Shaun Clark (center), Robin Alex (far left), and Varun Vairavan of HighLevel founded HighLevel in 2018. [Photo: HighLevel]
Left to right: Aaron Pierce, Co-founder and Chairman, Venture Dallas; Rachel Racz, Head of Listings for Texas, Southern U.S. and Latin America, Nasdaq; Sam L. Susser, Chairman and CEO, Susser Bank
Founded in Dallas in 2016, SightGlass Vision has received a newly granted patent (USPTO #12416818) for ophthalmic lenses designed to reduce progression of nearsightedness. The lenses are created by reshaping the surface material with a laser to form tiny lenslets—each with a slightly different optical power—to help manage how light focuses on the retina. The company now operates as a joint venture of CooperCompanies and EssilorLuxottica to expand myopia management worldwide. [Composite illustration: Sources, USPTO Patent #12416818, Figs. 9A and 9B; DI Studio]
The winner of the 2025 Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge is Portugal's Omniflow, which makes this Smart IoT Lamppost powered by wind and solar. [Photo: Omniflow]