1. First of all - the program is still open for business.  Funding for the program was dwindling down throughout 2010, and getting another round of funding is a welcome sign of the State's commitment to this important economic development initiative.
2. Both the Entity and the Investor forms have changed.  The new forms can be downloaded from the TITC site, and old forms will continue to be accepted for a month or two.  From my perspective the biggest change is that there is no longer a requirement for the form to be notarized.  This was one of the most common areas of problems with submissions, and getting rid of this on the forms is a great help to everyone.
3. That said, the State is asking us Edison centers to be even more involved in pre-qualifying applications.  Areas have been added to both applications for our direct comments.  If you are anticipating submitting either an entity or investor application, please work time into your schedule for a face to face with your local Edison Center/Incubator.

Finally - an updated schedule has been posted on the TITC site, with deadlines for when we need the forms submitted and when the actual TITC review board meeting date is.
 

If you are considering submitting a TITC application, or would like to discuss specifics about the program, give me a call.
 

Results of the study of Freedom Meditech's I-SugarX™, non-invasive glucose monitoring system were presented at the Diabetes Technology Meeting in Bethesda, Maryland.  The study showed that the I-SugarX™ non-invasive  polarimetric based measurements of glucose in the aqueous humor of eye tracked glucose measurements in the blood with 93 percent of readings in the A zone and the remaining  seven percent in the B zone of the Clarke Error Grid (CEG). The CEG is a "gold standard" for determining the accuracy of glucose measurements - with zones A and B designated as acceptable for therapy decisions. No data fell outside the acceptable zones.   

The reference glucose sensors used in the study were the Johnson and Johnson LifeScan One Touch Ultra glucose meter and the Yellow Springs Instrument glucose analyzer. Seven New Zealand White rabbits were tested in the study with 41 data points collected over average study durations of 60 minutes. The average time delay between blood glucose readings and ocular readings was less than four minutes.   

"The eye can be thought of as an optical window into to body for the painless measurement of glucose in the ocular fluid as opposed to the blood, and is well suited for our proprietary optical polarimetric based measurements," said John F. Burd, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Freedom Meditech. "Based on the results of this, and other studies, we plan to begin human clinical studies as we continue our product development."

Cleveland Whiskey - an innovative science/technology and marketing focused start-up with a patent pending proprietary process to dramatically accelerate the natural processes of aging and maturation for distilled spirits to address the growing supply shortage in the $20B worldwide whiskey market, was recently featured in Malt Advocate magazine.  

Baldwin-Wallace Colleges has an opportunity for an entrepreneur to have a diagnostic review of their detailed business plan by a group of graduate students. These professionals are completing the Entrepreneurship MBA at B-W.  They will apply their knowledge in entrepreneurial marketing, finance and organizational design as they review your plan.  At the conclusion of the review, students will report their findings to you in a highly interactive, confidential session. 
 

The work will be performed under  the leadership of the director the Baldwin-Wallace College Business Clinic.  The program is available throughout the year, generally starting at the beginning of each semester in January, June and September.  The work usually occurs over a 4-6 week period.  If you would like to participate in this opportunity, please contact Phil Bessler at pbessler@bw.edu or 440-826-2083.