Columbus : Innovation + Job News

The Ohio State University (OSU) is investing in a study aimed at improving synergy between campus operations and surrounding ecosystems. The long-term goal is to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of campus operations, thus saving money while also protecting the environment.
 
“The goods and services provided by ecosystems are often underappreciated, particularly in our increasingly techno-centric society,” explains Bhavik Bakshi, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “We tend to think of technological solutions before thinking about whether nature can provide solutions.”
 
Bakshi and his staff will consider technological and ecological systems that the university depends on as integrated synergistic networks. “Such a view allows us to find win-win solutions that have economic and environmental benefits,” Bakshi says. “We believe that developing such techno-ecological networks is an essential part of sustainable development since it permits explicit consideration of ecological constraints in technological design.”
 
Universities across the country are looking to improve the efficiency of their operations while also implementing sustainability measures. Due to its size and prominence, Ohio State proves to be an excellent testing ground for such a study.
 
The university is a network comprised of technological, ecological and social systems. Buildings, roads, trees, lawns, faculty and staff make the campus what it is. “By finding synergies with ecosystems, we can discover ways to reduce costs while enhancing the quality of life on campus and moving toward sustainability,” Bakshi says. Finding synergies is also necessary to keep the university’s commitment to climate neutrality signed by President Gee.
 
Initially, the plan is to develop models of the technological and ecological systems in a section of campus, and use the models to help understand the impact of adopting environmentally friendly alternatives to, for example, lawn mowers and other aspects of landscaping.
 
“In the long run we expect to use such insight to develop a part of campus as a living laboratory for sustainability studies,” Bakshi explains. “This will involve making changes in relevant technological and ecological systems with involvement of people who use the selected area.”
 
 
Source: Bhavik Bakshi
Writer: Joe Baur

Tom Mullin talks to marketing professionals. A lot. “I constantly hear nightmarish stories about creative vendors they are using and have previously used,” he says.

He believes that negative experiences with creative vendors typically come from not having the right person for the job. “Unfortunately, the creative and design profession is highly unregulated,” Mullin explains. “You have a lot of people claiming to offer services that just aren’t in their professional skill set.”

The former Columbus ad agency business-development exec decided to do something about this creative conundrum. He established Connected in May to help provide marketers with the right creative people.
 
Mullin’s goal, he says, is to make marketing professionals’ lives easier and more productive.

Using what he calls a “robust” interview process to identify skill sets, customer service, and pricing, Connected acts as a professional match maker between marketers and creatives.
According to Mullin, the due diligence Connected performs takes the guess work and time spent mulling over options out of the equation when marketers are searching for a creative partner.
 
In addition to streamlining what is typically an arduous process, Mullin says Connected creates an environment built around honesty and transparency. “Marketers can come to me with a need and receive an unbiased professional opinion as to not only who’s qualified for the job, but who’s going to provide the biggest return on their investment,” he explains.
 
Agencies – the creative vendors – hire Connected to match them with marketers who need advertising, marketing and digital services. Connected receives a percentage of what the agencies make.

To date, Mullin has developed a pre-approved list of more than 100 profiled creative vendors.

Mullin started out with one client and now has 15. To his best knowledge, Connected is the only company of its kind.

Philanthropy is an important aspect of Connected’s business model. Mullin donates a portion of his net profit from each project to the marketer’s charity of choice. “I grew up in a very philanthropic environment and was taught to give back whenever possible,” Mullin explains. “It’s my way of thanking the marketer for allowing me to help them build brand loyalty.”
 
Source:  Tom Mullin, Connected
Writer:  Lynne Meyer

Economic development activity is growing at a fast clip in New Albany, a northern suburb of Columbus.

In three years, the town has welcomed 19 new businesses and four existing companies have expanded. Four additional companies, including Bob Evans, which is building its new headquarters here, are slated to put down roots in 2013.
 
“We’ve created more than 3,500 new jobs since 2009,” says Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany’s Director of Community Development. She attributes the city’s success to a combination of good planning and strategic partnerships.
 
New Albany planted the seeds for its growth back in 2007 when it partnered with TechColumbus to create TechStart New Albany. “TechStart helped 51 New Albany-based companies benefit from more than $458,000 in TechGenesis and Pre-Seed Funds, about $310,000 in Ohio TechAngel Funds and more than $1 million in grants and debt financing,” Chrysler notes.
 
New Albany has specifically made a strong commitment to attracting smaller, entrepreneurial businesses and technology startups, she explains. “We subscribe to the cluster theory of economic development, which translates into diversification within our business park.” The park, which Chrysler says is the fastest-growing such venue in the region, comprises four clusters – research and information, retail, medical office and personal care and beauty. 

“Each of the clusters has experienced significant growth,” Chrysler notes. “Our beauty and personal care campus alone has now attracted more than 1,300 new jobs and  realized $144 million in new investment during just the past year.”

In 2011, the city launched two new programs in its business park to stimulate and support entrepreneurial activity. Innovate New Albany is geared toward encouraging public-private partnerships and increasing the number of knowledge workers employed in the city. INC@8000 is a business incubator for startups and entrepreneurial activities, including classes and seminars.

 
Source:  Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany
Writer: Lynne Meyer

Ohio State University is growing the next generation of social entrepreneurs -- inspired, motivated students intent on addressing society's problems in innovative ways -- with a new program aimed at nurturing young talent.

“It was the proudest moment of my undergraduate career and shaped me into the industrial designer I am today,” says Krista Alley, a recent graduate of Ohio State University, of its Social Innovation and Commercialization (SIAC) Initiative.
 
Located within the College of Engineering, SIAC espouses three goals, according to Peter Rogers, Ph.D., a professor in OSU’s Engineering Education Innovation Center and a leader of the program.  “We’re looking to educate students as up-and-coming social entrepreneurs, develop products for people with disabilities to help them become more independent and provide an alternative revenue stream for the non-profit organizations with which we work,” he says.

Engineering, business, industrial design and MBA students are teamed with professionals, such as occupational and physical therapists, on projects.

Alley’s project involved designing an interactive, hand-held device to help children with Down's Syndrome become better organized. “These children can’t grasp the concept of time and time management, “ Dr. Rogers explains. “Getting them up and ready for school is a constant battle for their families because the children can’t remember which tasks come first.” Through the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio, 20 families are now testing a prototype of the device.
 
So far, SIAC has developed two other potential products to serve the disabled – a compression vest for children with autism and programmable exercise equipment for adults with physical disabilities.

While teaching social entrepreneurism in college isn’t new, OSU’s program is unique in its emphasis on commercialization techniques to achieve sustainable growth, Dr. Rogers notes.

“Once the program’s products are manufactured and ready for sale, SIAC’s goal is to have its non-profit organization’s partners help market the products to its local and national constituents,” he explains. Profits will be divided, with a portion going to the non-profits and a portion re-invested back into SIAC to help create OSU’s first completely self-sustaining academic program.  
 
Source:  Peter Rogers, Krista Alley
Writer: Lynne Meyer

The new Women’s Business Accelerator in Columbus is gearing up to help women entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
 
“It’s the region’s first incubator dedicated to mentoring, educating and guiding women as they explore, launch and build small and micro-businesses,” explains small-business consultant Mary McCarthy, who established the accelerator with small-business attorney Caroline Worley.
 
“Women business ownership is growing at a tremendous rate, but we still lag behind male-owned businesses,” McCarthy says. “According to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Advocacy, women-owned firms trail male-owned firms in such things as annual sales, employment growth and venture survival.”

The SBA specifically reports that the average firm owned by a woman generates only 78 percent of the profit of a comparable business male-owned business.  Also, the four-year survival rate of new women-owned firms is 8.6 percent lower than that of comparable new businesses founded by men.
 
“We want to help close these gaps,” McCarthy states.
 
The new facility is located in a suburb of Columbus and comprises 16 private offices, 12 cubicles, three conference rooms, a training room and two kitchens. Office space is available for rent on a monthly, semi-annual and annual basis. Mentoring and facilitated roundtables are included in the rent, and members get a discount on the educational tracks. Women not renting space may participate in the facilitated roundtable for a small monthly fee and may take the educational sessions at cost.

McCarthy and Worley are self-funding the incubator but anticipate that rent and educational programs will generate revenue. “We’re also seeking sponsorships and grants,” McCarthy says.
 
 Source:  Mary McCarthy, Women’s Business Accelerator

Engineer Waseem Roshen is working toward a breakthrough in solar cell technology efficiency.
 
Roshen, founder and director of SS Power Technology, says he has found a way to increase the efficiency of solar-power cells by implementing a circuit board he invented that reduces the power lost in transit between the surface of the solar cell and the battery.
 
“Currently about 20 percent of the sunlight falling on a solar cell is converted into electrical power inside the solar sell,” explains Roshen. “This generated electricity is sufficient to run most electrical devises that need electricity to run; however, only a small fraction of the electric power generated in the solar cell can be extracted out of the solar cell and delivered to a device under almost all conditions of operation of the device.” The rest of the electrical power is lost.
 
Roshen is currently raising money on top of a $50,000 grant from TechColumbus to continue his research. “A portion of these funds are being used to develop prototypes and to test Dr. Roshen’s patent pending innovative circuit design at OSU’s College of Engineering,” says Gary Rawlings, Director of Technology Commercialization at TechColumbus. “The first series of data has shown performance improvements greatly exceeding expectations.”
 
If successful, Roshen says the consumer will see a large drop in the cost per watt of solar energy, as well as a large number of new electrical devices – like mobile electrical devices -- that can be run on solar power. “All of this should lead to less reliance on fossil fuel, such as coal, gas and oil, thus helping clean the environment.”
 
 
Source: Waseem Roshen, Gary Rawlings
Writer: Joe Baur

Purchasing agents for mid-size companies have a very tough job, says Bob Ray, co-founder of Columbus-based ProcureSafe, which provides subscription-based online supplier management.

“Medium-size companies with 20 to 500 employees generally don’t have a formal purchasing department dedicated to making corporate purchases,” he explains. “The person responsible for purchasing may be the business owner himself, an office manager, the IT manager or so forth. He or she is inundated by supplier sales calls and has limited time to manage existing suppliers, let alone research prospective suppliers who may offer better pricing or functionality. This can lead to costly purchasing mistakes or missed opportunities for important savings.”

To address this problem for what Ray says is an underserved market, ProcureSafe  launched a new app in August that collects supplier data, organizes it and provides a rating system based on buyer experiences.

The company tested an Alpha version of the app with 22 users in eight industries, obtaining feedback on what they liked and what they thought would make the service more valuable. The company also conducted more than 100 interviews with additional businesses for their input as well.

“The new app completely automates and manages new information on existing suppliers,” Ray explains. “Buyers direct suppliers to a supplier registration portal where they complete a profile, input product information and pricing and then answer qualifying questions to match preselected qualifying criteria.”

This information is stored and categorized in ProcureSafe’s database. In addition to supplier data, the app offers a rating system based on buyer experience. “When a buyer is ready to make a purchase, he or she simply accesses the database for qualified suppliers, considers the feedback on them and can then send a quote request,” he says.

According to Ray, the new app reflects the best practices of market leaders in procurement, supplier management and group purchasing. “It’s a massive network of supplier information that will enable buyers in medium-size companies to make smarter decisions faster.”

Source:  Bob Ray, ProcureSafe
Writer:   Lynne Meyer

TiE Ohio will recognize international entrepreneurs at its awards ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 20. Two Cleveland business executives, Jose Feliciano and Wayne Duigan, will be honored.
 
TiE Ohio is a resource for entrepreneurs to network and find mentors for their businesses. This event recognizes immigrant and American-born entrepreneurs who have taken their businesses to an international level.

“Entrepreneurs have the passion, the dream and they are willing to put themselves all in,” says Joe Cole, executive director of TiE Ohio. “We want to reward the entrepreneurs who are going global.”
 
Jose Feliciano, a trial lawyer with BakerHostetler, will receive the Community Catalyst Award. The award recognizes people who have supported immigrant entrepreneurs. “He’s really been in the forefront of advocacy of the immigrant entrepreneur,” adds Cole. “He has a predisposition to being an entrepreneur.”
 
Feliciano is the founder and chair of the Hispanic Roundtable, is former chairman of the Hispanic Leadership Development Program, founder of the Hispanic Community Forum and was a founder of the Ohio Hispanic Bar Association. He also hosts the monthly talk show, El Sol de Cleveland. “He’s really been out in the forefront,” says Cole.
 
Wayne Duigan, director international sales for Horizons, Inc. is nominated for the Global Entrepreneur award. “He has significantly grown Horizons’ global presence,” Cole notes. “They’ve really done a great job in establishing an international presence.”
 
The event will be held at the Ariel International Center at 5:30 p.m. Mark Kvamme, president and CIO of JobsOhio, will be the keynote speaker. 

 
Source: Joe Cole
Writer: Karin Connelly

The Ohio State University’s Technology Commercialization and Knowledge Transfer Office (TCO) and Cleveland Clinic Innovations recently formed a special alliance with the goal of helping move Ohio into the forefront of medical innovation and enhance job creation in the state.

“Nationally, this is one of the few alliances of this kind between prominent academic medical centers, putting Ohio in a leadership position for the commercialization of medical technology,” according to Brian Cummings, OSU’s vice president of technology commercialization.

Efforts will focus on improving and extending the lives of patients, and innovations will come in many forms, such as medical devices, patient services, new medical software systems, consumer products and startup companies, Cummings explains.
 
“This partnership holds enormous potential for Ohio to reshape the future of medicine,” says Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee in a news release.

The two organizations will be sharing and using their comprehensive technology and commercialization service infrastructures to develop and deploy new medical innovations generated by researchers, physicians, faculty and administrative staff at both institutions.

“Our first step going forward is to assess each other’s assets, available resources, unique programs and intellectual property portfolios and to begin to analyze the overlaps and gaps where we can assist each other,” Cummings says.

Cummings cites neuromodulation as an important innovation for the new partnership to explore. “Neuromodulation is one of the hottest areas of research and breakthrough innovation in current medical practice,” he says. "It has the potential through electrical stimulation to literally turn diseases off and on."

"Dr. Ali Rezai is a leader in this field and currently works at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center but started his work at the Cleveland Clinic, where he has built up a large portfolio of high-value companies and patents," Cummings adds. "Using the Clinic’s existing intellectual property and the clinical capabilities of Dr. Rezai’s current work at Ohio State should lead to a string of joint innovations and a host of new companies."


Source: Brian Cummings
Writer: Lynne Meyer

The tech firm yet2 is gaining an Ohio presence thanks to a $1.8 million award from Ohio Third Frontier.

The Needham, Massachusetts-based company specializes in technology transfer and patent transactions, operating an online marketplace since 1999. Don Monaco, Director of Business Development at yet2, says the decision to pursue an Ohio location “was quite easy, frankly.” He explains, “The state of Ohio, being very forward thinking relative to the business base in the state, elected to invest in making small and mid-market companies more competitive in terms of technology development utilization.”
 
Establishing a yet2 location puts Ohio in good company, since the company has additional locations in Tokyo and Liverpool. “The types of businesses in the state of Ohio are very good candidates for harnessing the benefits of Open Innovation,” says Monaco, which is a concept promoted by Henry Chesbrough, a professor at the Center for Open Innovation at the University of California, Berkley. The concept is a model using internal and external ideas for mass innovation.
 
The Ohio location is yet to be determined, but Monaco says they will select what they believe is “the best fit for our company, the state and associates we will be hiring to lead the effort.” Meantime, he reiterates his gratitude toward the Ohio Department of Development and Ohio Third Frontier “for having the confidence in yet2.com’s ability to bring economic value to the state, spread the word about Open Innovation and ultimately make a positive difference in the future for our prospective Ohio clients, their employees and shareholders.”
 
 
Source: Don Monaco
Writer: Joe Baur

The Ohio Department of Development wants to help companies and organizations buy and sell their products locally across the state. 

Check Ohio First is a free and easy-to-use online program to promote contracting with and between Ohio businesses. “Both suppliers and buyers enter brief profiles into the Check Ohio First directory, which can then be searched by Check Ohio First members,” explains Wendy Boortz, Program Manager. “The program automatically matches buyers and suppliers by industry codes.”

“Check Ohio First celebrates the strength of Ohio businesses,” said Christine Schmenk, Director of ODOD, in a news release. “Ohio buyers like to do business with local companies, and this partnership is perfect for job creation.”

Check Ohio First was launched in October 2011 as a virtual, year-round extension of the Ohio Department of Development’s annual Ohio Business Matchmaker program, an annual procurement event now going into its eighth year.

According to Boortz, Check Ohio First recently added free webinars to the mix. “Buyers educate suppliers on how to do business with their organization, and procurement counselors provide webinars that help businesses get ready for contracting opportunities,” she says.  Most of the webinars are recorded and stored in the resource library located on the Check Ohio First website.

“The website also contains a list of upcoming events, and visitors can browse our resource library and link to procurement training and opportunities,” she states.

Boortz notes that Check Ohio First is building a database to reflect private and public users. “We currently have about 350 profiles, including 100 companies that have registered as both buyers and suppliers and 20 as buyers only.”


Source:  Wendy Boortz
Writer: Lynne Meyer

Synthetic tracheas, developed, designed and “grown” by Columbus-based Nanofiber Solutions, were recently successfully transplanted into two patients in Russia.

Nanofiber Solutions does research to advance tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. “We develop three-dimensional manmade scaffolds to create synthetic human organs,” explains Jed Johnson, Ph.D., chief technology officer.

Both patients suffered from a narrowing of their laryngotracheal junctions due to auto accidents. “We seeded the scaffolds with bone marrow from each of the patients,” Dr. Johnson explained. “The resulting synthetic tracheas matched the dimensions of each patient’s natural larynx and trachea.”

According to Dr. Johnson, the highly experimental procedure was conducted by an international team of surgeons. Both patients were able to speak and breathe normally immediately after the surgery, he noted, and since the cells used were from each patient, there has been no rejection problem.

“We use very fine synthetic polymer fibers that are 500 nanometers in diameter for our scaffolds,” Dr. Johnson explains ”That’s 100 times smaller than a human hair.  So far, we have designed and developed scaffolds for tracheas, blood vessels, intestines and skin.”

Additional trachea transplant surgeries are scheduled in both Sweden and the United States within the next few months.

The Ohio Third Frontier Commission recently awarded Case Western Reserve University’s National Center for Regenerative Medicine $2.4 million to support its process and manufacturing platform for cell therapy.  Nanofiber Solutions is among eight collaborators working with Case Western Reserve University on this project. 

Source: Jed Johnson
Writer: Lynne Meyer

The Ohio Capital Fund is on a mission to reignite venture capital and innovation across the state of Ohio.
 
“I don’t work for a typical venture capital company,” explains Fort Washington Capital Managing Director, Paul Cohn, who manages the Ohio Capital Fund. “We are a fund of funds, meaning we invest into venture capital funds.” Thus far, the investment has paid off.
 
The Ohio Capital Fund has committed $129 million to 26 venture capital firms to date – 22 of which have a presence in Ohio. In aggregate, the 26 firms have invested $205 million into 67 companies across the state, employing over 2,400 people with an estimated annual payroll of over $140 million. And it’s only the beginning.
 
“We have seen a strong investment pace by our VC funds through this difficult economic environment,” explains Cohn. “Our fiscal years ends June 30, and over that year we saw investment in Ohio companies in our portfolio increase 36 percent.”
 
One example Cohn is excited to share is Orthohelix, Northeast Ohio developer of orthopedic implant and instrument sets used by surgeons to fix bones during foot, ankle, hand and wrist surgeries. They recently announced their sale to an Amsterdam-based public company called Tornier for $135 million. Orthohelix will maintain and likely grow their presence in Northeast Ohio after the acquisition is complete.
 
Although the fund is done investing for the year, legislation to expand the fund was recently approved by the House of Representatives prior to summer recess and is now sitting in the Senate. If the measure passes, the Buckeye economy stands to benefit once again. “We are targeting a $100 million expansion so we can keep supporting the venture capital firms that are making investments in early stage Ohio companies.”
 
 
Source: Paul Cohn
Writer: Joe Baur

The inaugural Great Lakes Venture Fair will take place at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown October 17-18, on the heels of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds annual conference. The fair is a collaborative effort  between  JumpStart, Ohio Capital Fund, Ohio Venture Association, TiE Ohio, CincyTech and TechColumbus and will bring together investors and startups from across the Midwest.
 
“It’s a chance for the venture capital community to come together and see some of the most promising startups,” explains Carolyn Pione Micheli, director of communications for CincyTech. “According to a study by the Kauffman Foundation, in 2007 all net news job growth came from companies that are less than five years old.” The event is the successor to the Ohio Capital Fund’s Early Stage Summit, which was held in Columbus for seven years.
 
The GLVF will only accept 18 startup companies in bioscience and IT to pitch their companies to investors. Other activities at the event include presentations on regional investment activity, and conversations about building future growth in startups and investing.
 
“In terms of growing fresh new jobs, small companies are the key, “ says Micheli. “The startup community is really important to our economic future.”
 
Keynote speaker will be Jeff Weedman, vice president of global business development for Proctor & Gamble. The application deadline for companies looking for funding is Aug. 12. Registration to attend is $200 before Sep. 15, $250 after that.

 
Source: Carolyn Pione Micheli
Writer: Karin Connelly