Columbus : Innovation + Job News

In the world of medical research, the simplest answers can come from the strangest places. In the case of bacterial infections that take place after major burns, the answer may very well come from the sea.

Researchers at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, working with researchers in Norway, have landed a $1.4-million defense department grant to study the use of sea-produced brown algae and kelp to fight infections common to burns.

"The grant comes from the Department of Defense because of soldiers who suffer major burns in Afghanistan or Iraq," explains Dr. Chandan Sen, professor and vice chairman of research at OSUMC's Department of Surgery and one of the study's leaders. "Most of those burns get infected by bacteria like pseudomonas that thrive in desert areas. These bacteria form a biofilm, which defeats the kinds of antibiotics we typically use. They form a protective layer that antibiotics can't penetrate, and the infection gets worse. If you can't control the infection, ultimately it could lead to amputation or even death."

Though the genesis of the study was overseas casualties, the results of the study will have an impact worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, biofilms are linked to 60 percent of all chronic infections in the United States, even with its higher standard of health care. Pseudomonas itself was once responsible for more than half of all burn deaths in the U.S. Though that's no longer the case, the bacteria are living things, able to adapt. Over generations, they developed the ability to form the antibiotic-resistant biofilm.

The sea plants, Sen says, contain chemicals that have been shown to shut down the bacteria's ability to form that biofilm, once again making them vulnerable to common antibiotics.

"Once we can halt the production of the biofilm, we can kill the bacteria, and cure the infection," Sen points out. He doesn't find the answer to the biofilm problem odd, however.

"The fact of the matter is that bacteria are a part of nature and nature has its own way of controlling them," he says. Otherwise, bacteria would run rampant over the rest of the natural world.

"We humans can't produce the same chemicals, but nature has always had the answer," he says. "We're just looking to find a way to adapt nature's answer for use on humans."

The study, which has just begun and is expected to take a year to complete, includes researchers from OSU's Comprehensive Wound Care Center and the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, along with their Norwegian colleagues.

Source: Dr. Chandan Sen, Ohio State University College of Medicine
Writer: Dave Malaska

Ohio TechAngels may not have been Ohio's first angel fund, but since its founding in 2004 it has grown to become the largest --  not just in Ohio, but in the entire United States.

Earlier this month, Entrepreneur pegged the Columbus-based investment group as the largest in the country with 282 members, ahead of Los Angeles's Tech Coast Angels, with 263 members.

Cleveland-based North Coast Angel Fund also made the top 10 list, coming in fifth with 180 members. Ohio was the only state with two angel groups in Entrepreneur's top 10.

John Huston, who formed Ohio TechAngels in 2004, says there never was a plan to grow the group to any particular size.

"I moved back to Ohio from Boston, where I was a banker, and after a year I was bored," he remembers. "What I missed was working with CEOs."

But when he looked for an angel fund in which to become involved, he could find none in central Ohio, he says. So, to learn how to start his own, he enrolled in a boot camp run by Ohio's first angel fund -- Cincinnati-based Queen City Angels.

Since then, Ohio TechAngels has offered three funds and made 53 investments in 33 Ohio-based, tech-related companies, Huston says.

He says Ohio's angel environment has four things going for it. First is the Ohio Technology Investment Tax Credit, which gives angel investors a 25 percent tax credit for investing in Ohio-based tech startups. Second is the Ohio Third Frontier's Innovation Ohio Loan Fund, which lends money to early stage companies.

"If you're an investor, that's non-dilutive capital, which increases return for shareholders," Huston says. "It provides access to debt before any commercial bank will lend to them. Half of the companies we've invested in have been able to borrow under that program."

A third strength of Ohio's angel environment is what Huston calls "a great infrastructure of incubators" that are equipped to assist early stage companies in ways that help them succeed. And fourth are the pre-seed grants provided by the Third Frontier, he says, noting that a substantial part of Ohio TechAngel's three funds -- some $6 million -- has consisted of state grants that include money from the Third Frontier. 

In the end, Huston says, it's not about how many members Ohio TechAngels has, but how many companies they help.

"The myth is that angels are a bunch of geezers with a lot of money who are trying to make a lot more money," he says. "What we're really trying to do is make meaning -- by building entrepreneurial wealth."

Source: John Huston, Ohio TechAngels
Writer: Gene Monteith

The Buckeye Bullet attracted Venturi Automobiles to Ohio. But a perfect mix of conditions could keep it here and result in all-electric cars being produced in Columbus in the next two years.

Venturi, a Monaco-based company that builds electric vehicles, announced in January that it was establishing North American headquarters at TechColumbus, located on the Ohio State University campus. Since then, Venturi North America has been working through regulatory requirements for manufacturing cars here while continuing to partner with OSU engineering students and the university's Center for Automotive Research (CAR) on the experimental Buckeye Bullet, which has continually set land speed records (see our story in July 28 issue).

"A few years ago the owner of the company, Gildo Pastor, got involved in the Buckeye Bullet during the hydrogen run when it was using fuel cells," says John Pohill, an industry veteran and CEO of Venturi North America.

Pastor "fell in love with speed and became a donor to CAR and to the university," Pohill explains. "In their attempt for that speed record, they talked about what would be next, and Gildo, being an electric car manufacturer, said maybe we can go to electric, and that's exactly what happened. He became even more involved."

When Pastor decided to establish North American operations, Pohill says, "the perfect spot was Columbus because Ohio State was here, the Buckeye Bullet was here and a great deal of other activities relating to the electric car."

Venturi North America announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January that it would build its America automobile in Ohio. Pohill describes the America as a "buggy style vehicle. It's all electric, it's purpose-built in that it was not a change from another vehicle. The other discussion we had was whether to build it for the masses or to make it what Venturi is known for, which is a high-end performance car. We still haven't come to a final decision on that, but it looks more like it's going to be something that's not exorbitantly expensive, but it also won't be cheap."

Pohill expects to hire several employees in the next month to assist with such things as marketing, engineering, finance and dealer development.

"Eventually I want to hire a younger staff, bring some of the OSU students in, and really create a small car company somewhere from 70 to 100 people," Pohill says.

In the next year, Venturi will complete regulatory work and testing of the America to ready it for production, Pohill predicts. "Within two years we'll launch it and get it out on the highway," he says.

But stay tuned: Pohill says the company plans to unveil a brand new car at the next Detroit Auto Show. And, eventually, there might be an elecric motorcycle in the works.

Source: John Pohill, Ventui North America
Writer: Gene Monteith

New research from Ohio State University, a mix of Western medicine and Eastern herbal remedies, may finally give doctors a needed weapon in their fight against the most aggressive types of brain cancer.

In a study released on July 11, researchers at OSU's Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute determined a compound family called indirubins stop brain tumor cells from spreading to other areas of the brain.

Indirubins, which are found in a common Chinese herbal remedy, not only stop glioblastoma cells from migrating, the substance also retards other cells that help tumors form new blood vessels and grow, according to the study.

"Breakthroughs are in the eye of the beholder," says Dr. E. Antonio Chiocca, one of the study's principal investigators, "but time will tell. The key issue is that most patients with these kinds of tumors die because the cancer cells infiltrate the entire brain. We think indirubins are the answer for stopping that infiltration."

Glioblastomas are the most common and most aggressive form of brain tumors, with about 18,5000 cases diagnosed annually. The initial tumor can be treated through medication, chemotherapy or surgery, but the migration of cancer cells to other parts of the brain lead to a high mortality rate. Almost 13,000 death per year are attributed to the cancer. The median length of survival after diagnosis is roughly 15 months.

"We have pretty good therapies to keep the original tumor at bay, but there's nothing we currently have to stop the migration of those cells," Chiocca explains. "Combined with current therapies, we think indirubins can make a real difference."

The study, which appears in the current issue of "Cancer Research," was funded by the Esther L. Dardinger Endowment for Neuro-oncology and Neurosciences, the National Cancer Institute, the Jeffrey Thomas Hayden Foundation and the American Brain Tumor Association. It began by examining several classes of substances for their effect on tumor growth in mice.

Now, Chiocca says, the challenge is to continue the research until indirubins can be used in humans. For that, they'll need FDA approval. Another hurdle: Since indirubins have already been described chemically by other scientists, it isn't patentable.

"Without the promise of a patent, companies won't be interested in developing it further," he continues. To continue their work, they'll have to find a chemical variant of the substance that can be patented, or petition the National Institute of Health for funding.

Source:  E. Antonio Chiocca, OSU's Dardinger Center for Neurooncology and Neurosciences
Writer: Dave Malaska

Catalysis -- the process by which one substance creates or affects a reaction in another -- is, experts say, present in 90 percent of all commercially produced chemical products. From catalytic converters to fuel cells, petroleum refining to margarine, catalysts are used to produce desired reactions as part of the manufacturing process.

A Columbus-based startup in the TechColumbus incubator sees a future in the development of application-specific catalysts, but they're thinking very, very small.

pH Matter, LLC, has already received grants for research on projects for NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF). For NASA: a catalyst for the continuous formation of carbon in a carbon dioxide and hydrogen-fed system to remove carbon dioxide from the cabin of manned space craft. For NSF: a contaminant-resistant catalyst for use in production of fuel from biomass.

Ultimately, however, the company wants to be a manufacturer of nano materials, carbon "doped" fibers for use in metal-air batteries, fuel cells and industrial electrolysis.

"Our core technology is fabrication of doped nanofibers for energy storage," says Paul Matter, Ph.D., president and founder. "This is something I worked on in grad school. I saw that a lot of other applications were arising, so I thought this would be a good basis for a company.

"The doping means we're taking carbon and replacing an atom with boron or nitrogen and when you do that it changes the electronic properties of the carbon. By controlling the carbon at the nano scale you can get vastly different properties."

Currently. Matter and his busines partner, Christopher Holt, vice president and director of engineering, are producing the fibers only at lab scale -- a couple of grams at a time for properties testing. In 2012, however, the company plans to build a pilot scale manufacturing system at TechColumbus. And from there?

"Right now," Matter says, "Based on initial testing and customer feedback, we see potential opportunities for our materials in energy storage applications, fuel cells, capacitors. And we have had some early conversations with battery and fuel cell manufacturers."

Source: Paul Matter, pH Matter
Writer: Dana Griffith

It's an unpleasant scene, but one that occurs daily in medical centers around the world. A person needs a urinary catheter. The nurse begins to place it. The catheter encounters an obstruction, so the nurse pulls it out and tries again. And again.
 
A Westerville company, PercuVision, has come up with a camera-aided alternative to make such a situation safer and more bearable. Called DirectVision, the technology is being used by nurses around the country.

"We added vision to urinary catheterization," says founder and CEO Errol Singh, who also practices urology at Capital Urology in Columbus. "As urologists, we have scopes in our hands that give us vision, and we use that primarily for diagnostic and other procedures, but the nurses unfortunately don't when they run into a difficult catheterization. (Now) the nurses can see what the problem is and are able to turn it and guide it."

PercuVision was founded in 2007, and DirectVison received FDA approval in August of 2009.

"It took time to make it through the commercialization process and get our supply chain established and so forth," says Singh. However, since then reception of the product "has been very very positive on a number of fronts. The technology is being embraced system wide in OhioHealth and we have the technology deployed in approximately six or seven sites around the country. We probably have another dozen or so sites that will be getting the technology soon."

OhioHealth, through the OhioHealth Research Institute, has supported Singh's work by facilitating clinical trials designed to confirm the device's effectiveness, he says. Other supporters include angel investors (who have funded the company to the tune of $6 million) and the Ohio Department of Development, which earlier this year awarded PercuVision a $1-million grant to develop the next generation of technology.

While the company currently employs 15 people -- 13 of whom are located in Ohio -- PercuVision plans to hire an additional 42 people in the next three to four years as the next generation of vision-guided catheters come to market.

Source: Errol Singh, PercuVision
Writer: Gene Monteith

A team of Ohio State University engineering students has begun work on a new generation of electric car designed to push land speeds to at least 400 mph.

The team recently began aerodynamic simulations for the Buckeye Bullet 3, the successor to previous Buckeye Bullets that set electric vehicle land speed records. The team expects to complete the design process by the end of this summer, spend next academic year building and testing the vehicle and finally running it full-out at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in fall of 2012.

The latest Buckeye Bullet represents a complete makeover from the Buckeye Bullet 2.5 -- which last year set an international electric vehicle record at 307 mph, says Carey Bork, a graduate student in mechanical engineering and the project's chief engineer.

"The Buckeye Bullet 2.5 that we actually set the record with last year was really a test vehicle," Bork says. "The intent has always been to build a brand new land speed record car from the gorund up. And really the difference between them is that the Buckeye Bullet 1 used nickel-metal hydride batteries, and the BB2.5 -- and also the new one that we're going to be building -- will use lithium ion."

Giorgio Rizzoni, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of OSU's Center for Automotive Research, says another big difference is that the Buckeye Bullet 3 will run with the assistance of "really high performance, high tech electric motors that are being custom designed and fabricated by Venturi (North America, a project partner). And in addition to that it's a brand new chassis."

The challenges of increasing speeds from the 300 mph to 400 mph range are too numerous to list, Bork says. But one challenge is that testing using wind tunnels or trial runs on Ohio tracks fall short.

"We never get to run these cars full speed until we get them out to the salt flats," Bork says. Additionally, when testing in wind tunnels "you have to have what's called a rolling road in which the surface that the vehicle is sitting on is rolling. That has a very important effect on aerodynamics. But there's no rolling road wind tunnel that can reach those speeds."

That's why the team is using the Ohio Supercomputer Center to run computational fluid dynamics to design and optimize the car, he says.

While the goal of the project is to set new land speed records for an electric car (while giving engineering students the kind of experience they would get nowhere else) it's possible that the Buckeye Bullet 3 -- if all goes as planned -- could break all land speed records for a wheel-driven vehicle.

"We don't want to go out there and guarantee that," Bork says. "It's a huge jump to go from 300 mph to challenging the all-out wheel-driven record. But, basically, that's not far away, and that's something we're keeping our eyes on."

Sources: Carey Bork and Giorgio Rizzoni, Ohio State University
Author: Gene Monteith

Web-savvy companies are increasingly reaching out to customers through their mobile devices using a consumer research application pioneered by Columbus-based iPinion.

iPinion licenses a mobile survey platform to corporate clients and businesses. The app allows iPinion clients to integrate consumer research from smartphone users into their consumer data collection streams.

iPinion CEO Pala Kuppusamy formed the company in Columbus in 2010. The tech start-up has four employees, including Kuppusamy, all of whom were hired within the last year. Kuppusamy and co-founders Anitha Manoharan and Steve von Bevern put up the initial $100,000 investment to get the company moving. The trio's friends and family acted as angel funders, investing a total $200,000 in the venture.

Best Buy recently signed on with iPinion, using the company's patent-pending mobile survey platform to conduct a series of brief exit interviews aimed at gaining insight into the purchasing patterns of non-buyers. The iPinion team worked with members of Best Buy's competitive market research team to develop the most technologically efficient, user-friendly survey solution.

"They devised a research technique to do in-store intercept surveys on non-purchasers to understand what products they were looking for, why they did not purchase, what they intend to do next, and where they intend to purchase in the future," says Kuppusamy.

For clients like Best Buy, iPinion executes the technical maneuvers required to reach potential consumers on their wireless devices. "Responses are captured in real-time and sent to (our) server where raw data reports and data exports are viewed by the client," says Kuppusamy. "Offline data capture is supported by iPinion, (allowing clients) to conduct surveys in areas where Internet connection is not stable or available."

Source: Pala Kuppusamy, iPinionsurvey.com
Writer: Kitty McConnell

What's really going on with that knee that's giving you trouble? A new device from JointVue, with headquarters in the TechColumbus incubator, may soon give your orthopedic surgeon the ability to see and hear the problem.

JointVue Vision-D Plus, a medical device that combines 3-D ultrasound and Joint Sound (vibration analysis) allows analysis of joint abnormalities through the use of vision and sound -- in real time. The company says a major benefit of the technology will be the capture of 3-D dynamic joint motion, without exposure of the patient to radiation. In addition to competing against X-ray, 3-D computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and fluoroscopy, JointVue is maintaining 3-D anatomic joint databases expected to be of interest to orthopedic companies.

JointVue Vision-D is one of four tools under development to make treatment of joint abnormalities simpler and more precise. Joint Guide, will allow scanning of the joint to allow more precise placement of injectables.

The venture is lead locally by Chief Medical Officer Ray Wasielewski, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive hip and knee replacement.

"These new technologies will allow us to move treatment of joint abnormalities into the offices of medical practitioners and away from the offices of specialists and hospitals, says Wasielewski, "and that will reduce costs."

Clinical trials of parts of the system are currently under way at Grant Hospital in Columbus, Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

Sources: Ray Wasielewski, JointVue; company and industry websites
Writer: Dana Griffith

#TAGS is no secret to Columbus metro residents. Columbusites (at least the 444 confirmed TAGS followers) have been playing Tweet and Go Seek since 2009. Tweet and Go Seek has been featured on every major Capital City news outlet -- TV, print and digital.

Yet the Columbus-based art-startup may come as a revelation to artists, entrepreneurs and marketing professionals beyond Central Ohio.

@Tweetandgoseek leaves a digital trail and Twitpic for Twitter followers to physically follow to a recognizable destination in the Columbus metro area. The first one there collects the "TAGS prize" -- a piece of original artwork redeemable as a gift certificate at a local caf� or boutique, restaurant or hotel.

In 140 words or less, @tweetandgoseek describes itself as "collectible artworks left around a city. partnering brands add a value to each one. photo/location/value tweeted. Followers chase it down to get the goods!" in its Twitter profile. Tweet and Go Seek creator Matthew Barnes has hidden "600+ pieces of @misterbarnes art hidden all over the city to date!" he said in a recent interview with @hiVelocity via Twitter.

Barnes launched the project during Columbus' 2009 avant garde art fair, Art Basel.

"TAGS is the inaugural campaign in a boutique arsenal of initiatives aimed at creating more active, direct engagement with consumers and greater ROI for brands with an included twist of collectible art while balancing itself between the social/virtual and physical worlds. I like to call it Art-vertising!" says Barnes.

Tweet and Go Seek vendor values average an 85 percent redemption rate with 180 percent spent over the value of the brand giveaway. Barnes charges vendors a nominal fee for each piece left for a TAGS seeker, with labor, design, social media marketing and the hiding factored in. Each participating business provides something of decent value, i.e. $10, $20, $100 off so that "people will feel obligated to compete."

Barnes' start-up has been successful enough that he hires people to hide TAGs pieces. "TAGS serves three purposes: a) To actively engage consumers and offer them an immediate value as well as something they may be inclined to collect which may increase in value over time�b) To offer brands a unique way to engage with existing and potential customers with immediately measurable ROI while combining their social reach with ours. And c), For people to �become familiar with an aspect of a particular artists work," says Barnes.

Source: Matthew Barnes, TAGS
Writer: Kitty McConnell

Znode, a Columbus-based leader in multi-store ecommerce, has been acquired by the Yell Group plc.

Yell Group, based in Reading, UK, announced in a July 11 news release that Znode will continue its Ohio operations and serve "as the development base for Yell's ecommerce capabilities."

Founder Vish Vishwanathan will serve as executive VP and general manager of Yell Connect while co-founder David Chu will serve as senior VP of technology. 

According to TechColumbus, the central Ohio technology business incubator, Znode was founded in 2007 and funded by TechColumbus, the co-Investment Fund, Ohio TechAngel Fund II and North Coast Angel Fund II.

Mike Pocock, Yell Group's CEO, said in the release that "The Znode team and their innovative technology provide Yell with a platform for our digital business and enable us to provide ecommerce solutions to small businesses, connecting them more efficiently with their local consumers. Their talented workforce and technological capabilities are a great addition to Yell as we move forward into new digital marketplace opportunities."

The release notes that Znode's platform enables businesses to "expand their online footprint using innovative multi-store and online franchising strategies."

Yell Group is a provider of print and digital services for consumers and small- to medium-size businesses within the local eMarketplace in the UK, US, Spain and some countries in Latin America.

Sources: TechColumbus, Yell Group

Zipline Logistics, one of central Ohio's fastest-growing companies last year, continues to expand, adding six new jobs since November and moving into a new headquarters building.

Zipline manages shipments for a number of large customers by employing trustworthy carriers to move loads of a truckload or less to clients across the country. The company reported revenues of $3.2 million in 2009, almost double that of 2008.

The company reports that receipts topped $4.4 million in 2010, and revenues are headed toward $10 million in 2011.

The company was founded in 2007 on the top floor of a Chinese restaurant. On April 15, it completed a move to new offices in Grandview Yard, tripling its office space to 3,600 square feet, says Melinda Zemper, a company spokeswoman.

"It's a great location for them because it's centrally located for the type of employees they are trying to attract -- college graduates who like to live in the city," she says.

The company continues to hire interns through a Columbus Chamber of Commerce program as a way to find and retain talent. In an interview with hiVelocity in November, Zipline Partner John Rodeheffer, noted that "retaining talent in Columbus is something that a lot of the business are working hard to do so that when students (leave college) they don't go to Chicago, they don't go to new York, they don't go to Miami, they stay in the area."

Sources: Melinda Zemper and John Rodeheffer, Zipline Logistics
Writer: Gene Monteith

Who wouldn't want to: Make Millions. Change the World. Wear Jeans? 

That's the motto of The Ohio State University's Business Builders Club, or BBC, a 10-year-old student-run group that promotes the entrepreneurial mindset to all interested students -- not just business majors. And 150 student members (many of whom already operate their own businesses or plan to) from varied backgrounds are proving the theory.

So, what can you do at a weekly BBC meeting?

- Take the floor for 60 seconds to pitch an idea or opportunity for collaboration on a new business venture.
- Embrace your inner nerd in an E-Ship Ed teaching moment to learn a basic business skill.
- Steal great ideas and laugh at the early failures of the weekly guest speaker.
- Critique each meeting component with your peers over pizza and cold beverages at a local tavern.

All of which will prepare you to enter one of the annual IdeaPitch Competitions and pursuade a panel of judges that you deserve their money and guidance.

As for the "Changing the World," part, incoming BBC President, Carol Walden says," the club's Alleviating Poverty Through Entrepreneurship Summit had over 1,000 people in attendance. The summit works every year to bring entrepreneurs from all around the country and globe to one place to talk about the social issues they are looking to resolve through innovative initiatives."

Ben Gilbert, a 21-year-old OSU senior and co-founder of Functional Delights, maker of Seize the Day (an app that has been downloaded by nearly 300,000 iPhone users) says he was heavily influenced by the Business Builders Club.

"We raised about 50 grand this year from the community. While most of those funds supported the summit, Gilbert notes, "We (also) funded a whole bunch of student businesses and gave away nine grand to businesses like mine. It's a pretty neat thing to be a part of."

Source: Carol Walden and Ben Gilbert, OSU Business Builder's Club
Writer: Dana Griffith

Endosphere was formed in 2006 to meet an urgent need for a less invasive, safer and more physiologic treatment for the growing problem of obesity.

Today, the Columbus-based company is attracting plenty of investors based on the promise of its SatiSphere duodenal insert, which company Chairman Christopher Thorne describes as "a breakthrough technology offering a safer and more effective solution for appetite regulation and weight loss compared to the market's currently available alternatives."

Thorne says current treatments involve potentially harmful chemical medications, invasive surgical procedures, or dramatic lifestyle changes that are difficult to maintain.

"The SatiSphere device is a small, non-invasive, pre-formed memory wire that uses the body's natural physiology to regulate appetite and satiation mechanisms which slow digestion and deter excessive eating," he says. Unlike other devices, it is not attached to the body but stays in place by conforming to the natural shape of the duodenum.

The device is inserted endoscopically in a 15-minute outpatient procedure. SatiSphere slows the passage of food through the duodenum and enables stimulation of the neurons along the duodenal walls, causing them to release the body's natural appetite-suppressing hormones. This enables an earlier feeling of fullness and extends the feeling of satisfaction between meals, Thorne says.

He lists its advantages as "its safety profile, patient tolerability, affordability, ease of reversibility and repeatability, and method for achieving satiation."

EndoSphere Inc. completed a clinical trial in patients in 2008. All of the patients lost weight, with an average excess weight loss of 12 percent during the first month. The company has been approved for an expanded multi-center clinical trial in Europe.

Earlier this month, the company announced completion of an oversubscribed Series A financing round led by Broadline Capital. Investors also include Glengary LLC, Physician Investment Group LLC, Ohio TechAngels, North Coast Angel Fund and Queen City Angels.

The company, which also focuses on innovative treatments for type 2 diabetes, has added two new Ohio employees in the past six months and plans to further expand in 2011.

Source: Christopher Thorne, EndoSphere
Writer: Gene Monteith

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but too much free time doesn't hurt.

That's how Ben Gilbert, along with business partner Ian Kono, came to launch Functional Delights and their successful iPhone app, Seize the Day.

Gilbert is a 21-year-old computer science major who will graduate from Ohio State University in December. Kono is a UCLA grad working at Cisco Systems. The two met in 2009 while Cisco interns in San Jose, Calif.

"I moved to a new city and didn't know anyone," Gilbert explains. "So, I decided I was going to tackle learning iPhone development. And I did so with my roommate Ian, who would eventually become my co-founder. Once we figured our skills were sufficient, it was like what better way to put them to the test than make something that we need?"

What they needed was a decent mobile "to-do" management solution that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

"Both of us noticed that with the existing solutions in the App Store there was a big divide between really crummy free ones . . . and these enterprise solutions where you end up paying 100 bucks," Gilbert says. "We launched, and within a two-day span we were featured on the front page of the App Store and generating like 10,000 downloads a day."

Seize the Day differs from other to-do apps in its simplicity and ease of use, Gilbert says. Users can choose from a simple task menu marked "today," "upcoming," "at some point" or "view all." Tasks can be tagged for easy searches and marked complete when fulfilled. The app also has a daily reminder that alerts users each morning to the tasks of the day.

Since its launch last July, iPhone users have downloaded nearly 300,000 copies and give it a 4.5-star rating. Revenue from ads are "paying somewhere between beer money and the salary I want to make when I graduate," Gilbert says.

Next to be released is Zero, a paid revenue model that offers users the ability to sync up their iPhone calendar with their computer.

Source: Ben Gilbert, Functional Delights
Writer: Gene Monteith