Cincinnati : Innovation + Job News

The U.S. health-care industry is in great need of cost efficiencies and quality of care improvements, and a new company in Cincinnati is poised to help. 

In 2010, as a country, we spent more than $2.6 trillion on health care but still ranked lower than most countries in terms of quality of care. 

Also, new federal legislation will create incentives for hospitals and health-care facilities to meet quality standards and effectively punish those that don’t. 

CincyTech’s newest portfolio company, QI Healthcare, is helping hospitals meet and exceed these quality benchmarks. 

The company was created from technology developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center by Dr. Frederick Ryckman, professor of surgery and senior vice president for Medical Operations at Cincinnati Children’s; Paul Yelton, senior application developer; and Candace Overly, project administrator, Perioperative Services. 

What Cincinnati Children’s developed is called the Surgical Outcomes Collection System (SOCS). It’s a software application for use in hospitals and health-care facilities that aggregates data from a hospital’s various systems, including its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, to conduct institution-wide analyses of cases where quality of care could be improved. 

“The real power of this software is in the ability to analyze every significant patient case,” says Ryckman. “Before SOCS we spent countless hours manually gathering data. SOCS improves the process through automation and enhanced analytics – and it frees up clinical resources to focus on quality improvement.”

Leading QI’s efforts is experienced entrepreneur and health-tech executive John Atkinson. Before being named CEO of QI, Atkinson held leadership roles at WebMD, Mede America and SourceMedical. He is also co-founder of a successful mobile startup, BuzzVoice, a streaming audio news service for smartphones.

CincyTech and Cincinnati Children’s Tomorrow Fund each invested $200,000. This round of funding will go toward sales, marketing and product development, which includes securing a handful of beta test sites for the SOCS software that has been in use at Cincinnati Children’s for more than a year. 

By Sarah Blazak for CincyTech

The next phase of Covington’s growing life sciences corridor got a boost from Duke Energy, which has awarded the city a $100,000 urban renewal grant for its bioLOGIC accelerator.

The grant will go toward an expansion at bioLOGIC’s 7,000-square-foot second floor at its Russell Street headquarters. The addition will include office and lab space, along with classroom facilities at the life science accelerator. The building’s 5,000-square-foot first floor is at capacity.

bioLOGIC houses seven life sciences companies. Its growth is being fueled in two areas: through expanding existing companies and attracting new companies to locate or relocate to Covington.

The accelerator has a pipeline of nearly a dozen companies looking to locate in its space, either temporarily or permanently, says bioLOGIC Managing Director Keith Schneider. The organization hopes to secure more funding through grants or private investments to complete the build out, which could be finished late this year.

The Duke Energy Foundation’s Urban Revitalization Pilot Program grant is designed to help spur job growth and retention in urban core communities served by Duke Energy. Ohio and Kentucky serves as the young programs pilot area. Duke operates in five states in the southeast and the Midwest.

Duke has been investing in the region’s economic development for years, says Rhonda Whitaker, company director of government and community relations. Traditionally, Duke focused more on large manufacturing and industrial projects, but realized in urban areas such projects are rare.

“We have a Site Readiness program that helps prepare large tracts of land for manufacturing projects, but local leaders said they didn’t meet an urban community’s needs," Whitaker says. "And the urban core is significant and important in our area. Successful regions rely on a strong urban core. And this is really an effort to concentrate on those community’s job growth and sustainability."

The Duke Foundation chose Covington’s bioLOGIC because it was an emerging, successful innovator in the growing life sciences arena. From its inception, it’s been a private, public partnership that relied on private and government investment and support.

“It’s an effort to harness the power of entrepreneurship in the region with space for training and creates a targeted, skilled workforce,” Whitaker says.

By Feoshia Henderson
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Last week in Austin, TX, James S. Burns of AssureRx Health had more than SXSW on his mind. The president and CEO of the startup headquartered in Mason picked up another honor to top off a run of significant investments in his company by a wide range of “angels.”

Of all the startups in the nation, AssureRX Health received the 2012 Luis Villalobos Award, given annually to the most ingenious and innovative company supported by angel investors.

“This really is such an honor, especially since there are so many startups across the country creating innovation,” Burns says.

AssureRx, a technology that allows doctors to use genetic information and evidence-based standards to select the best possible medication for patients the first time, has its roots in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the Mayo Foundation, each of which developed the intellectual property for the technology and provided early investments.

Increased support also translates into more jobs at AssureRx, which plans to grow to 100 local employees, from its current level of around 50, by the end of 2012.

Soapbox has been covering AssureRx’s development and progress since 2008. Read more about the company here:

AssureRx Health raises $11 million series B financing

New AssureRx CEO brings 30 years of experience to guide startup's next growth phase

AssureRx launches its first personalized med product

CincyTech's $10M attracts $100M in co-investments

Just six months after moving from Chicago to Cincinnati, mobile coupon innovator Samplesaint continues to catch major consumer brand and retailer attention. The startup's evolving technology is fueling its growth from eight to 25 employees since coming to the Queen City.

“We've had tremendous growth in product development. In terms of hiring, we've brought on a lot of IT and marketing folks. We have 25 employees, but we're not done yet,” says company founder and CEO Lawrence Griffith, a Cincinnati native.

Samplesaint was built on its mobile phone couponing technology that allows coupons to be easily scanned. It bypasses the more cumbersome process of printing digital coupons or requiring retailers to manually enter coupon codes from a phone.

Samplesaint is more than couponing. It offers a range of mobile marketing, consumer insight, research and experience services. Samplesaint's technology also includes access to a database that ties to retailers' point-of-service, allowing then to immediately identify and determine the redemption and expiration dates of coupons.

The company has already worked with major consumer brands, including Lipton, Breyers, Dove, Hellann's and Ragu, Griffith says.

“The integration of three pieces are what companies are most excited about: our ability to acquire content, geotargeting and data collection,” Griffith says. “And we can work within their existing systems.”

Samplesaint, which still has an office in Chicago, moved to Cincinnati after a $250,000 investment from CincyTech. It was one of the first companies that CincyTech investment attracted from out of state, as well as the first African-American owned company in which CincyTech has invested.

Rahul Bawa, director of digital/IT for CincyTech, says the venture development firm recruited Samplesaint from Chicago because of its unique approach to mobile marketing.

“Samplesaint has pioneered innovative mobile technologies,” says Bawa. “The company offers new ways of delivering content for consumer-focused companies and their brands. There’s a growing need in the marketplace for mobile-based marketing, and Samplesaint continues to explore ways to serve it. And with our emphasis on consumer marketing in this region, a company like Samplesaint belongs here.”

Source: Rahul Bawa
Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Ryan Rybolt started his payment processing company, Infintech, almost eight years ago. As a former banker, Rybolt thought small to medium businesses were taken advantage of and underserved. Today, his business levels the playing field through partnerships with chambers of commerce all over the country.
 
He put together a business plan with a focus on being fair and transparent by not overcharging on credit card processing fees. Rybolt, who was already connected with the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, began to form a partnership five years ago by offering payment-processing rates much lower than other companies. Many chambers offer members discounted group rates on things like offices supplies and health care by leveraging their collective buying power. By doing that with payment processing, Infintech saves chambers and their members around 40 percent on credit card processing costs.
 
“There’s no reason why a business should pay almost twice what it costs to process a payment,” Rybolt says.
 
Infintech provides services for in-store retail, mobile, online and phone purchases. With pre-negotiated rates and no long-term contracts, Infintech gives companies worry-free service.
 
That service won Infintech the endorsement of the state of Kentucky’s Chamber of Commerce Executives three years ago, and the business started serving 90 chambers across the state. Earlier this month, the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, which is a non-profit that helps manage chambers all over the country, announced their partnership with Infintech.
 
“The took notice of our program and approached us about becoming a partner,” Rybolt says. “This will allow us to grow into any markets we want and at a speed we want.”
 
Already, Rybolt says he has been approached by as far away as Anchorage, Alaska. In the past few years, Infintech has grown by 30 percent or more, and Rybolt expects that to be matched again this year.
 
“This opportunity is going to give us the opportunity to serve clients all over the country,” Rybolt says. “We will really be able to control our own growth.”
 
By Evan Wallis

If you are one of dozens of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky residents heading to the Interactive portion of the huge South by Southwest festival in Austin next month, you’ll find a little bit of home when you get there.
 
Venture development group CincyTech has secured a #SxCincy Haus -- space in downtown Austin for members of the Cincinnati community to recharge themselves and their devices during the interactive portion of SxSW this year.
 
Four local digital pros will speak on panels. Krista Neher of Boot Camp Digital, Jeff Busdieker of Possible Worldwide, Marty Boyer of Possible Worldwide and Glenn Platt, professor of Interactive Studies at Miami University.
 
In addition, CincyTech, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the Greater Cincinnati Venture Association, in partnership with U.S. Bank in Cincinnati, is helping to sponsor a Startup Bus. Twenty-five to 30 software developers, Web designers and business development folks will ride the bus and work on startup company ideas, which they will pitch to judges in Austin. Find out more and register here: startupbus.com.

Cincinnati is one of only 12 cities across the country hosting the national Startup Bus program.
 
In Austin each day of Interactive, CincyTech will host a #SxCincy Chat featuring a different digital expert from Cincinnati beginning at 4 pm at the #SxCincy Haus. The chats will take place after panels end and before parties begin each day and give SxSW attendees a chance to unwind while networking with other Cincinnati professionals.
 
#SxCincy Haus will be open from 8 am until 8 pm from Friday, March 9, through Monday, March 12. Participants can hang out, get work done, snack and rest up.
 
Additionally, CincyTech will host a #SxCincy Haus Party from 8-11 pm, Saturday, March 10, featuring Cincinnati beer and chili, music from Cincinnati bands and the opportunity to mingle with Cincy’s consumer, brand and marketing experts.
 
On the morning of March 11, founder and CEO of Cincinnati startup Venturepax will lead a kayak and standup paddle board outing on Austin’s Lady Bird Lake. Anyone interested in getting some fresh air should meet at the #SxCincy Haus at 10 am Sunday, March 11.
 
“We’re promoting Cincinnati as a city that understands the future of consumer interactive,” says Carolyn Pione Micheli, communications director for CincyTech. "We have a large number of innovative thinkers at huge corporations, digital agencies and startup companies. SxSW is a great audience with whom to share our story.”


Source: Carolyn Pione Micheli
Writer: Sarah Blazak

Can monsters make kids do chores that parents can’t make them do?

Chris Bergman and Paul Armstrong think they can. Not by frightening kids into action, but rather by encouraging them to collect the cute, funny monsters that these entrepreneurs have created as part of their new mobile app, Choremonster.

The founders of the Cincinnati-based startup are both experienced web designers who were part of the 2011 graduating class at The Brandery, a startup accelerator based in Cincy that helped to launch a dozen new tech businesses in the past two years.

Choremonster is a web-based mobile app that lets parents and kids interact to make chores more enjoyable.  Kids are rewarded for completing tasks by earning real-life rewards from mom and dad. They can also collect cool, virtual monsters from Choremonster that they can play games with online or trade with friends.

Bergman describes the app as “allowance meets Pokemon” and says it’s targeted at kids age 6-12. “The monsters are instant gratification for kids. What kid doesn’t like monsters? It’s worked well in all of our test families.  Kids are really inspired.”

Choremonster recently received a $200,000 investment from CincyTech, a public- private partnership whose mission is to invest in high-growth startup technology companies in Southwest Ohio.  In addition, support from CincyTech has helped to attract angel investors, bringing the total seed-stage funding to $350,000.

“As of 2010, 51 percent of children between 4 and 12 years old had digital devices that could run the Choremonster app, and we know that number is growing,” says Mike Venerable, Managing Director of Digital, Software and Health Technology at CincyTech. “By incorporating a web-based service into its platform as well, Choremonster has a strong market on which it can capitalize.”

Bergman says that Choremonster will earn revenue through selling memberships to a premium version of the program. The company also plans to sell licensed products depicting the app’s monster characters, which include colorful names such as Frank Rumpnoodle and Phil Dustrumple. There are over 250 monsters kids can collect.

Public release of the app is the next step, says Bergman, although he declined to estimate exactly when that would take place.


Source: Chris Bergman
Writer: Val Prevish

For nearly a decade, a quiet but dynamic partnership between the University of Cincinnati and Cincom software has grown in prominence, through a business plan competition that prepares the winner for the international stage.

The annual UC Center for Entrepreneurship Spirit of Enterprise Graduate Business Plan Competition kicks off Feb. 23, and is an intense 36-hour contest where graduate students from across the country and Canada have their business plans poked, prodded – and for the best – rewarded.

The top plan wins the $10,000 Cincom Spirit of Champion Award, and earns an automatic bid to the international 2012 Venture Labs Investment Competition, formerly the Moot Corp competition at The University of Texas at Austin.

This year teams from 16 universities will compete at the UC event, which will be held at Cincom Systems Cincinnati headquarters. In addition to UC students, teams from Brigham Young, Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon universities will compete as well, says Cincom Finance Director Dan Vogel.

Vogel, who has served as a competition judge in the past, says the contest is open to any type of business idea. Entries have been varied, from medical devices and software to a new liqueur. In recent years, more of the entries have focused on biotechnology and research-based medical devices.

“We get some partnering of MBA students and the medical research department testing out ideas to see if they are commercially viable,” Vogel says.

The plans represent a shift in Ohio’s economy, one that relied on traditional manufacturing jobs to one that increasingly is turning to innovation, technology and research in job creation.

“In the Midwest in particular we are evolving from an economy based on manufacturing to one that is more services and researched based, and when you look at the number of top research schools in Ohio, Michigan and Illinois, a lot of time and money is being devoted to research,” he says. “The universities are fostering that environment and we are trying to jump on board.”

In addition to the Grand Prize, the competition awards $3,000 the first runner up, $2,000 to the second runner up (sponsored by Queen City Angels First Fund) and a $1,000 to the third runner up.  

The team with the top plan will move on to the Venture Labs Investment Competition in May where they will pitch to potential investors from across the globe and compete for a a prize package worth $135,000. The students will compete against 40 teams from more than 12 countries including Thailand, Norway and Brazil.


Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Dan Vogel

As part of a global environmental concern about trash, a University of Cincinnati team proposed the “Renew Trash Compactor,” a new product and service that reduces trash, increases recycling, improves sanitation and generates income for the Padli Gujar village in India.
 
Mark Schutte, Carmen Ostermann, Morgen Schroeder and Autumn Utley, all University of Cincinnati students, headed to Minnesota to present their compactor in the next round of the Acara Challenge.
 
The competition is organized by the Acara Institute and administered by the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, with the mission to mold students into a new generation of leaders by providing them with insight into global issues and how to influence change.
 
The environmental challenge given to students came through “Take The Challenge for Sustainable Design and Development,” a multidisciplinary course offered as part of the University Honors Program at UC. The course is taught by Rajan Kamath, associate professor of management, and Ratee Apana, associate professor-educator of management/international business.
 
“The course encourages students to think boldly and break with convention and rules,” Apana says.
 
First-round winners from all competing universities are fine-tuning business plans in the second-round of the competition, where four winning teams will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship and the opportunity to attend the University of Minnesota Acara Summer Institute in Bangalore, India.
 
The UC team, one of six in the country from colleges such as Duke University, Cornell University, Arizona State University, is paired with industry mentors to create business plans for their ideas.
 
“The compactor was designed to be simple and affordable,” Utley says.“The waste collection service, which accompanies the compactor, will generate 29 well-paying jobs for the community and additional household income.”
 
If the team makes it to the summer institute in India, members will meet with top entrepreneurs and capitalists to further develop their idea and help secure funding.


Source: Ratee Apana, Autumn Utley
Writer: Evan Wallis

Women entrepreneurs have been really shaking things up in the Greater Cincinnati area. Twice during the past three years--both in 2009 and again in 2011--women have won  all of the prestigious SCORE-Greater Cincinnati annual Client of the Year Awards.

SCORE is the volunteer counseling arm of the Small Business Administration, offering free workshops and mentoring to its clients.

“Over the past few years, about 40 to 50 percent of our clients and workshop participants have been women,” explains Rick Johnston, chairman of SCORE-Greater Cincinnati. “We’re definitely seeing a trend of more local women becoming entrepreneurs and also SCORE clients, which we think is great.”

Landing a coveted Client of the Year Award isn’t easy, according to Bob Wiwi, marketing chair. “Candidates must complete an extensive application process on all aspects of their business, including the challenges they faced, how they overcame them, and how their SCORE counselor helped them.” Candidates’ counselors then provide a letter of recommendation describing their client’s work and progress. “The judges have a lot to consider when deciding on the winners,” Wiwi notes.

The Cincinnati chapter named four winners in November 2011: Connie Abirached, InkyDinkTs; Lisa Gear, Lunatic Fringe Salon; Candace Klein, Bad Girl Ventures; and Shannon Adams, My Flower Service.

“These women are creating jobs, and that’s terrific for our region,” notes Johnston.

Winner Connie Abirached says, “I learned long ago that, as a woman, success is achievable but also is harder to achieve unless you work hard, are deeply dedicated, and have ambition and guts.” Winner Lisa Gear remarks, “I feel so blessed and honored to be part of this amazing group of women. SCORE was so helpful to me on my journey, and I highly recommend them to anyone.”   

By Lynne Meyer


Sources:  Rick Johnston & Bob Wiwi, SCORE
                 Lisa Gear, Lunatic Fringe
               Connie Abirached, InkyDink Ts

Bad Girl Ventures founder Candace Klein, a Cincinnati attorney, is making good on her promise to help small business owners fund their dreams through SoMoLend, a new lending platform.

The web-based, peer-to-peer lending site is designed to offer entrepreneurs a way to raise money for their business ventures from the people they know best: friends and family.

Through SoMoLend, entrepreneurs can borrow up to $35,000 dollars through the secure, patent-pending platform. Borrowers create a profile and loan application through the SoMoLend site. SoMoLend is geared toward small businesses, but will not lend to sole proprietors, Klein said.

Potential lenders, the borrower's friends and family, can review the business loan application, and if they decide to lend money SoMOLend will facilitate it. SoMoLend allows credit worthy borrowers to bypass the bank and borrow money at as low as 3 percent interest.

"This is all about getting money in small business owner's hands," said Klein, who founded Bad Girl Ventures, a Cincinnati-based micro lending organization for women-owned startups, in 2010.

Klein created SoMoLend following her experiences with BGV, which offers funding through a competitive process that includes an eight-week business course. BGV recently expanded to Cleveland, and is planning to soon be in Columbus.
Since its inception BGV has had 300 applicants, 225 in its classes and 24 businesses funded. But that didn't leave Klein satisfied.

"What are the other 376 doing to get funded? They're probably not getting money from a bank," Klein said.

Through SoMoLend, Klein hopes to help further fill the funding void. The site is up and running, with plans for a mobile version this year. In addition to the peer-to-peer aspect, Klein is working to get banks on board. So far, KeyBank has partnered with the site to lend at least $1 million to small businesses.

Klein is traveling around the state to spread the word about SoMoLend and plans to eventually have the platform available in all 50 states.


By Feoshia Henderson

Source: SoMoLend founder Candace Klein

CincyTech closed out 2011 with pride. The organization’s annual Breakfast Meeting and Startup Showcase last quarter highlighted the start-up incubator’s $10 million investment in 28 companies and the creation of nearly 300 Ohio jobs.

CincyTech receives half of its funding from about two dozen local partners and individuals, matched by money from Ohio Third Frontier. The organization began its work in 2007.

"Thanks to the foresight of the state of Ohio in creating Third Frontier and of Ohio voters in approving it, we have been able to begin building what is now a burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem that is churning out new companies and new jobs at a rapidly increasing rate," says Bob Coy, president of CincyTech.

According to Coy, in 2011 CincyTech led 50 percent of all venture capital deals in the region this year and 90 percent of the venture-backed deals in the region were CincyTech portfolio companies. CincyTech gauges successful investments, in part, by the exit of member companies with increased ROI, by the funding its companies draw from private investors, and by the new opportunities created within the Ohio workforce as a result.

“As of June 30, 2011, we had created 207 jobs at an average annual salary of $63,000,” says CincyTech communications director Carolyn Pione Micheli.

“In addition, AssureRx Health (in Mason) and ThinkVine (in Blue Ash) were each hiring dozens of people this spring, bringing their jobs to about 50 a piece. That will give us a nice boost in the jobs numbers, in addition to our new investments in the second half of the year,” Micheli says. “You could say we were anticipating having created about 300 jobs by the end of 2011.”

2012 will see the launch of CincyTech’s investor-only secure document website featuring investment data. The organization will launch an expected $6-million investment fund and will continue to sponsor The Brandery, the Cincinnati-based consumer-marketing startup accelerator.

“The climate and the resources available for high-potential technology-based companies in Southwest Ohio have never been better,” Coy told the crowd at the Breakfast Meeting and Startup Showcase in November.

Beginning this Friday, CinciTech beneficiary companies will take part in the Northern Kentucky Startup Weekend. Startup Weekends nationwide 54-hour events where developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch new ventures. The Northern Kentucky chapter is sponsored in part by the CincyTech-funded Brandery.
 
By Kitty McConnell
Sources: CincyTech

To spur economic development and create jobs in their communities, several Ohio cities have created new, hyperlocal funds that offer attractive financing to entrepreneurs that may have the next great business idea, yet lack the actual cash to implement it. The catch? They must be willing to put down roots and grow their businesses locally.

One example of a growing Ohio business that recently took advantage of such hometown love is ManuscriptTracker, a Wooster-based firm that sells web-based software that automates the peer review process for academic journals. Co-founder Brian Boyer says a $35,000 deferred-payment loan from the Wooster Opportunities Loan Fund made it possible for him to bring his product to market last year.

“We saw lots of potential to grow our business, but funding is very hard to come by for start-up software companies,” says Boyer, a Wooster native. “Thanks to receiving funding last year, we were able to develop a market version of our software, as well as sales resources such as a database, marketing collateral and potential client list.”

ManuscriptTracker’s software organizes and automates peer review tracking for busy academics that don’t have the time or resources to manage the process themselves. The stringent nature of the peer review process, particularly with scientific journals, often necessitates involving as many as 20 individuals in a single review.

“To be published in an academic journal, your work must be vetted by the research of your peers, but that means asking top researchers to set aside their time,” explains Boyer. “We simplify and organize the process and provide helpful reporting forms. We also help academics to track who in their network is quick and knowledgeable.”

With the assistance of the economic development nonprofit Jumpstart, similar hyperlocal funds have also been created in Barberton, Canton and Mansfield.

As the New Year kicked off, ManuscriptTracker had already secured one new client, and Boyer says he’s hopeful that the new software will attract additional clients soon.


By Lee Chilcote

A Mason-based company that designs and develops conveyor systems and other material handing solutions is doubling the size of its headquarters, creating 200 new jobs.

Founded by CEO Chris Cole and President and COO in 2001, Intelligrated is one of the North America's leading automated material handling solutions providers.  

This fast-growing company has more than 2,000 employees worldwide, including 200 at its corporate HQ in Mason. The company has developed and designed a wide variety of sophisticated automated systems that sort, move, distribute and control packaging and materials. The company's systems are used in the retail, postal, beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceutical and other industries.

Recently, Intelligrated announced it would create 200 new in the next three years and expand its operations in Mason. These tech-based jobs, which include engineering and research and development, will boost the company's plans for continued innovation and growth in the industry.

Intelligrated will also build a new 60,000-90,000-square-foot facility in Mason to support its growth. This new office will house R&D, engineering, sales, general, and administration staff.

Aiding this expansion is an incentive package of around $15 million dollars from the State of Ohio and the City of Mason. Though awaiting final approval, the incentives are likely to include an extension of Intelligrated's existing Job Creation Tax Credit, state and local loans, property tax abatement and a State of Ohio Grant.

“We aim to be the most technologically-advanced player in the material handling industry. To achieve this, we need an operation that houses the best mechanical, software and systems talent in the world. These incentives will directly support these efforts, help us create and keep more high-quality technical jobs in Ohio, and advance Mason as a strategic hub of our nation’s logistics network,” Cole said in an expansion announcement.

Intelligrated has 18 other locations, including key engineering centers in California, Maryland and Missouri, four manufacturing plants located in Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky and regional operations located in Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, California, as well as in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, Mexico City, Mexico and Brazil.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Inspired by three daughters, years of amazing experiences and invaluable relationships, DAAP graduate Kristine Sturgeon has set out to break down the culture of average for teen girls.

Sturgeon’s startup, Design My Style, is a Web-based application that engages girls 13-19 years old in the design, sharing, advertising and purchasing of handbags. It allows young women to hone their creative skills while teaching them pertinent business lessons.

“Define My Style is a healthy rebellion against mainstream sameness for young girls,” Sturgeon says. “Young girls should be curious, confident and have a strong voice. We’re building a platform for this with DMS based around everything I want for my own daughters.”

CincyTech just announced it is leading a $690,000 seed-stage round in DMS with an investment of $250,000. DMS also received $100,000 from the Queen City Angels and $140,000 from Tech Coast Angels in Los Angeles. The remaining balance came from private individual investors. The company employs four people at its Mt. Auburn offices

Born in Tipp City, Ohio, Sturgeon moved to Cincinnati to study architecture at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP). Sturgeon credits her education there for giving her both business and creative abilities and sensibilities.

Graduating in ’96 with a bachelor’s of architecture, Sturgeon has spent the better part of the last 15 years working in strategic marketing and communications out of Chicago. Her experience in creating customer value, mutually beneficial relationships and learning what consumers need and want has given her a great understanding of both the business process and consumer desires.

The idea for DMS came to Sturgeon in autumn 2007, when her oldest daughter was getting ready to head back to school. Unable to decide on a school bag that gave her the functions she needed and was a design she loved, Sturgeon’s daughter was at a standstill. She knew exactly what she wanted out of a product – as most consumers do – but brands sold commercially weren’t interested in listening to her desires. Sturgeon saw a business opportunity.

With a sketchbook and a PowerPoint, Sturgeon created the first DMS beta and tested it with 23 overachieving, involved, young girls. The test group included the daughters of powerful U.S. executives, two girls from China, two from London and one from Italy.

It was evident the beta was a success when Sturgeon began hearing stories of how her product had inspired the young girls to be confident in the identity and designs.

From that point forward, Sturgeon spent nights and weekends developing the web application, investing more than $320,000 of her own money into the company. Today, the DMS site has nearly reached 50,000 members and recently launched a new product line – laptop sleeves and cases.

DMS is one of the first companies to establish the trend of individual branding with consumers wanting increasingly more control of their purchases in everything from handbags and shoes to cars and homes, says Sturgeon.

“No one is allowing complete consumer design collaboration on the web, and especially not for teenage girls.”

Define My Style is the 29th investment for CincyTech, a Cincinnati-based seed-stage investor focused on information technology, Web-based consumer services and life sciences/biotech companies.

By Sarah Blazak

(Courtesy sister publication SoapBox Media, Cincinnati)