On Friday, May 30, Nucleate Texas hosted Nucleate Demo Day at the Buena Vista Theater on the UTSA Downtown Campus. Nucleate is a student-led nonprofit organization focused on helping academic trainees become founders and translate world-class research into impactful life science ventures. By pairing budding innovators with resources, mentorship, and an inclusive network, Nucleate aims to break down barriers to entrepreneurship and spark a new wave of biotech innovation.

Nucleate Demo Day was led by several UT San Antonio GSBS Students who spent over a year planning, fundraising, and coordinating outreach for Demo Day.
• Shiva Kazempour and Paulomi Modi – Co-Managing Directors for Nucleate San Antonio
• Vincent Pham – Demo Day Director and Host
• Virgil Bideau – Demo Day Stage Manager
• Heetanshi Jain – Demo Day Assistant Stage Manager
• Esteban Castro- Video Producer
• Angel Dominguez – Producer
• Urmi Thaker – Communications Lead

(Left to Right): Angel Dominguez, Esteban Castro, Paulomi Modi, Shiva Kazempour, Urmi Thaker, Virgil Bideau, Heetanshi Jain, and Vincent Pham

At Demo Day, six innovative teams pitched their companies in front of a panel of renowned judges and over 300 attendees. Teams from San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas showcased their products, company, research and vision during the final showcase.

Azad and Sierra’s Journey with UFAI
Azad Khosh and Sierra Hathaway represented the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Azad and Sierra are Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) students in the Cell Biology, Genetics, and Molecular Medicine Discipline under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Boyer. In addition to their studies, Azad and Sierra are also the co-founders of UFAI, a non-invasive blood test for early, accurate detection of uterine fibroids. UFAI is the first fully accurate diagnostic test powered by molecular biology and AI.

UFAI started in the lab when Azad was researching different aspects of uterine fibroid biology. According to Azad, “Uterine fibroids affect up to 80% of women by menopause, yet no screening tool exists for asymptomatic cases. UFAI was born from one urgent question: How many lives could be changed if fibroids were found before they became a crisis?”

To further explore this question, Azad and Sierra participated in the Nucleate Activator Program. The activator program is a six-month program designed to help innovators and early stage startup founders translate their research into biotech ventures by providing education, expert mentorship, and engaging workshops. While it requires a weekly time commitment, participants gain access to a network of more than 2,000 industry leaders and partners spanning biotech, pharmaceuticals, and venture capital. The activator program is designed primarily for academic trainees. Trainees can apply as a startup or individually and will be placed on a team. With guidance from their industry mentor, Azad and Sierra received direct feedback and gained valuable connections to build their network. Participating in the activator program accelerated their lab to market journey for UFAI.

Their participation in the activator paired with their research laid the foundation for UFAI’s mission and led Azad and Sierra to share their innovation in the Nucleate Competition. After winning the Nucleate San Antonio Semi-Final, Azad and Sierra took their company to the next level on the Demo Day stage.

Azad Khosh, the co-founder of UFAI, presents at Nucleate Demo Day.

Demo Day: Where all of Nucleate Texas Competes
Other teams in the Demo Day competition were Neurawear and TumorCast from Austin , BioDelivera and AmyGo Solutions from Dallas, and Cosnetix from Houston. Reflecting on her Demo Day experience, Sierra shares, “the competitor pitches were impressive, with many well-developed and thoughtfully constructed companies. It was clear that we were competing alongside several already-established ventures, which made the experience both challenging and inspiring.” The best pitch overall was awarded to BioDelivera, which is designed to deliver cancer therapy directly to tumors using virus-like particles.

Demo Day competitors with the Nucleate San Antonio team.

Azad shares, “Participating in the 2025 Demo Day was a milestone for UFAI, our first public pitch and a powerful moment to share our mission to revolutionize women’s health. Presenting on stage was a unique experience: standing before an audience to share not only the science, but also the stories that drive our mission. It was deeply inspiring to witness the creativity and boldness of other founders solving urgent problems with innovative approaches.”

Azad advises future presenters to approach their pitch as more than just facts, “let science be a journey beyond data, where every discovery tells a story of healing, hope, and lives transformed.” Sierra emphasizes the value of the mentorship component, urging participants to make the most of the expert they’re paired with, “their insight can be invaluable as you refine your pitch and business strategy.”

Shiva Kazempour and Paulomi Modi, Co-Managing Directors, speak at Nucleate Demo Day

After the pitch competition, Paulomi hosted a panel titled, “The Future of Biotech is in Texas: Where Are You?” consisting of Drew Yashar, Senior Associate at Capital Factory; Shawna Butler, Managing Director at Next Med Health; Monica Malowney, Vice President, Life Sciences and Healthcare at New York City Economic Development Corporation; and Charles Woodin, CEO at Geekdom. This dynamic panel represented multiple sectors of the innovation landscape including investors, ecosystem builders, economic architects, and biotech leaders. Their wisdom and perspective put focus on what truly makes a startup ecosystem successful and the path that leads us all to biotech. The panelists shared how pivotal moments, not perfect plans, shaped their paths and encouraged founders to find joy outside of their startup.

After an inspiring day of pitches, panels, and shared insights, the Nucleate San Antonio Team isn’t slowing down. Paulomi, Shiva, Vincent, Virgil, Heetanshi, Esteban, and Angel attended Nucleate Summit on Cathleen Stone Island in Boston in August. Additionally, Paulomi has taken on the role of Nucleate Texas Regional Managing Director. Shiva will continue serving as a Managing Director of San Antonio along with Virgil who will serve as her Co-Managing Director this upcoming year.

Those inspired by their journey and ready to innovate, connect, and make an impact can join the Nucleate San Antonio team.