We did it! The intense 7-week long NSF iCorps program is over and the results are in: Team POCket Diagnostics composed of the Entrepreneurial Lead Zarya Rajestari, the Technical Lead Lawrence Kulinsky, and the Industrial Mentor Richard Henson is recognized with the “Spirit of NSF iCorps” Award 2023 that reflects the enthusiasm, hard work, and determination (as well as flexibility) in pursuit of the goals of commercialization of our product. We conducted over 130 customer interviews ( more than any team in our 24-team cohort), and attended numerous in-person events, meetings, and conferences, to quickly become experts in the latest advances in point-of-care human and veterinary medical platforms. We pivoted our value proposition several times to find the most promising niche for our platform – at-home testing for pet owners to supplement veterinary tele-visits. The biggest kudos and recognition goes to Zarya for her spark and indomitable spirit! This is a very appropriate award for our rising star!