Entrepreneurship : Innovation + Job News

Developers at Gaslight Software have done what many just daydream of doing. The young software development company was forged by freelancers, many of whom left corporate life.

"We were independent contractors. Most of us met at what's now called Cincinnati Agile Roundtable," says Gaslight developer Doug Alcorn. "After a few years, we decided we could do better if we worked together instead of on our own. We have no titles, no boss. This is 100 percent team-driven."

A dozen developers work in Gaslight's Blue Ash office, helping clients develop mobile- and web-based applications that improve efficiencies and promote business growth.

Gaslight works with growing companies and startups across the country. Among applications they've developed are Tweethopper, which allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts; WebPulp.tv, a video podcast that explores the inner workings of scaling a web ap; and Vendor Wizard, which securely automates the tracking and management of vendor relationships and documents.

"We want to make an impact, and work to benefit our clients in tangible ways. We want to feel we're part of their team in developing software and not just a vendor," says developer Peter Kananen.

Gaslight works to cultivate a culture of community and teamwork that carries into the wider Cincinnati tech community. The company participates in a number of local developers' groups, including Cincinnati Ruby Brigade and Cincinnati Lean Startup Circle. They're also the lead organizer of the first Queen City Merge web conference May 10 and 11.

"There's a lot of talk about brain drain in the city. It's a constant battle. We want to highlight tech in this city, get people together and have them look around to see what's going on around them," Alcorn says.

By Feoshia Henderson
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In a city that's home to branding, retail and consumer powerhouses like Procter & Gamble, Macy's Inc., LPK and Nielsen, it's natural that Cincinnati Innovates would add a consumer products category to the annual invention competition.

"Being such a cool consumer marking town, we have a ton of consumer product ideas. We want to help people with ideas get their product on the shelf," says Cincinnati Innovates founder Elizabeth Edwards.

Edwards, CEO of Metro Innovation, launched Cincinnati Innovates in 2009 to spur investment in innovative products and services across Greater Cincinnati. Since its founding, several similar contests have sprung up across the region to drive dollars to ideas.

Cincinnati Innovates competitors this year will vie for $100,000 in cash prizes and awards. This year's contest runs until July 15, with a $1,000 early bird prize up for grabs May 30. To enter to contest, go the the Cincinnati Innovates website. Winners will be announced Aug. 16 at Northern Kentucky University.

Cincinnati Innovates entries have been heavy on software, medical and web-based ideas, but the contest always saw a fair share of consumer products. By creating a new category for these products alone, Cincinnati Innovates' partners hope to better nurture those ideas.

CPG Strategies will award $25,000 in services to a consumer product seeking retail distribution. In addition, a new class will be added to Cincinnati Innovates' annual lineup of complementing entrepreneurship courses. The course will be based on the book CPG 101: Strategies to Get Your Consumer Product to Market, by CPG founder David Towner.

Since 2009, Cincinnati Innovates winners have earned $250,000, and have leveraged an additional $5 million in investments.

Other prizes include:

• A $2,000 HYPE Community Choice Award
• Two commercialization awards of $25,000 and $10,000 from CincyTech
• $10,000 in branding and design services from LPK
• A $5,000 video production award from 7/79

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By Feoshia Henderson
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Life Core Technologies received a $250,000 investment from JumpStart for its Excel disposable cerebral cooling system, a device that reduces chances of death in a medical emergency.

“Excel has a cooling element that cools the brain 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius very quickly after cardiac arrest, stroke, or traumatic brain injury,” explains Life Core CEO Mike Burke. “The cooling allows the brain to use less oxygen and prevent oxygen depletion and swelling.”
 
The technology was developed by cardiothoracic surgeon Aqeel Sandhu in the late 1990s. “He discovered though his work with animals that cooling the brain can reduce the metabolic rate and several hours later they came back,” explains Burke. “In 2010, the American Heart Association came up with guidelines stating the cooling as soon as possible after cardiac arrest increases the chances of survivability and retained mental capacity."
 
The JumpStart investment will allow Life Core to conduct additional scientific studies. “We are working with a number of organizations to do additional studies,” says Burke. “We are proving the effectiveness.”
 
Burke is proud that the product is manufactured by a local company and assembled by Patriot Packaging, which employs veterans.
 
Life Core currently has five employees. “We will be expecting to grow as we attain commercialization,” says Burke. “We expect to grow internally with two people and also grow externally through distributors in Northeast Ohio.”

 
Source: Mike Burke
Writer: Karin Connelly

Last year, one of the attendees at the annual Ohio Growth Summit in Columbus "quit his job the day before the summit, came to the summit and started his business the next day," says Mike Bowers, District Director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Columbus State Community College.

That summit attendee is Timothy Wolf Starr, who founded the Small Business Beanstalk, a "local-first" company that connects small retailers to a base of active consumers in the Columbus area. A Small Business Beanstalk card allows shoppers to obtain discounts at independent retailers. The company is now booming, and Starr says, “I send a lot of my clients to the Summit each year.” 

That's why Bowers and Starr encourage all Ohio small business entrepreneurs or hopefuls to attend this year’s summit, which will be held on May 24th at CSCC.

This year’s summit, Bowers says, “is focused on those small business owners who are either starting or growing their businesses. An individual coming to the event can customize their day -- whether it's an owner getting tools and techniques to use immediately, someone having only an idea and not knowing anything about business, or the person who’s been in business for years and is looking to grow."

Summit reakout sessions will address such diverse issues as financing, online social media, marketing and later-stage change. The Ohio Growth Summit is made possible due to a grant from the Small Business Administration.


Source: Mike Bowers
Writer: Catherine Podojil

Tom Barratt owns a company that helps early-stage entrepreneurs to gain access to capital, expertise and high-level contacts, so it's no surprise that in 2006, his expertise was essential to creating LaunchTown, an annual "best idea" competition in Northeast Ohio.

Barratt was inspired by the efforts of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as well as a business professor at John Carroll University who wanted to create something for his students, The first year involved students from John Carroll and then grew to include universities and colleges across Northeast Ohio.
 
Barratt  says that the mission of LaunchTown is to give back to young people by “creating opportunities for students with great ideas to launch their businesses here and not take their talent and creativity to another part of the country after graduation.” The event is supported by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.
 
Through Barratt’s contacts, he’s been able to gain the support of the North Coast Angel Fund, Akron’s ARCHAngel Network, JumpStart and other organizations.
 
Businessweek has recognized winners from 2010 (LifeServe Innovations) and 2009 (CitizenGroove) by naming them among the top 25 young companies created by individuals who are under 25 years of age. LaunchTown winners have also beaten teams from Harvard and Yale in national competitions.
 
Each year since 2007, finalists have brought their best ideas in science, engineering and the biomedical fields to compete for a $10,000 first prize and additional advisory services that are valued at $20,000.
 
This year’s winner, announced at an event in mid April, is University of Akron’s “Telkesis,” a four-student team who created a unique spinal implant that insures greater safety, flexibility and efficiency for patients who need spinal stabilization.


Source: Tom Barratt
Writer: Lee Chilcote

Imagine students at four different high schools working collaboratively and in real time on a project to create a mechanically-fed birdhouse monitored via the Internet. The bird feeder automatically refills itself, based on a preset schedule.

One school team acts as project manager, while another is responsible for aesthetic design. The third school handles computer programming for refilling the bird seed. The fourth school determines the type and amount of bird seed used.

That example is provided by Julie Michael Smith, executive vice president at Applied Systems and Technology Transfer (AST2), to illustrate its Virtual Collaborative Learning Environment (VCLE).

“VCLE is a hardware and software technology that enables students at different schools to collaborate and communicate on projects in real time using social media, design and visualization," Smith explains. "It’s offered in a private cloud to integrate equipment, people and information in a secure, virtual manner.” 

VCLE enables people to use design software to create ideas and develop solutions collaboratively in 2D and 3D environments, according to Smith. “The design can then be prototyped by remotely accessing equipment such as 3D printers, milling machines and laser cutters.”

AST2 has developed a curriculum focused on innovation and creativity that helps students prepare for future jobs requiring skills in science, technology, engineering and math. “Over the past 10 years, STEM careers grew three times faster than non-STEM jobs,” Smith says. “That strong growth is projected to continue.”

The company will begin offering its curriculum and program to several high schools this fall with a goal of making it available to 1,000 high schools by 2016-2017.

AST2 recently landed a potentially multi-million dollar contract award from the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for its MENTOR (Manufacturing and Experimentation Outreach) initiative.  

Source: Julie Michael Smith
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Matt Mastrangelo knows first-hand the hassles of putting together a group outing to an Indians or Browns game. After nearly 10 years in group sales for both sports teams, he witnessed the amount of work staffers put into organizing a group outing.
 
“It was in the Stone Age,” he says. “Figuring out the paper flyers, who wants how many tickets, how much they cost, collecting cash and checks. I thought there was something I could do to alleviate that work.” So in March, Mastrangelo created GroupAide, an online system for organizers of group events to manage the ticket sales.
 
Organizers go to the GroupAide site, set up an event page that includes all the details of the event and send email invitations to the group. Attendees can view the seating chart and buy tickets. It’s free to set up but a service fee is attached to each ticket sale.
 
“So if they’re sitting at home one night, they can just go to their event page and place an order really quickly,” says Mastrangelo. “We provide sales support, who bought tickets, how many seats were sold and how much money has been collected.” With a click of the mouse, the organizer can issue a sales report and collect the money for the event.
 
“Maybe it’s just from being around it for so long, but I don’t feel like I’m reinventing the wheel or changing the world,” says Mastrangelo. “I’m just putting together a way to promote and organize an event.”
 
Mastrangelo already has a few clients through GroupAide, from sporting events to a ski race and even a poinsettia sale. Right now he is still operating GroupAide out of his house in Lyndhurst, but hopes to grow as people catch on to GroupAide.

 
Source: Matt Mastrangelo
Writer: Karin Connelly

NEOSA Tech Week 2012 was held last week at various northeast Ohio locations, promoting the region’s technology companies and the work they are doing in the field. This is the second year for the event, which increased participation by 80 percent with more than 900 people attending nine separate events.
 
“It was awesome,” says Brad Nellis, NEOSA director. “The main goal is to raise the profile of the technology industry in Cleveland.”
 
The week kicked off with Tech Pitch night at the 100th Bomb Group, where 10 companies pitched their businesses to IT executives. “The purpose was for business development and to make business connections,” explains Nellis. The audience voted for the most intriguing company, most wanted product and best pitch.
 
A talent networking event linked 100 young professionals and college students with 25 area companies -- from small employers to international power companies. “We heard from a number of companies who participated about how good it was for them,” says Nellis.
 
The sixth annual Best in Tech Awards recognized outstanding tech companies and impressive tech entrepreneurs in the region. Six companies out of 60 nominations were named as winners in various categories. Sparkbase was named Tech Company of the Year. The CIO of the Year awards were also announced in four categories.
 
The Cool Tech Challenge invited 31 area high school teams to compete in web site design. Seventy students on 43 teams competed. Six students on three teams from Mentor High School, Beaumont School and Copley-Fairlawn High School each received $1,000 in scholarships.

 
Source: Brad Nellis
Writer: Karin Connelly

University of Cincinnati research has led to cutting-edge software that will monitor wind turbine health, allowing the machines to work as efficiently as possible.

Students and faculty at UC's Center for Intelligence Maintenance Systems are testing an early version of the software, based on real-world data from commercial wind farms near Shanghai, China, and in Taiwan and North America.

The software is potentially groundbreaking because most wind turbine performance figures are based on computer models. Since the technology is so new, there is still much unknown about the real-life, long-term performance life and maintenance needs of these high-priced energy generators.

"This is a very closed community. It's tough to get them to open up. We were very lucky to get the (real-world) wind data," says UC doctoral student Edzel Lapira, who co-authored "Wind Turbine Performance Assessment using Multi-regime Modeling Approach." His paper, which was recently published in the Journal of Renewable Energy, analyzed two years’ of operating and environmental data from commercial wind turbines, as well as information on the maintenance software.

This data in essence drives the software, which has several aims, according to UC:

• To predict maintenance needs so a wind turbine experiences near-zero downtime for repairs.
• To aid just-in-time maintenance functions and delivery of needed parts.
• To decrease spare-parts inventory.
• To ultimately predict and foster needed redesigns for wind turbines and their parts.

The team behind the research includes engineering master’s student Dustin Brisset, engineering doctoral students Hossein Davari and David Siegel, and Ohio Eminent Scholar Ohio in Advanced Manufacturing Jay Lee, professor of engineering.

The group continues working on the software, while seeking a wider community of wind farms to test, Lapira says.

"Prediction, that is the overall goal," Lapira says. "Eventually the software will predict that there is a fault, where it is and what part would be needed to fix it. Right now (turbine) manufactures will look at a large number of systems and if they see something wrong, call the operator who will look into it. It's still manual and takes expert knowledge. We are trying to automate that expert knowledge."


Source: Edzel Lapira
Writer: Feoshia Henderson

Pat Valente, executive director of  the Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition, is convinced that fuel cells are the future of energy. The OFCC is a group of industry, academic and government leaders who seek to propel Ohio into a global leadership position in fuel cell technology.
 
Ohio has a competitive advantage in fuel cell technology, says Valente. “We have the supply chain (components), a skilled workforce, and ongoing research on college campuses and in business. We like to say that every fuel cell manufactured in the U.S. has an Ohio component.”
 
Valente touts the clean energy of hydrogen fuel cells. “The only emission that comes out of the tailpipe is water vapor,” he says, referring to the use of fuel cells in vehicles.
 
But fuel cells aren’t just for cars, trucks and buses anymore. Honda is working on an advanced fuel cell that could power a conventional household for six days. Stationary fuel cells are in the works that can power a shopping center or a small community, completely off the grid.
 
In late April, Valente was preparing for the Ohio Fuel Cell Symposium, which took place from May 1st-2nd at Lorain County Community College. “We’re expecting Honda, GM, Daimler, Hundaii, and Toyota,” among others. He thinks government needs to step up with stricter emission requirements, which would further encourage the fuel cell technology.
 
With a rising middle class in China and India, Valente believes it’s just a matter of time before the oil runs out to power all those cars. “We need wind, solar, fuel cells, a little bit of everything. “


Source: Pat Valente
Writer: Catherine Podojil

Students at 21 Ohio colleges and universities can currently seek course help through an e-Tutoring program run by the Ohio Board of Regents. Next year, new funding from the Ohio Tech Consortium, eStudent services, and the Ohio State Fund will enable every student enrolled in all 107 colleges and universities in Ohio to access this service.
 
Karen Boyd, Ohio eTutoring Coordinator, says, “There are other e-Tutoring programs in the country, but Ohio is the only statewide collaborative program.”
 
According to John Charlton, Deputy Director of Communications at the Ohio Board of Regents, “Ohio is a perfect place for such a program because of our '30-mile promise.' There’s a college within thirty miles of every citizen.”
 
E-tutoring is offered in accounting, anatomy and physiology, biology, calculus, chemistry, math, and statistics. Most students also seek guidance in writing.
 
Balee Peth studies marketing and communication at the University of Toledo. She praises the friendly and quick response of her eTutor, who helped her express herself  through her writing.
 
Kyle Steele, a biomed major at Capital University, says, “Even with a science background, it helps me to get advice [with my writing]. You submit your writing and your eTutor reviews it and sends back suggestions for improvement.”
 
ETutors need not be at the same institution as the student seeking help. For example, three students in China, who currently study online at the University of Akron, use eTutoring for their papers. Next year, two of them will spend the academic year in Akron, where they will attest to the value of the eTutoring program. They will also be able to demonstrate their ability to use technology as teachers when they return to China.


Source: Karen Boyd, John Charlton, Balee Peth, Kyle Steele
Writer: Catherine Podojil

The Braintree Business Development Center, in conjunction with the Center for Innovative Food Technology, recently sponsored a nanotechnology workshop at the Tuscarawas campus of Kent State University. The event highlighted the nanotechnology that creates antimicrobial qualities in surfaces found in large kitchens, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and the like.
 
Bob Cohen is the CEO of the Mansfield company, which supports small business startups, particularly those that bring cutting edge technology to the marketplace. “It’s like a continuum,” he explains. “Early on they need advice, next a source of funding, and ultimately when they have commercialized a product, they need markets.”
 
 “We put on a number of events for entrepreneurs, such as international training events, specific workshops, and in the case of the nanotechnology conference, to showcase products they’ve developed to potential customers.”
 
Foremost at the conference was Micropyretics Heaters International (MHI Inc.), a Cincinnati based manufacturer of innovative non-toxic heating materials and devices, all manufactured in Ohio and exported to over 25 countries.
 
Cohen explains, “This nanotechnology actually changes the qualities of the surface, making it resistance to microbes. The technology becomes standard equipment pretty quickly, because nobody wants to be left behind. And it already has an export market.”
 
Braintree has also recently awarded three entrepreneurs Tech Sprout development grants. Rapid Forms (construction forms) and Lapkey Board (ergonomic computers) are both located in Manstield, while RKN Inc. (hand sanitizers to prevent Hospital Acquired Infections) is located in Euclid.


Source: Bob Cohen
Writer: Catherine Podojil

Getting face time with the right decision-makers is priority # 1 for any would-be entrepreneur. A terrific idea for a much-needed product may never become reality if it can’t presented to the right people.

Unfortunately, getting face time with the right decision makers doesn’t come easily for entrepreneurs. Fortunately, a one-year-old program in Columbus called First Customer is helping to change that for Central Ohio entrepreneurs. 

First Customer is a joint initiative of Tech Columbus, whose mission is to accelerate the growth of Central Ohio's innovation economy, and Columbus 2020, an economic development organization.  The new organization is currently focusing its efforts on helping qualified entrepreneurs get access to decision makers at established medical device and software businesses.

Such access comes through a steering committee of eight chief information officers from a wide range of industries and fields, such as real estate, utilities, city government, restaurants, hospitals, insurance and fashion.

“To qualify, the entrepreneur must have a clear concept, a written business plan, a team in place and a previous funding source,” explains Parker MacDonell, who is facilitating First Customer. “The individual must also have completed a beta or clinical test and be ready to commercialize the product or service.”

According to MacDonnell, First Customer has had some 35 startups begin the vetting process since the program launched. “Three have gotten business so far, and there are another four or five that will over time,” he notes.

The idea for First Customer came from Columbus laparoscopic surgeon Dr. Wayne Poll. Dr. Poll invented a medical device to help doctors maintain clear sight during a laparoscopic procedure. While his device is now a success, Dr. Poll discovered that hospitals can be difficult to navigate when it comes to new products.

He hoped to see an organization created to help entrepreneurs get access to decision makers. First Customer is the result of his farsighted idea.
 
Source:  Parker MacDonell
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

When Jeremy Amos and Matt Benton were working together at a bank a few years back, they constantly heard from potential investors about how difficult the college admissions process was for their children. They found that finding the right college was often confusing, complicated and even expensive.
 
So, in 2011, Amos and Benton came up with Upclique -- a free forum to connect students with the information they need to find the college that fits their needs, and allowing colleges to attract quality students. “We offer students a very detailed search tool that helps them narrow down their number of potential schools to a list that is manageable,” says Amos. “Once they have narrowed their list we provide them with all the necessary info they will need regarding the school to make a quality decision.”  
 
Amos describes Upclique as the FaceBook of academia. “Our main goal was to create a site where students, parents, college counselors and college personnel come together,” says Amos. “They can come to our site not knowing a thing about what to do or where to go and we can immediately help them from this point."
 
Since its official launch at the end of February, Upclique has recruited 180 colleges, 35 high schools and 150 students and parents. “We’ve had really great growth,” says Amos.
 
Upclique’s revenue comes from third party sponsors in academics. They recently received an investment from Ancora Advisors in Beachwood, and they are endorsed by the National Catholic College Admission Association, which represents more than 200 colleges across the country.
 
Amos and Benton recently hired a CTO, who contracts with four outside developers.

 
Source: Jeremy Amos
Writer: Karin Connelly