In the News
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Chromatin, Inc. and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical
Company, have
entered into two agreements: the first provides Dow with rights to
Chromatin's Mini-Chromosome technology and the second establishes an
exclusive research and license agreement to combine EXZACT™ Precision
Technology with Mini-Chromosomes, creating a novel technology platform
for the development of next generation traits in corn, soybeans and
canola.
Chromatin develops and markets novel proprietary technology that
enables entire chromosomes to be designed and incorporated into plant
cells. Read the full press release here.
The Gartner Report rated Comarch as "Strong" in its "OSS Market Overview and Strategic
Scorecard for Vendors, 2009", a report published on January 13th 2010
that provides international OSS vendor comparisons of service
providers.
Comarch
is a leading global supplier of key industry standard compliant
software solutions and services for telecommunications service
providers. Read the full press release here.
ProOnGo, a company that helps mobile professionals manage and submit their business expenses with ease and efficiency was featured in an October 2009 Business Week article, Popular Apps for Business. Read the full story here.
ProOnGo was also one of four finalists in the 2009 BlackBerry Developers Challenge. 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 Tech Park and to announce lectures,
workshops, and networking events. Please join me in congratulating All Cell Technologies for becoming the newest graduate from the Tech Park. All Cell has moved from the Incubator to 2321 West 41st Street, a location in the Stockyards Industrial Corridor that allows All Cell more space for its manufacturing operations. All Cell enables the use of lithium-ion batteries in high power applications by ensuring their safety and extending battery life.
If you have comments, questions or suggestions, drop me a line. Sincerely,
Daniel F.
Marselle
Director, University Technology Park at
IIT [email protected]
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International Soft Landing Center of Chicago Now Open
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A new collection of furnished offices, the International Soft Landing Center of Chicago, has been built out on the lower
level of the Technology Business Center. Working as a soft-landing space
for international companies, it offers 3,424 square feet of furnished, flexible
space with 7 offices (both shared and private), a central copy area and
reception desk, and short-term leases.
The International Soft Landing Center of Chicago has been designed with early-stage technology commercialization
in mind. Its amenities provide start-up and overseas
companies with the professional platform necessary to begin business
activities immediately,
allowing for smooth and easy access to markets across the United States.
Image: floor plan of the International Soft Landing Center of Chicago
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New Tech Park Clients: eMotion and KenJiva Energy Systems
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eMotion
eMotion is a company founded by two IIT alumni, Ed Suda
and Avelo Roy. As undergraduate students, they came up with an idea for a new
product, the BFF Gemz pendant, smart jewelry linked with a tween online social
network. Ed and Avelo developed their idea by turning it into a student team
project through IIT's Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program, and they also won
numerous business plan competitions through the mentorship of the Jules F.
Knapp Entrepreneurship Center before they graduated in 2009.
eMotion's core initial market consists of the 18 million
girls in the United States between the ages of 7 and 12, known as tweens, and
their parents. Their first product, the BFF Gemz pendant, is a real-world,
peer-to-peer communication device that also acts as an authentication system
for an online social network. Tweens need to sync their pendants in person in
order to communicate with one another on the BFF Gemz website, which prevents
unwanted interactions online. This balances the security that appeals to
parents with the freedom, fashion and fun that tweens seek.
"Given IIT's continuous support for eMotion from its
inception as an IPRO project to the present, the next logical step to continue our
relationship with the university and develop our business is to remain an
active part of the IIT community as a Tech Park tenant," stated Avelo. He
and Ed had previously met Dan Marselle, director of the Tech Park, and Tech
Park client Phillip Leslie, founder of ProOnGo, through the IPRO Program and
the Knapp Center respectively. "Both mentioned great things about the Tech Park
community and the benefits of staying at IIT," Avelo added.
A prototype of the website for the BFF Gemz pendant is
available online at http://www.bfflessthan3.com.
Currently eMotion is in the early stages of rebuilding its website and plans to
have a soft launch for it in August 2010. It is also continuing to test the
device while concentrating efforts on improving its fashion appeal.
Photo: (L to R) Ed Suda and Avelo Roy of eMotion holding a prototype of their communication device.
KenJiva Energy Systems
New this year to the Tech Park is KenJiva Energy Systems,
a company that provides tools, technology and talent to transition their
clients from waste to efficiency and sustainability. KenJiva's clients include
residential, commercial, educational and municipal consumers of energy, as well
as distribution utilities.
KenJiva provides Energy Management as a service. They
bundle energy efficiency, renewable power generation and smart grid
infrastructure deployment incrementally, focusing on solutions that drive
financial and environmental benefits. Bundles are tailored to each market, with
levels that allow each consumer to manage their costs, revenue and
sustainability goals. Energy Audits, efficiency upgrades, solar power systems,
HAN/BAS and smart/net metering deployment are all examples of services
available through bundles.
KenJiva was founded in 2008 by Mark Handy, a sales,
service and business development professional with nearly 20 years of
experience working for technology innovators like Sun Microsystems and Novell.
He was recruited to the Tech Park through TechAdvantage@IIT, a program that
provides targeted business assistance to underrepresented and women-owned
businesses in Chicago that are focused on commercializing technology and/or
integrating technology into their business operations.
Mark appreciates the access to resources and focus on
technology implementation provided by the Tech Park. He would like to see more
coordinated exploration of synergy between companies participating in the
various incubator programs (Knapp Entrepreneurship Center, TechAdvantage@IIT
program and the Tech Park) and with projects within IIT's various colleges.
"We're surrounded by world class faculty, students and resources."
Mark declared. "Let's change the world together!"
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Upcoming Events
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Knapp Center Lecture: Questioning
"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his
answers" - Voltaire
Chances are you've encountered a salesperson that just didn't
make you feel comfortable. Perhaps they were too eager to share all of their
knowledge and expertise, or perhaps they didn't listen to what you really
needed or wanted. Maybe you experienced the worst case scenario: you just
didn't feel like they were trustworthy.
Selling isn't about enthusiastically presenting every feature
and benefit of your product or service, but building trust, uncovering a
prospect's real needs and understanding how you can help.
There's an old saying that offers good advice: "seek first to understand
before being understood." This is certainly achievable if we ask the right
questions. In this interactive program we'll take a look at one of the most
critical and important parts of any sales process, questioning.
The Knapp Center's February lecture will be delivered by the same speaker for
our January lecture, Ted Wallhaus, an accomplished business development and
strategic sales specialist with a proven track record as a top sales
performer.
For more information and online registration, click here.
There is absolutely no charge to attend this event, but registration is
required. Refreshments will be served.
Event Info
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 24, 2009
Technology Business Center
Illinois Institute of Technology
3440 South Dearborn Street
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