August 10, 2026
For research-based startups, moving a promising technology from the lab toward the market often requires reaching critical milestones before traditional investors are ready to invest.
Northwestern University’s N.XT Fund helps bridge that gap, providing early funding to university-affiliated startups as they work toward technical and commercial milestones that can position them for future investment.
This year, the fund welcomed three new portfolio companies: Amino Cosmetic Peptides, AtomoAI, and GoEco. The investments bring the N.XT portfolio to 26 investments over the past decade.
- Amino Cosmetic Peptides, founded by former PhD student and Q Entrepreneurial Fellow S. Doruk Cezan, PhD, and recent PhD graduate Anna Metlushko, PhD, is commercializing regenerative peptide technology from the laboratory of Professor Samuel Stupp. The company is developing peptides designed to stimulate collagen and elastin production for next-generation skincare products.
- AtomoAI, led by Mohamed Abazeed, MD, PhD, Chair of Radiation Oncology, is advancing iSeg, an AI-powered tumor segmentation platform built on one of the largest radiation oncology datasets available. The technology aims to make cancer treatment planning faster and more precise.
- GoEco, co-founded by Chemistry Professor Sonbinh Nguyen and Timothy Wei, is commercializing a graphene oxide barrier coating designed to provide a PFAS-free alternative for food packaging.
University startups can face a challenging gap between research funding and traditional venture investment. N.XT is designed to help companies make progress during this stage by supporting milestones that reduce risk, demonstrate commercial potential, and strengthen their ability to attract future capital.
With its newest investments, N.XT continues a decade of supporting Northwestern researchers and founders as they work to translate promising discoveries into technologies with real-world potential.