under the laws of the Province of British Columbia ("First Towers"), pursuant to which all of the common shares of First Towers (the "Exchanged Shares") shall be exchanged for either common shares, no par value, of the Company (the "Purchaser Shares"), or cash, and First Towers shall continuing as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the "Transaction"). The Company expects that at the closing of the Transaction, its common shares will continue to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under AKAN. As part of the Transaction, substantially all of the shareholders of First Tower will receive consideration equal to one share of Akanda for every 2.5 First Towers shares held immediately prior to the closing, or an aggregate of approximately 15.3 million Purchaser Shares, subject to adjustment, including adjustments as a result of any reverse stock split or consolidation of the Company's shares. The remaining First Towers shareholders will instead receive as consideration an aggregate of approximately US$14.1 million, payable by the Company 18 months after the closing of the Transaction. The Company also agreed to assume outstanding options granted by First Towers and certain indebtedness of First Towers. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. For further information please contact: Coloured Ties Capital Inc. Kal Malhi Chief Executive Officer kal@ Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit Sign in to access your portfolio
The Verge
4 hours ago
- The Verge
No Man's Sky is getting a Switch 2 update in time for launch
No Man's Sky is about to take flight on yet another new platform: developer Hello Games announced today that the sci-fi exploration game will be getting a free update that will enhance it for the Nintendo Switch 2, which launches on June 5th. The game came to the original Switch in 2022, and Hello Games says getting it crammed onto Nintendo's previous console was 'a bit of a technical miracle,' while calling the Switch 2 version 'a huge leap forward.' On the Switch 2, the game will improve both the amount and quality of stuff on screen at any given moment. 'We're rendering significantly more than before, at a higher resolution and improved framerate,' the developer says. It will also feature full multiplayer support, which was missing from the first Switch version of the game. Additionally, the Switch 2 version of No Man's Sky will include features like touchscreen support, gyro controls, and cross-save. The new platform is part of a larger update that spans all versions of the game. Called Beacon, it introduces something of a settlement management element to the game. Here's how Hello Games explains it: Beacon completely overhauls settlements, bringing towns and their management to No Man's Sky. There are huge new robotic settlements to discover, with impossibly new sci-fi buildings. Players can become town mayor and take ownership of multiple settlements. You can construct buildings and upgrade each one, with new building types like jukebox bars where you can choose the music, merchants where you can build custom starships or even ponds you can chill and fish at. Each inhabitant can be conversed with, with their own abilities and attributes to manage. As town mayor you'll be enlisted to welcome new settlers, resolve disputes, and make choices to create prosperity. A well managed settlement can make their owners rich in resources, but they need to be protected. Travellers can hire a squadron of wingmen, who will now defend towns when they come under attack from roving pirates.
Business Insider
10 hours ago
- Business Insider
Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT) was downgraded to a Hold Rating at Evercore ISI
Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT – Research Report) received a Hold rating and a $5.00 price target from Evercore ISI analyst Gavin Clark-Gartner yesterday. The company's shares closed yesterday at $2.96. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter According to TipRanks, Clark-Gartner is a 3-star analyst with an average return of 2.6% and a 41.94% success rate. Clark-Gartner covers the Healthcare sector, focusing on stocks such as Sarepta Therapeutics, Rocket Pharmaceuticals, and Ascendis Pharma. In addition to Evercore ISI, Rocket Pharmaceuticals also received a Hold from Jefferies's Andrew Tsai in a report issued on May 28. However, yesterday, Canaccord Genuity maintained a Buy rating on Rocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RCKT). RCKT market cap is currently $298.4M and has a P/E ratio of -1.05. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 39 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of RCKT in relation to earlier this year. Last month, Kinnari Patel, the President of RCKT sold 767.00 shares for a total of $4,939.48.
