Skyline
News from the University Technology Park at IIT
In This Issue
In the News
International Soft Landing Center of Chicago Now Open
New Tech Park Clients: eMotion and Kenjiva Energy Systems
Upcoming Events
In the News

Skyline

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.



Comarch

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


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.


UTP Logo


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.


Wexford Logo

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.


Tech Park
Technology Business Center exterior.

Tech Park Interior
Technology Business Center atrium: upper level.

Tech Park
Technology Business Center atrium: lower level.
Issue: #12 Winter 2010
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 CellTower Co-op Conference Room 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]

International Soft Landing Center of Chicago Now Open

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 receSoft Landing Center Floor Planption 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

New Tech Park Clients:
eMotion and KenJiva Energy Systems
eMotion
Ed Suda and Avelo RoyeMotion 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!"

Upcoming Events
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