About the IIT-
Jules F. Knapp
Entrepreneurship Center
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The
mission of the IIT - Jules F. Knapp Entrepreneurship Center is to be Chicago's Leading
Professional Support Services Center for Entrepreneurs by providing effective,
affordable, and expert resources to help create and grow successful commercial
ventures. IIT-KEC is a collaborative community of supporters of
entrepreneurial ventures.
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Issue #8 June 2009
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Connectiviity Competition Winners Announced
The IIT-KEC held a competition in spring 2009 to select finalists for the Kuczmarski Innovation Award, which recognized one student from IIT's Institute of Design and one from the general student body for outstanding innovation. Nominations were posted online, and a crowd sourcing model allowed members of the IIT-KEC community to vote on the best entries and narrow them down to several finalists. The two award winners, Riju Konwar and Ann Hintzman, were then selected by the Knapp Center.
Riju Konwar, an undergradute student studying Biomedical Engineering, is a budding entrepreneur. Currently he is working with a four other students to develop a
system that will automate the counting of surgical tools and sponges in
operating rooms to increase the efficiency and the effectiveness with which
surgeries can be performed. The project is in collaboration with Advocate Health Care, and the idea won the first place in the regional Idea to Product (I2P)
competition in March 2009.
Ann Hintzman, the award winner from the Institute of Design, is focusing her study on design planning in research. Prior to
coming to IIT, she worked as a bond analyst at Putnam Investments and studied
cognitive science at Wellesley College. She likes to figure out how pieces fit
together and uses design as a means of understanding how things work,
untangling conflicts and finding solutions.
"One of the things I
appreciate most about the Connectiviity prize is its criteria for innovation,
which implies that innovation thrives in teams that allow the individual talents
of its members to flourish," stated Ann. "I believe the role of a leader is to create an environment of support and have been lucky enough to experience this with very talented
teams here at the Institute of Design."
Each of the award winners will receive a $2,500 prize and will be
eligible for the Young Innovator Award, which is announced at the
Chicago Innovation Awards on October 20, 2009.
The Kuczmarksi Innovation Award is sponsored by Kuczmarski & Associates, a Chicago-based management consulting firm specializing in accelerating growth through innovation.
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IIT-KEC Client News
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New IIT-KEC Client: DQI
DQI, a software and consulting company dedicated to establishing the Design Quality Indicator as the building industry's first statistically validated assessment tool to objectively measure design quality, became a client of IIT-KEC in May 2009. The company, which was founded by Marc Sallette and Goran Lukic in 2006, has an exclusive license to commercialize and distribute the Design Quality Indicator in North America.
Today both the public and private sectors must prove that they are delivering buildings not only on time and within
budget, but also ones that are of high quality. The Design Quality Indicator provides critical metrics to manage design quality and predict success prior to constructing and delivering a finished project, thereby mitigating unnecessary costs and delays.
The Design Quality Indicator is based upon five years of study in the UK and has already been applied to over 1,000
projects by more than 12,000 respondents. More information about it and DQI is available at www.dqionline.com.
Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center Awards New Entrepreneur in Residence Grant to MagDrive
The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) recently announced that
MagDrive, LLC is the newest recipient of an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) grant.
The EIR program is supported by the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity and administered by the CEC. The program partners
experienced entrepreneurs with young companies to commercialize promising
technologies from the state's top universities and research institutions.
For more information, click here. |
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Connectiviity
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Please
join the University Technology Park at IIT, Wexford Science +
Technology, and the Jules F. Knapp Entrepreneurship Center for our
monthly networking event on Thursday, June 25th.
This month's event will feature restaurant, retail and other businesses from the rapidly developing near south side of Chicago. Come learn more about what this rapidly developing area has to offer!
Connectiviity
brings together the entrepreneurship community both within IIT and the
greater Chicagoland area and provides the opportunity to network and
share experiences with fellow entrepreneurs.
An open bar will be sponsored by IIT-KEC, and samples will be provided by exhibiting restaurants. There is absolutely no charge to attend this event, but
registration is required. Please contact Jennifer Keplinger at keplinger@iit.edu if you would like to attend.
Event Info
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
June 25, 2009
Technology Business Center Atrium
University Technology Park at IIT 3440 South Dearborn Street
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Community Events
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Women's Business Development Center:
Think Outside the Box: New Revenue Sources & Alternative Marketing Strategies
At this event, recognized
marketing and technology industry experts will share cutting-edge marketing
strategies to better target markets and identify new revenue sources
during a recession. Forum experts will provide out of the box strategies on
sustaining and growing business during lean times. For more information and online registration, click here.
Event Info
9 - 11 a.m.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Illinois Institute of Techology
McCormick-Tribune Campus Center, McCloska Ballroom
3201 South State Street
MIT Enterprise Forum:
2009 Whiteboard Challenge
The premier event of the MIT EF Chicago season, the Whiteboard
Challenge is an exciting contest of ideas--finalists get markers and
five minutes to "whiteboard" their idea to a panel of judges, for
recognition and $5,000 in cash prizes.
For more information and online registration, click here.
Event Info
5 - 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Laurie Auditorium
303 East Chicago Avenue |
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