In the News
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 All Cell Technologies, LLC, a company that offers customized thermal management solutions for high power lithium-ion battery systems, recently joined the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture. Read the full story here. Chromatin, Inc., a company that develops and markets novel proprietary technology that enables entire
chromosomes to be designed and incorporated into plant cells, announced on December 3, 2008 that it had completed a Series C
financing round of $12.4 million. Read the fulll story here.
Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, a company that specializes in the design and development
of hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle controllers,
drive trains, and conversions, wasfeatured in an article on plug-in hybrid buses in Wired magazine on December 23, 2008. Read the full story here.
The Sarmas Group, LLC, a company that specializes in developing advanced absorbency solutions in the food, consumer, and medical markets, was awarded an Entrepreneur-in-Residence grant by the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Read the full story here.
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The
University Technology Park at IIT is a unique combination of wet and
dry labs and office space that accommodates companies at every stage of
growth and connects them to the outstanding research faculty and
resources at one of the nation's leading universities, the Illinois
Institute of Technology.
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Wexford
Science + Technology is a private real estate investment and
development company that focuses on serving the real estate needs of
university, healthcare, science and technology-based organizations.
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Technology Business Center exterior. |
Technology Business Center atrium: upper level.
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Technology Business Center atrium: lower level.
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Greetings!
Welcome to our quarterly
University Technology Park e-newsletter, designed to give you quick updates
about new and growing companies within the UTP and to announce lectures,
workshops, and networking events. This month's spotlight is on the newest UTP
companies: Wrightwood Labs and Swim Lane Software.
If you have comments, questions or suggestions, drop me a line. Sincerely,
Daniel F.
Marselle
Director, University Technology Park at
IIT marselle@utp.iit.edu |
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Wrightwood Technologies Moves to the Technology Business Center
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The University Technology Park welcomes Wrightwood Technologies, Inc. to the Technology Business Center. Wrightwood, through its
subsidiary Cherry Instruments, is North America's foremost provider of
countercurrent chromatography (CCC) products and solutions. CCC is a highly
scalable, liquid-only separation solution that is more versatile, less
expensive and faster than traditional techniques.
Wrightwood was founded in 2006 by Sam Pro, Warren Friedl and
Luke Chadwick, who met while working in the College of Pharmacy at the University
of Illinois-Chicago. They realized that the school's CCC instruments broke down
often and saw an opportunity to initially provide service to a small,
specialized market and eventually establish CCC as a reliable technique to a
larger market.
Starting out in a small room in the 3424 South State
building in March 2008, Wrightwood rapidly expanded and relocated to the
Technology Business Center in October 2008. The Tech Park offered significant
advantages for the company, including affordable wet lab space that did not
have to be built out and an established collaborative community.
An additional benefit has been IIT's student talent. Wrightwood has hired a part-time student intern and plans to sponsor a project
in the Interprofessional Projects Program (ipro.iit.edu) later this year. Sam
called the Tech Park a "hidden treasure," and stated that he is pleased to be
part of the revitalization of this area.
Wrightwood Technologies offers full service to its clients,
including both instrument sales and support and contract work. Currently the
company is looking for people with separation challenges with whom it can
collaborate. For more information, visit http://cherryinstruments.com.
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New Tech Park Client - Swim Lane Software, Inc.
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The University Technology Park
welcomes its newest client, Swim Lane Software, Inc. Swim Lane develops Business
Process Management (BPM) Software for Health Insurance Payer organizations,
including Blue Cross Blue Shield plans as well as other large health insurers
like Aetna, CIGNA and United Healthcare. Its market also includes public
payers, Medicare and Medicaid.
Swim Lane was founded in North Dakota, but its president, Mike Hurley,
decided to move the company to Chicago. He was interested in a university
setting with a technology park and incubator, and although he looked at several
in the area, he found that none offered as many features as IIT. Swim Lane
utilizes student workers extensively, which made IIT a good fit, and the
established Tech Park community was an additional benefit.
Mike is happy with his space and the service. "We have a
million dollar view from the 16th floor of the IIT Tower and don't
pay quite that much, and Dan Marselle and Brenda Stewart have treated us very
well in helping us get acclimated to the space," he stated.
Swim Lane is hoping to continue
building connections with the Tech Park and IIT communities through Connectiviity networking receptions and luncheons. In addition it will be
one of the presenters at the Illinois Technology Development Association's
Monthly Morning Meeting in the Technology Business Center atrium on January 25th
(please see the Upcoming Events section below.)
For more information
on Swim Lane, visit www.swimlanesoftware.com.
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Upcoming Events
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Connectiviity
Please
join the Jules F.
Knapp Entrepreneurship
Center, the University Technology
Park at IIT, and Wexford
Science + Technology for our monthly networking event on Thursday, January 29th!
This month's guest is Dan'l Lewin, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Strategic & Emerging Business Development. He will lead a conversation about turning Chicagoland's most
promising software start-ups into tomorrow's successful new businesses. Opening remarks will be made by IIT Provost Dr. Alan Cramb.
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. Whether you are currently an entrepreneur or are
considering starting a business, this event can help you make the connections
you need to get your new venture started or grow your existing business. Come
explore what the Knapp Center, University
Technology Park,
Wexford and IIT have to offer!
Refreshments will be served. There is absolutely
no charge for this event. For more information, contact Jennifer Keplinger at keplinger@iit.edu.
(Please note that this month's event starts at 4 p.m. rather than 5 p.m.)
Event
Info
4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
January 29, 2009
Technology Business Center
Atrium
University Technology
Park at IIT
ITDA Monday Morning Meeting
The Illinois Technology Development Association's Monday Morning Meeting is a quarterly networking and educational event
that prepares early-stage entrepreneurs to raise capital efficiently. This
moderated event features three companies presenting their investor pitches to
an audience of investors, industry leaders, service providers, state and local
government representatives, and serial entrepreneurs. The January event is co-hosted by the Knapp
Entrepreneurship Center and University Technology Park
at IIT. Presenting Companies are EcoThermics, Element Bars and SwimLane.
Registration for ITDA Members is free; Non-Members - $15 ($20 at the
door). Click here for more information.Event Info
8:30 - 9:15 a.m. (networking)
9:15 - 11:30 a.m. (presentations)
January 26, 2009
Technology Business Center
Atrium
University Technology
Park at IIT
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