Entrepreneurial Programs : Innovation + Job News

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

LeanDog Software Studio has seen success as a software delivery firm and the team enjoys sharing their knowledge and mentoring others in the field. So the natural progression for the 55-person company was to expand into the world of fostering entrepreneurs in the tech field. The launch of LeanDog Labs does exactly that.
 
“Labs was really a part of our original vision of LeanDog,” says Nick Barendt, director of LeanDog Labs. “Very early on we were working with startups, but we were bootstrapped as a startup ourselves and cash poor. We really wanted to get back into working with Cleveland-based startups.”
 
LeanDog Labs teaches what they know to up-and-coming technology experts. They don’t invest in the companies; they are focused on being a technology partner. “We’re not looking to fund or provide office space. We’re there on the technology end to help entrepreneurs deliver their vision,” says Doc Norton, director of LeanDog Studio. “We’re looking to be a delivery partner in the startups.”
 
The company is in a position now to help out. LeanDog grew to 45 people from 18 people last year, and has hired 10 employees this year -- four of them just last week. Barendt and Norton see that growth as an opportunity to spread the expertise around.
 
“We're looking to work with entrepreneurs to help build their product vision,” says Barendt. “We have an absolutely amazing group of developers with incredibly diverse experiences, from mobile and web to financial and insurance to real time control and embedded systems, and we can make that collective experience available to our entrepreneurial partners.”

 
Source: Nick Barendt and Doc Norton
Writer: Karin Connelly
 

The Hamilton County Business Center (HCBC) has partnered with the Product Development and Management Association, (PDMA), Cincinnati Chapter, for a new workshop series aimed at would-be entrepreneurs not quite sure if their ideas are ready for prime time.

This hands-on series, Commercialization Best Practices for New Business Development, helps budding entrepreneurs and innovators flesh out their ideas, and find the best ways to bring them into the marketplace.

"It's a few steps earlier than the business plan process," says HCBC director Patrick Longo. "This will help people who are thinking of getting into the marketplace. It's all about, 'How do I develop a product, and what kind of market can I serve?' "

HCBC is a local, technology-focused incubator. The Product Development and Management Association is a global professional trade association.

The five-part series starts April 13 and ends June 1. It will be held at the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science. Sessions run from 1 to 5 p.m. and the series' cost is $199. Registration is available online.

HCBC and PDMA representatives will lead the workshops, which will include out-of-classroom work. Each session is designed to build on the one before it, Longo says.

The scheduled workshops are:

April 13 Session: Introduction to the Front End of Innovation. Introduction to the overall series design and work flow (pre-work, in-session exercises, and homework). The Stage-Gate® process will be used to outline the key elements of successful new product development. Creative problem solving will be used to ensure that the new business idea solves an important customer need in a way that maximizes economic value.

April 20 Session: Assess the Landscape. Outlines the six key focus areas required to build a compelling business case appropriate for passing the Idea Gate of the Stage-Gate® process. For each focus area, participants will assess the readiness of their business-building ideas by answering typical stage-appropriate questions. Participants will identify gaps in their own knowledge and potential killer issues/barriers in their business case and leave with an action plan to complete a landscape assessment for their own business ideas.

May 4 Session: Intellectual Property. Reviews the basic principles of intellectual property protection, addressing both patent-based and non-patent-based strategies. This session will share best practices for maximizing IP productivity and protection during Front End of Innovation (FEI). Participants will leave with an action plan to maximize the effectiveness of their interactions with legal counsel.

May 18 Session: Bringing Your Idea to Market. An overview of the end-to-end supply network required to get a
new business idea to market. Consideration of raw material sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution may uncover potential pitfalls to be addressed in the Front End. Participants will leave with an action plan to evaluate potential barriers and complete a preliminary competitive response analysis.

June 1 Session: Finance 101. Focuses on building the final business case prior to the "Money Gate," where the rate of spending (time, money and resources) increases dramatically. Participants will complete a more detailed financial analysis of their business idea (NPV, ROI, cash flow) and leave with an action plan to explore funding options and cash management resources.

By Feoshia Henderson
Follow Feoshia on Twitter

A new health IT startup accelerator is taking applications for a 12-week business development program that includes $20,000 in startup funds.

The Innov8 For Health Startup accelerator is an outgrowth of Cincinnati's Innov8 For Health initiative aimed at creating jobs, attracting and retaining talent and improving health outcomes through innovation.

"This goes back to the Innov8 for health theme. We want to identify people who have ideas and support and incentivize them down the path of innovation," says initiative founder Sunnie Southern, also founder of ViableSynergy.

The accelerator will take applications until April 30. It's open to any early-stage startups grounded in health IT. Companies outside of Cincinnati must move to the city during the program. It starts June 11 with eight companies.

"The focus is on providing better health care at a lower cost. The range of solutions can be everything from making it easier to select high-quality healthcare providers to making doctor and patient interaction more efficient," Southern says.

Each company selected will receive $20,000; in return, the accelerator will own six percent of the company. Startups will also work with mentors and tackle business development aspects including sales and marketing, branding, technology and operations and navigating government regulations.

Innov8 For Health partners include GE Aviation, C-Cap, Queen City Angels and the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati.

The Greater Cincinnati area is particularly suited for healthcare IT innovation, because many health providers here are further along in adopting paperless records and sharing secure, electronic patient information, Southern says.

"We have one of the most mature health information exchanges in the country, Health Bridge. It's really a cornerstone of what makes Cincinnati different; we have this deep expertise in sharing and exchanging data," she says.

By Feoshia Henderson
Follow Feoshia on Twitter

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

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

The University of Dayton (UD) and the Fraunhofer Institute of Non-Destructive Testing in Dresden, Germany have created a collaborative center of excellence at the UD School of Engineering. The project, which began with a faculty exchange program between the two organizations in 2004, will allow UD and Fraunhofer to exchange faculty, graduate students and critical ideas.

The focus of the new center will be on ways to implement or improve structural health monitoring, non-destructive evaluation and nano characterization. Structural health monitoring and non-destructive evaluation examine how to use sensors to check for structural defects without stopping production. Nano characterization looks at the materials that are used to create sensors and equipment on a molecular scale. It then determines or mitigates responses to fracture and fatigue based on how materials are welded and joined.

Now that the Center has officially opened, its leaders are ready to pursue grants and investors within Ohio.  According to Dr. Tony Saliba, Dean of the School of Engineering at UD, “The center has already received grants from the European Union. Contracts and funds from companies associated with Fraunhofer will be brought here. We are putting together teams to write proposals here."

He continues, “As we continue to win grants we will hire more researchers, faculty, and assistants.”

Meanwhile, work is already in progress with the ball bearing, metal and steel manufacturer Timken Company in Canton, Ohio.  The center has also done work with Ethicon of Johnson and Johnson on titanium probes and Depuy of Johnson and Johnson on titanium hip implants.

The University of Dayton and Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing-Dresden Project Center has potential to boost economic growth and employment in the region. “Job creation is going to come as new sensors are developed and implemented through Ohio manufacturers,” affirms Dr. Saliba.


Source: Tony Saliba
Writer: Mona Bronson-Fuqua

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

Someday, perhaps, we'll power our ever-growing number of personal electronic devices with something sustainable like biofuels or sunlight. Until then, the nPower PEG (personal energy device) will do nicely. Tremont Electric's clever gadget converts the motion of walking or running into energy, which it stores in a battery until you're ready to recharge your cell phone or iPod.
 
Cool, right? The only problem to date has been getting hold of one.
 
"The last 18 months have been pretty challenging," says vice president Jill LeMieux. The supplier of the custom battery used in the original design proved unable to keep up. At present there are about 2,000 nPower PEG's in use -- and 5,000 on back order. That's an encouraging but precarious situation for a small company.
 
But things should improve in late March; that's when Delta Systems in Streetsboro begins mass-producing nPower PEGs. Would-be owners' reward for waiting will be greater energy efficiency in the new models -- which Tremont Electric founder and CEO Aaron LeMieux attributes to advances in microprocessors -- and a standardized battery that holds twice the charge of the older ones.
 
Delta Systems has been "very supportive," Jill adds, fronting the tooling costs until sales ramp up. She expects to sell at least 1,000 units per month. In the near future they'll only be available through the website, but some retailers already are expressing interest. The product is a natural for stores serving runners, hikers and campers.
 
"What we've seen since the rollout of this product is overwhelming demand for it," says Aaron.
 
The company hears frequently from users who "love" the PEG, including servicemen in Afghanistan, who report that it has worked "flawlessly." And like the deal with Delta, a military order would be another big, energy-generating step forward for the tiny company. The PEG is also a finalist in the Edison Awards, which will be announced April 26. Tremont Electric also continues to work with universities and others on deploying buoys that would convert the motion of waves into large-scale energy production.
 
Notes Aaron, "It's going to get interesting around here, I can say that much."
 
 
Sources: Jill and Aaron LeMieux
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

OnShift Software, a leader in web-based staff scheduling and shift management software for the healthcare industry, closed $3 million in series B financing. The funding will help OnShift meet the rising demand to manage healthcare costs.

OnShift is experiencing fast, significant growth, having achieved a 400 percent increase in annual revenue in 2011. The company’s customer base has surged to more than 600 in the past year. The funding will be used to accelerate OnShift’s sales and marketing strategies and expand its presence in the healthcare industry.

“The healthcare market is under a lot of pressure to get costs under control,” says OnShift CEO Mark Woodka. “Our customers need to manage their labor costs in long-term care and senior living. That collection of customers is primarily doing it manually. This funding will allow us to meet the demand, accelerate our growth and continue to deliver world class, innovative solutions to our healthcare clients.”

With OnShift, providers control labor costs by preventing overtime, managing open shifts, and operating with appropriate staffing levels

OnShift has 36 employees and plans to grow to 55 or 60 this year.

 
Source: Mark Woodka
Writer: Karin Connelly