– Winning company focused on learning solutions for those with Autism.

Other finalists presented innovative technologies related to Multiple Sclerosis, Spine Alignment, TBI and Oncolytic Immunotherapeutics 

Competition sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati held during 2019 BioHealth Capital Region Forum –

Floreo 2019 crab trap image

Judges of the 2019 Crab Trap competition present Floreo Inc. CEO and Co-Founder, Vijay Ravindran their award 

Rcrab-trap-floreo-2-logo.pngOCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 9, 2018 – Floreo Inc., an early stage startup founded in 2016 which is leveraging the power of virtual reality to deliver immersive, fun, and affordable lessons for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), was chosen from five finalists as the firm with the most commercial potential at the 4th Annual Crab Trap Competition. This year’s judges included industry leaders John Rubin of JP Morgan Private Bank, Charles J. Andres of Wilson Sonsino Goodrich & Rosati’s, Raghav Bhargava  of New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Ethel Rubin of NIH/BHI, John Trainer of AstraZeneca, and Norm Marcus, MD. Of Sanderling Ventures.

The Judges were impressed with Floreo’s CEO and Co-Founder, Vijay Ravindran, presentation of his company’s technology which was inspired by his autistic son’s reaction to virtual reality. Floreo’s library of lessions are currently used in schools, therapy, and homes while providing a supervising adult the opportunity to monitor and track the learner’s progress. Floreo joins previous Crab Trap winners Galen Robotics (2018), LifeSprout (2017) and Sonavex (2016).

In addition to Floreo, the judges and 2019 BioHealth Capital Forum audience viewed presentations by  four other finalists – BeCareLink, BRAINBox Solutions, Spine Align, and Unleash Immuno Oncolytics. “Every year the Crab Trap competition has brought some of the most exciting science and technology to the BioHealth Capital Region Forum. Most people know somebody who has been impacted by challenges of Autism. The technology that Floreo has developed and is continuing to improve makes them a very worthy award winner.” said Richard Bendis, BHI President & CEO.  “The congratulate all the companies and presenters on their progress to date and wish them great success in the future.  The judges made clear this was a particularly competitive group of finalists.”

Founded by BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) and MedImmune (now AstraZeneca) in 2016, the Crab Trap Competition focuses on companies in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare services, e-health, mobile health, electronic medical records, health informatics, and biohealth cyber security. The grand prize this year is $10,000 plus $10,000 worth of legal consultive services provided by Crab Trap Sponsor Wilson Sonsini.

About the BioHealth Capital Region

The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) consisting of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC is the prominent BioHealth cluster in the Mid-Atlantic. The BHCR encompasses more than 800 life sciences companies, over 70 federal labs and world-class academic and research institutions. According to Genetic Engineering News in 2018, the BHCR is ranked 4th in Top Biopharma Clusters in the country. The BHCR brand represents collaboration among leading stakeholders with a collective goal to make the BHCR a top 3 biohealth cluster by 2023. http://www.biohealthcapital.com/

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Media contacts:
Richard Bendis
Phone: 301-637-6439, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.