Connecticut Technology Council Announces Honorees for 12th Annual Women of Innovation Awards Program

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Connecticut Technology Council Announces Honorees for 12th Annual Women of Innovation Awards Program

More than 200 women innovators, role models, and leaders in technology, science, engineering, and math have been nominated for the 12^th Annual Women of Innovation® Awards Program.

Sponsored by the Connecticut Technology Council, the program recognizes women in the workforce as well as students at high school and college levels pursuing technology careers.

Honorees in eight award categories will be recognized at this year’s Women of Innovation awards program and gala, to be held on Wednesday, April 6 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT.

Learn more and register online or contact Cindy Lang at clang@ct.org or 860-289-0878, x344.

The keynote speaker for the Women of Innovation Awards Program will be Congresswoman Elizabeth H. Esty, U.S. Representative for the 5^th Congressional District of Connecticut. Esty is committed to reinvigorating the district’s manufacturing tradition through investments in STEM education, infrastructure, research and development, and job training.

During the past 11 years, more than 500 women have been honored by Women of Innovation. Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman talks about the program’s value and progress.

Watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz1gQ96Yk1c

Nominees for the 2016 Women of Innovation awards program are:

Youth Innovation and Leadership

Sara Banach – Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, Windsor, CT (High School Student)
Sophie Bardos – Greenwich High School, Riverside, CT (High School Student)
Annie Blumenfeld – Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield, CT (High School Student)
Victoria Li – Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge, CT (High School Student)
Helen Liu – Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge, CT (High School Student)
Kanika Malani – Glastonbury High School, Glastonbury, CT (High School Student)
Megan Siedman – Joel Barlow High School, Easton, CT (High School Student)

Collegian Innovation and Leadership

Aimee Alphonso – Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (College Medical Student)
Wafa Elmannai – University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT (PhD Candidate/College Student)
Jacquelyn Kubicko – United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT (Cadet/College Student)
Stephanie Reeve – University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (College Student)
Yan Xia – University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (College Student)

Community Innovation and Leadership

Michelle Andersen – Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company, Stratford, CT (Research & Engineering Technology Manager)
Carolyn Begnoche – Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT (Senior Designer/Drafter)
Wendy Durica – Datto, Inc., Norwalk, CT (SQA Engineer – Team Lead)
Gail Gottehrer – Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, Hartford, CT (Partner)
Kirsten Schnappauf – Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company, Stratford, CT (Combat Tempered Platform Demonstration Structural Analysis Lead)
Kelli-Marie Vallieres – Sound Manufacturing Inc., Monster Power Equipment Inc., Old Saybrook, CT (President & CEO)

Research Innovation and Leadership

Maria Ellis – University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Storrs, CT (M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor)
Dr. Jane Grant-Kels – University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Storrs, CT (Department Chair and Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology)
Jessica Newman – Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company, Stratford, CT (Integration Manager SB>1 Defiant™)
Karolina Palucka, M.D., PhD – The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT (Professor and Associate Director of Cancer Immunology)
Annabell Rodriguez-Oquendo – UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT (Linda and David Roth Chair of Cardiovascular Research)
Holly Rushmeier – Yale University, New Haven, CT (Professor)
Bing Wang – University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (Associate Professor)
Sandra Weller – UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT (Professor and Chair)

Academic Innovation and Leadership

Stacey Brown – UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT (Director, Department of Community Medicine and Health Care)
Chinma Uche – Academy of Aerospace and Engineering and Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science, Windsor, CT (High School Teacher)
Caroline Deally – UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT (Associate Professor, Reconstructive Sciences, Founder and CTO, Chondrogenics)
Lisa Dierker – Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT (Professor, Psychology)
Amy Howell – University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (Professor and Department Head)
Ishita Mukerji – Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT (Fisk Professor of Natural Science and Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry)
Jani Pallis – University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT (Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering)
Lynne Regan – Yale University, New Haven, CT (Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry; Professor of Chemistry; Director, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Institute for Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences; Director, Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology) Entrepreneurial Innovation and Leadership
Kelly Angelini – Simpson Healthcare Executives, Old Lyme, CT (CEO/CSO)
Nicole Bucala – MIFCOR, New Haven, CT (CEO)
Janine Darling, STASH America, LLC, Stamford, CT (Founder & CEO)
Wendy Davis – GestVision, New Haven, CT (CEO)
Marcia Fournier – BioArray Therapeutics, Inc., New Haven, CT (Founder & CEO)
Anuja Ketan – Zillion Group Inc., Norwalk, CT (CTO)
Gloria Kolb – Elidah Inc., Monroe, CT (CEO/Owner)
Amy McCooe – Level Up Village, Old Greenwich, CT (Co-CEO)

Small Business Innovation and Leadership

Melissa Casini – etouches, Norwalk, CT (Director of Account Management)
Dina Dubey – Z-Medica, Wallingford, CT (Executive Vice President, Corporate Development)
Merrie London – Connecticut Innovations, Rocky Hill,CT (Manager, SBIR and Federal Leveraging Programs)
Jackie Mulhall – SMC Partners, Hartford, CT (Director)
Pam Perdue – Continuity Control, New Haven, CT (Founder, Executive Vice President Regulatory Operations)
Kathleen Roberge – etouches, Norwalk, CT (Vice President of Global Sales)

Large Business Innovation and Leadership

Anna Aulabaugh – Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT (Associate Research Fellow)
Nancy Cika – Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT (Manager, PW4000 Programs)
Teresa Cowles – UTC Aerospace Systems, Windsor Locks, CT (Chief Engineer, Project Engineering)
Elizabeth Deckers – Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT (Director of Labor and Delivery)
Linda D’Elia – Medtronic, New Haven, CT (Senior Product Manager)
Jennifer Graham – Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company, Stratford, CT (S-97 Raider Dynamic Systems Integrated Product Team Lead)
Cheryl Hayward – Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT (Director, Chemical R&D)
Stacy Lanata – Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT (Manager, Strategic Sourcing)
Michelle McComb – Datto, Inc., Norwalk, CT (CFO)
Lesia Protsailo – UTC Research Center, East Hartford, CT (Project Leader, Advanced Materials)
Mary Schubert – Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT (PW UPPAP Program Manager)
Jessica Skuby – CCSU ITBD, New Britain, CT (Business Development Manager)
Cyn Stehouwer – Frontier Communications, New Haven, CT (Vice President, Operations)
Margaret Steinbugler – Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT (Manager, Materials Analysis and Mechanics)
Anita Tracy – Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, CT (Principal Engineer)
Terri Wells – Medtronic, New Haven, CT (Vice President, Access and Instruments)
Xiaomei Yu – Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company, Stratford, CT (Manager of Environmental and Corrosion Technology)

“Our state’s innovation sector recognizes the essential contributions its female engineers, scientists, programmers, physicians, mathematicians and teachers make in developing new products and services, advancing health technologies and serving as educators and role models for generations of women that follow,” said Connecticut Technology Council President and CEO Bruce Carlson.

“Women of Innovation allows us to put the spotlight on these exceptional innovators and leaders and connect them with a professional network of other women who strive for excellence,” he added.

Sponsors

Presenting sponsors for the 2016 Women of Innovation Awards Program are Day Pitney LLP, Medtronic, EY, and United Technologies. Supporting sponsors are Business New Haven, ESPN, Frontier Communications, and Pfizer.

About the Connecticut Technology Council

The Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) is the state’s industry association for the technology sector. The CTC’s mission is to “connect people, ideas, and opportunities to the global technology and innovation community.” The CTC provides members with business assistance and specialized programs, in addition to promoting and supporting public policies that position Connecticut to have a globally recognized “culture of innovation” that helps attract great ideas and entrepreneurs to in turn develop new jobs and wealth for the state.

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Innovation Summit Award Winner: ROAR Athletic Performance

March 07 2016 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, Greater Hartford, innovation, Innovation Summit Award, startup

ROAR Athletic Performance Company Founder Matt Arciuolo is working with local universities to test his product design.

Innovative startup ROAR Athletic Performance Company received the Most Promising Consumer Products & Advanced Manufacturing Company award at the 2015 Innovation Summit.

Based in Milford, CT and founded in 2015, the company has 20 employees, six of whom reside in Connecticut. The others are in sales, explained ROAR Athletic Performance Company Founder Matt Arciuolo.

A HISTORY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ROAR Athletic Performance Company has a history of entrepreneurship. Arciuolo, who created the company’s signature XG4 performance insoles, comes from a long line of shoe artisans. His grandfather was a master shoe builder in Italy, and his father began the foundation for the family business when he began developing custom shoe inserts.

Arciuolo’s entry into entrepreneurship began in 2005, when he became the Pedorthist for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled/Skeleton team. Around this time, he began working on a prototype for an insole that would provide greater energy return to athletes, essentially enhancing the “push” bobsledders use before jumping into their sleds.

Arciuolo designed the innovative insole to improve athletic performance by absorbing and returning energy.

DESIGN INNOVATION

Arciuolo spent 10 years working with all types of athletes, researching and fine-tuning his innovative concept before patenting the XG4, which he describes as “a carbon fiber insole designed to improve athletic performance by absorbing and returning energy.”

He adds that, “The company’s biggest challenge is the product learning curve—getting people to understand how the products works and can provide benefits.”

COLLABORATING WITH CONNECTICUT HIGHER EDUCATION

Arciuolo worked with Southern Connecticut State University and the University of Hartford to test the scientific portion of the XG4 design.

“SCSU is testing the XG4 for its performance capabilities in events such as the vertical jump, 20-, 40- and 60-yard dashes and agility tests,” Arciuolo explained.

“UHart, on the other hand, is examining the XG4 and its effects on the actual anatomy of the foot and lower leg,” he continued. “Using motion-capture technology, data can be obtained at 26 different locations on a granular level.”

UNLIMITED MARKETING APPEAL

“The XG4 is the first product designed to increase performance,” says Arciuolo. The patented design was first created for Olympic athletes and includes a client base from the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association. However, the product is now being marketed toward the general public, including high schools and colleges. Arciuolo noted that the company plans to expand its marketing to a more mainstream audience, such as walkers.

“The market is virtually limitless,” he emphasizes. “If you’re on your feet, you’re getting energy return and can benefit from the XG4 design.”

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Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Honor Distinguished Engineers of the Year

February 29 2016 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, engineer, engineering, MetroHartford Alliance, Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies, UTC

Caption: Pratt & Whitney and the Hartford chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) honored seven Distinguished Engineers of the Year. Left to right: Jesse Boyer, John Virtue, David Houston, Ryan Walsh, Tom Prete, Katherine Knapp Carney, Christopher Dyer, and Matthew Feulner. (Photo courtesy Pratt & Whitney)

Seven Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace employees have been named Distinguished Engineers of the Year by their respective employers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The ASME gives out the awards annually to recognize and support engineering excellence. Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace are part of United Technologies Corporation, a MetroHartford Alliance Leadership Investor.

PRATT & WHITNEY

Pratt & Whitney’s Distinguished Engineers of the Year for 2016 are:

Scott J. Augustine, Rotating Structures Fellow and Discipline Chief, Compression Systems
Matthew Bintz, Design Discipline Manager, Compression Systems
Amy Comer, Manager, Compression Systems, Adaptive Engine Technology Development Program
Jeffrey Nordmark, Manager, Control and Diagnostic Systems, 30K Next Generation Product Family
Arnold Zandonella, Jr., Manager, Mechanical Systems, Operational Commercial Engines Programs.

“These five engineers deserve to be recognized for their invaluable impact on our company and the engineering field,” said Pratt & Whitney, Vice President of Engineering Tom Prete.

Read the full story.

UTC AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

UTC Aerospace Systems’ Distinguished Engineers of the Year for 2016 are:

David Anderson, Chief Engineer, Boeing 787
Mark Zaffetti, Principal Engineer, Space Systems

Geoff Hunt, Vice President of Engineering at UTC Aerospace Systems noted that the Anderson and Zaffetti’s dedication to UTC Aerospace Systems principles of people, integrity, ideas, and performance has elevated the function of Engineering & Technology.

Read the full story.

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Entrepreneur Innovation Awards Winner: OuttaVue

February 10 2016 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Innovation Awards, Greater Hartford, startup

OuttaVue Founder Deborah Loper was a recent winner at the January 2016 Entrepreneur Innovation Awards.

OuttaVue was an award winner at the latest Entrepreneur Innovation Awards. Presented by CTNext, the Shark Tank-style event gives Connecticut-based entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch their innovative startup for a chance to win $10,000 in awards.

Entrepreneur Innovation Award winner Deborah Loper, Founder of OuttaVue, explained to Innovation Destination Hartford her reasons for founding her company and her business plan goals.

IDH: Why did you start your company?

LOPER: Today, the safety of our students in our schools is a primary concern. Sadly, overwhelming tragedies continue to afflict many educational institutions. As a parent and middle school employee, I chose to attempt to protect our children and teachers.

IDH: When did you launch the company?

LOPER: I began developing my product more than three years ago, and OuttaVue began as a startup company a year ago.

IDH: Explain how your product works.

LOPER: The OuttaVue Shield is a classroom safety tool. It is an effective, fast-acting, low-cost, solution during an emergency situation. This product enables the teacher to follow the proper high-alert protocol in just seconds, thus, allowing the teacher to focus on their students during a highly emotional, dangerous situation. The tool also creates uniformity for all classrooms during a rapid response emergency.
IDH: Why did you get involved in Entrepreneur Innovation Awards?

LOPER: Getting involved with the Entrepreneur Innovations Awards presented an excellent opportunity in which to potentially grow my company. I am thrilled to have won this award to focus on getting the word out more broadly about OuttaVue.

IDH: Where do you see your company in the next three to five years?

LOPER: My business plan is to have reached most of the schools in the state of Connecticut and expanded nationally. The OuttaVue Shield has received rave reviews by teachers, administrators, parents, and safety personnel.

IDH: Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs or startup business owners?

LOPER: My advice for entrepreneurs is simple, “It’s complicated and time consuming, but if you believe in yourself and your goal, then stick with it. It can be very rewarding on so many levels!”

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Entrepreneur Innovation Awards Winner: Aeolian Kitesurfing

February 02 2016 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, Entrepreneur Innovation Awards, Greater Hartford, innovation, startup

Aeolian Kitesurfing Founder Vlad Alexandrescu (far right) represents his company for the first time at Entrepreneur Innovation Awards January 21, 2016.

Aeolian Kitesurfing LLC was an award winner at the latest Entrepreneur Innovation Awards. Presented by CTNext, the Shark Tank-style event gives Connecticut-based entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their innovative startup for a chance to win $10,000 in awards.

Entrepreneur Innovation Award “Crowd Favorite” winner Aeolian Kitesurfing Founder Vlad Alexandrescu told Innovation Destination Hartford about how he developed the startup’s business concept and where he sees the future of the company.

IDH: When and why did you start your company?

ALEXANDRESCU: I started Aeolian Kitesurfing in 2011 to pursue the life I love. A life where the beach is my boardroom and it actually has boards in it!

IDH: How did you develop the business concept?

ALEXANDRESCU: The key to succeeding in the watersports industry, and any industry for that matter, is to provide something unique—to distinguish yourself from the competition—so I decided I was not going to make another inflatable boat, kite or stand up paddle (SUP) board. Instead, I looked at these watersports and tried to solve common problems my friends and I were having. Inflating was always the worst part, it was the first thing you had to do and it was the last thing I wanted to do. I decided to tackle this first and that’s when I came up with the Triple Action Pump, which is the world’s first hybrid/electric hand pump.

Aeolian Kitesurfing is a technologies company. Through innovation, we will change the world of watersports and the Triple Action Pump is the first awesome step.

IDH: Why did you get involved in Entrepreneur Innovation Awards?

ALEXANDRESCU: We are raising funds to begin production and bring our product into the market. The Entrepreneur Innovation Awards provides entrepreneurs with a great opportunity to advance their businesses. The Entrepreneur Innovation Award will help us to fund some of our product’s launch for our business to further advance.

IDH: Where do you see your company in the next three to five years?

ALEXANDRESCU: We plan on making Aeolian Kitesurfing a global brand, visible and engaged in the world of watersports. We are hoping to move forward with marketing and distribution of the Triple Action Pump and develop and patent other useful products for watersports lovers.

Entrepreneurship and innovation will drive sustainability and conservation to give back for all we’ve received. We owe our business to the oceans, the beaches, and the communities built around them.

IDH: Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs or startup business owners?

ALEXANDRESCU: Knock on every door and take every meeting because you never know who you will meet, where it will take you, and what you will learn.

Learn more about Aeolian Kitesurfing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbLqK-YxJ8

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CTNext Awards $54K to Connecticut Startups and Entrepreneurs

January 28 2016 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, entrepreneur, Greater Hartford, innovation, startups

CTNext, Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem managed by Connecticut Innovations, announced winners of the most recent Entrepreneur Innovation Awards, which were held on January 21 at The Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport, CT.

The finalists, who are Connecticut-based companies and entrepreneurs, presented their innovative project ideas at a Shark-Tank-style event for an opportunity to secure $10,000 awards. Winners included:

Asarasi, Inc. (Cos Cob): Developing a proprietary manufacturing process for allowing biological plant-based water to go to market with an indefinite shelf life in a glass container.
Freedible, Inc. (Darien): Developing a social marketplace for custom eaters and the bloggers and brands that feed them.
OuttaVue LLC (Old Lyme): Creating the OuttaVue Shield, a new product designed to rapidly block the view of a hostile intruder into a classroom.
Shoplandia, Inc. (Stamford): Enabling and empowering shoppers to instantly purchase direct-from-video, using the first end-to-end shoppable video creation and streaming platform for mobile devices.
The TubieGuard LLC (South Windsor): Creating a medial bracket that protects feeding tubes, catheters and other medical ports from accidentally disconnecting.

The other finalists that were selected by an outside review committee and presented at the event included:

Aeolian Kitesurfing LLC (New Haven): Combining an electric inflator with a dual-action hand pump to make a lighter, cheaper and more dependable portable compressor.
Agrivolution LLC (South Windsor): Redesigning a vertical green growing system to be installed in K-12 schools in Connecticut, promoting hands-on STEM-based education.
FRESH Farm Aquaponics (South Glastonbury): Working toward a minimum viable product (MVP) for the aGrow2, a vertical growing tower designed to increase the agricultural production using aquaponic technology.
MoVi Interactive (Hamden): Refining Fitness Faceoff, an engagement and marketing platform collecting fitness-based data while allowing the user to compete against others.
RepVisits (Wethersfield): Building an API to increase access to higher education by connecting school counselors and college representatives.

*The judges’ favorite ($2,000) went to The TubieGuard LLC. The crowd favorite ($2,000) was awarded to Aeolian Kitesurfing LLC.

Entrepreneur Innovation Award winners received $54K at CTNext’s latest Shark Tank-Style pitch event.

“This Entrepreneur Innovation Awards event attracted members of the entrepreneurial community from all over the state and The Bijou Theatre delivered a positive atmosphere full of energy and charisma,” said Glendowlyn Thames, director of Small Business Innovation (SBI) and CTNext. “This program has provided project funding to almost 40 companies in Connecticut since launching in 2014 and we look forward to adding to that list this year.”

To be eligible for an Entrepreneur Innovation Award, startups must be Connecticut-based, registered as CTNext members, and looking to conduct growth-related activities to help advance their business. Project examples include, but are not limited to, prototyping, performance testing, compliance testing, product or service development, market research, and licensing. A full list of criteria is available on the Entrepreneur Innovation Awards application page. Find out how to apply for an Entrepreneur Innovation Award.

Learn more about how CTNext is supporting Connecticut’s entrepreneurs.

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Hugo & Hoby: 2015 Bronze reSET Impact Award Winner

December 18 2015 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, reSET, social entrepreneurship, startup success, startups

Hugo & Hoby received a Bronze award at the 2015 reSET Impact Awards. The annual event honors winners of the Impact Challenge and recognizes innovative, impactful and viable early-stage ventures and startups from all types of industries.

Innovation Destination: Hartford asked Impact Award winners about their companies and their experiences. Read the interview and watch a video with Hugo & Hoby Co-Founders Ben Young and Frederick Kukelhaus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuMKYT2dmCs&feature=youtu.be

IDH: Give us some background. Why did you start your company and how did you develop the business concept?

KUKELHAUS: We are two friends and roommates at the Yale School of Management who were tired of having to choose between cheaply made, bland furniture that we knew would end up in a landfill in a few years and expensive alternatives.

In 2014, we started testing ways to affordably produce furniture using the incredible renewable resources and manufacturing skills here in New England. We decided to start a company and named it after our grandfathers—Hugo Kukelhaus and Hobart “Hoby” Young—both carpenters, designers and environmentalists.

IDH: Tell us a little more about your company.

YOUNG: Hugo & Hoby makes the handcrafted and sustainably sourced furniture we’ve always wanted to see. We partner with some of the country’s best designers, manufacturers and craftspeople to “batch” orders, sell online and ship directly to customers’ doors. This lets us avoid traditional furniture markups and reinvest in higher quality while telling the story of the people who build things in our communities.

IDH: Why did you get involved in the reSET Impact Challenge?

KUKELHAUS: The mission of reSET represents the aspirations we have for Hugo & Hoby—to have a large, positive impact on our local and national community through entrepreneurship. reSET has been incredibly welcoming as well as supportive.

We’re constantly impressed by the depth of entrepreneurial talent, inspiration and excitement in Hartford.

IDH: Where do you see your company in the next few years?

YOUNG: We’d like to like to see our furniture in places we didn’t expect it. This is what success looks like for us—when you see something you built becoming a meaningful part of someone else’s daily life.

We’d also like to be known as an example of how to build a thriving company that is sustainable and creates well-paying, skill-based jobs for local communities. Pretty heady stuff for a couple of guys making coffee tables!

IDH: Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs or startup business owners?

KUKELHAUS: Spend time with the smartest, hardest-working and most positive people you can find on something that gets you excited. This alone will be worth the experience.

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Local Business Women Win CT InnovateHER Competition

December 15 2015 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: business success, Connecticut, Entrepreneurial Center, innovation, University of Hartford, women business development, Women’s Business Center

The University of Hartford’s Women’s Business Center at the Entrepreneurial Center and the Microsoft Store at Westfarms hosted local InnovateHER challenges aimed at discovering innovative products and services that positively impact the lives of women and families.

Sandra Cahill, Entrepreneurial Center Director (left) and Milena Erwin, Women’s Business Center Program Manager (right) announce Gloria Kolb of Elidah, LLC (center) as winner of the Local InnovateHER Challenge.

Gloria Kolb of Elidah, LLC in Monroe, CT won the Women’s Business Center challenge with a plan to develop and market a device that offers a discreet, comfortable and convenient treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Elidah’s non-surgical, wearable therapeutic device will improve the quality of life and reduce the need for surgery for many women.

Ashley Stone of Beauty Entourage in Farmington, CT won the challenge at the Microsoft store with an app that will soon be available through her mobile hair and makeup business. Stone, who is a client of the Women’s Business Center, plans to open additional locations in Boston and New York.

“We were excited to bring the InnovateHER challenge to Connecticut and be a local host, and amazed at the quality of the ideas and the vision and dedication of the participants,” said Milena Erwin, Program Manager of the Women’s Business Center. “The challenge is a great opportunity to promote innovative ideas and products and to showcase Connecticut entrepreneurs locally and nationally,” she added.

The Women’s Business Center hosted the InnovateHER challenge as part of a larger national competition run by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in collaboration with Microsoft. The goal of the competition is to identify products and services nationwide that have a measurable impact on the lives of women and families, have the potential for commercialization and fill a need in the marketplace. Kolb and Stone will now advance to the semi-final round, which is hosted by the SBA, where 10 national finalists will be chosen to compete in Washington, DC in March 2016 for $70,000 in prizes.

Finalists in the local WBC InnovateHER competition include:

BIOARRAY Therapeutics, Inc., New Haven, CT
Developing RNA-based predictive tests for breast cancer
Harvest Development Group, LLC, Middletown, CT
Created Blossom, an affordable virtual leadership skills incubator for non-profit executives
MOM-EEZ, LLC, Newtown, CT
Rolling out Garbage-Eez, an innovative household product that saves time and space by storing and dispensing garbage bags from the bottom of the pail
Untapped Potential, Inc., Canton, CT
Providing a community outlet to empower professional women to re-engage in the workplace after stepping out to raise their families
W2 Designs, LLC, South Glastonbury, CT
The company’s Willow Workout is a versatile freeform exercise device that offers unlimited low-impact strength and flexibility workouts with targeted results

For more information, visit the Women’s Business Center.

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Ocean Farmer and Innovator Receives Sustainability Prize

December 11 2015 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: Connecticut, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, innovation, job growth, sustainability

Listen to a recent NPR story about New Haven-based GreenWave, which recently received a $100,000 sustainability prize at the 2015 Fuller Challenge.

Entrepreneur Bren Smith, founder of the ocean farming non-profit GreenWave, is developing a sustainable form of fishing seafood. His triple bottom line approach aims to create jobs, grow ecosystems and incubate ideas.

Find out about his concept for a 3-D ocean farm.

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Avitus Orthopaedics Receives Award at Innovation Summit

December 01 2015 Innovation Destination: Hartford Awards 0 comments Tags: entrepreneurship, innovation, medical device, startup success, startups, technology

Avitus Orthopaedics, Inc. received the Most Promising Medical Device Company award at the ninth annual Innovation Summit. The event brings together tech-based entrepreneurs, investors, business executives and service providers and provides a place for them to network and connect to the resources they need.

Innovation Summit Award winner Neil Shah, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Avitus Orthopaedics told Innovation Destination: Hartford about his company and its plans for the future.

IDH: When and why did you start your company?

SHAH: Avitus Orthopaedics was founded in 2011 after Maxim Budyansky (who is the other co-founder) and I completed graduate school at Johns Hopkins University.

The unmet clinical need that we initially set out to solve was brought to us by the founding clinical team, three spine surgeons at Johns Hopkins who we met during clinical rotations as part of our graduate program. The clinical team has helped define the problem, develop a solution and test the product as part of ongoing commercialization activities.

In addition, since the inception of the company, the team continues to investigate and analyze additional unmet clinical needs that can be solved with new cutting-edge technologies developed at Avitus.

IDH: What products or services does your company offer?

SHAH: The company’s flagship product is the Avitus^TM Bone Harvester, which is a surgical instrument that enables orthopaedic and spine surgeons to collect bone graft and bone marrow in a simple, streamlined and minimally invasive manner. This medical device has the potential to shape the current $2.8 billion bone graft industry and provide surgeons with a gold-standard bone graft option for their patients to maximize the quality of clinical outcomes while decreasing healthcare costs.

IDH: What’s your company’s greatest challenge?

SHAH: The company’s greatest challenge is always the challenge it is currently facing. We are strong proponents of learning from others’ past lessons, which is why we have focused a great deal of effort on surrounding ourselves with extremely smart and successful advisors who have faced many of the challenges that we are currently facing and will continue to face.

IDH: Where do you see your company in the next three to five years?

SHAH: Our vision is to develop a technology platform based upon our core technology that can address an array of unmet clinical needs facing our society today.

IDH: Any advice for entrepreneurs or startup business owners?

SHAH: The path between where you are now and where you want to go is not a straight line. Every entrepreneur starts out with a very clear vision of success, but as they start executing, they get pummeled with outside forces that interfere with their plans.

Many of these outside forces can be foreseen, planned for and prevented; but many of these forces are unpredictable and unpreventable. The successful entrepreneur is not the one who is able to plan the best, but the one who is able to change the plans quickly to navigate the barrage of obstacles they will face.

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