2008 FiReStarters
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American Well™ is a new healthcare marketplace where consumers and physicians can come together online to acquire and provide convenient and immediate healthcare services. Using the latest technologies in Web communications and digital telephony, the company extends traditional healthcare services to the home setting. American Well is committed to supporting health plans in meeting consumer and employer demand for affordable, efficient, and immediate access to quality care.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, American Well was founded in 2006 by Drs. Roy and Ido Schoenberg, and is the founders’ third venture in the healthcare technology field. The founders, together with their executive management team, have successfully built and implemented large-scale, mission-critical enterprise solutions for healthcare consumers, providers, and payors in both U.S. and international markets.
FiReSpotter: Investment Management Group: Jeb Terry, CEO, Aberdeen Investment Management, Inc.
Participating at FiRe 2008
Roy Schoenberg, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Ido Schoenberg, Chairman and CEOVisit American Well online at: www.americanwell.com
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Global Solar Energy is a solar-industry leader that manufactures highly efficient thin-film solar cells for glass module or flexible material products. Global Solar is the only Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) manufacturer in full-scale production on a flexible substrate and has achieved 10% average solar-cell efficiency. Its thin-film CIGS strings are not dependent on silicon and instead use highly available raw materials that are easily integrated into a wide range of applications for use in commercial, residential, utility-scale, and government products.
Global Solar has developed a proprietary process for manufacturing thin-film CIGS photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules. Global Solar is the only company reliably producing CIGS that can be encapsulated in traditional glass modules or in a flexible substrate. CIGS creates more electricity from the same amount of sunlight than do other thin-film PV technologies and therefore has a higher “conversion efficiency,” leading to lower cost. CIGS conversion efficiency is also extremely stable over time, meaning its performance continues unabated for many years.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Rodel Foundations
Participating at FiRe 2008
Mike Gering, President (FiRe Speaker)
Scott Wiedeman, Chief ScientistVisit Global Solar Energy online at: www.globalsolar.com
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Hawaii Oceanic Technology Inc. is focused on the global marketplace for seafood. It has patented a high-tech fish farming system called the Oceansphere which supports open-ocean seafood production using proven technology. The $100 billion farmed seafood industry must double in the next 20 years to meet global demand, according to the U.N. Food Agriculture Organization. The company’s goal is to be the leading environmentally responsible and sustainable mariculture technology company that enables the fishing industry with the means to domesticate seafood production in the open ocean. It has all of the state permits necessary to prove its technology in Hawaii’s territorial waters. Hawaii Oceanic Technology is now seeking funding for the demonstration phase of its work and is looking for a lead investor.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Michael Pfeffer; Managing Partner, Koholala Ventures
Participating at FiRe 2008
Bill Spencer, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Chenoa Farnsworth, PartnerVisit Hawaii Oceanic Technology Inc. online at: www.hioceanictech.com
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High Throughput Genomics Inc. is now HTG Molecular Diagnostics. HTG Molecular was founded as a life sciences company in Tucson, Arizona in 1997 by Bruce Seligmann, Ph.D. His mission was to develop a universal molecular biology-based platform that would improve the pharmaceutical drug discovery process. This technology is qNPA. Since that time, HTG Molecular has expanded the utility of the qNPA technology into the fields of gene expression profiling, translational medicine and clinical research. Applications include the measurement of mRNA and miRNA in a variety of sample types, especially in formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue.
HTG Molecular solutions provide cost saving technology that assists the advancement of personalized medicine and ultimately improve patient care. The patented qNPA technology, upon which all HTG Molecular products are based, produces quick and accurate gene expression analysis of cell lines, plasma/serum and FFPE archival tissue samples with minimal preparation.
qNPA technology provides an accurate measure of the gene expression levels in a wide range of sample types. The simple protocol requires no RNA extraction, no RNA amplification and no RNA labeling leading to more accurate, precise and reproducible results-especially with FFPE tissue. qNPA technology simultaneously measures up to 47 genes in the same well.
HTG Molecular’s extensive gene list, custom array options, and bench-top imaging system provide meaningful data with attention to conservation of sample materials.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Rodel Foundations
Participating at FiRe 2008
Tim (TJ) Johnson, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Billie-Jo Kerns, Vice President, Strategic Planning and Business DevelopmentVisit HTG Molecular Diagnostics online at: www.htgmolecular.com
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Imaginatik is a software and professional-services company specializing in innovation and idea management. For over 10 years it has worked with the most demanding companies in a wide variety of industries, delivering tangible return on investment through the use of its services and its software, Idea Central. Imaginatik’s customers include companies such as Pfizer, Georgia-Pacific, W.R. Grace, Bayer, Cargill, Henkel, Hallmark, and Chevron.
Imaginatik has offices in the U.S., the U.K., Spain, and Germany, and a network of partners around the world. Its main offices are in Boston, Massachusetts, and Winchester, U.K.
FiReSpotter: Bruce Harned, Strategic Innovator
Participating at FiRe 2008
Mark Turrell, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Geoff Carss, Vice President – Sales and MarketingVisit Imaginatik online at: www.imaginatik.com
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Open Labs encompasses the three key elements of creative expression: providing the integrated environment to create, empowering the creator with expressive tools, and providing a way to encourage broad collaboration, all in an “open” work environment. Some of Open Labs’ customers are Prince; Faith Hill’s producer, Jimmy Nichols; Maroon 5; and Timbaland.
Open Labs manufactures world-class musical instruments, develops custom musical and creative software, and provides unique tools for creative expression. Open Labs is the only “open system” provider of these types of devices and software, and its creative tools extend to the musical and video ecosystems most exploited by today’s social networks. The company will provide these tools for the broad collaboration the current system does not allow for, and it has unique and patent-pending ways to make all the creators and collaborators participants in the revenue models it provides.
The collaborative piece rivals the ringtone and surpasses it, because music can be sold in “stems,” tracks, multiple tracks, or “split stems,” and mixed, remixed, mashed, or looped. Open Labs provides the integrated environments for creation, expression, and collaboration. It provides hardware, software, and Internet portals to allow its users to accomplish their vision. It is unique in that respect.
FiReSpotter: Investment Management Group: Jeb Terry, CEO, Aberdeen Investment Management, Inc.
Participating at FiRe 2008
J. Hamilton (Hank) Coleman, CEO and Director (FiRe Speaker)
Victor Wong, Co-Founder and Chairman, Open Labs Inc.; andVisit Open Labs online at: www.openlabs.com
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Seeo is an early-stage battery venture based in Berkeley, California. With a team of world-class scientists and engineers, and funding from Khosla Ventures, Seeo is moving full speed toward revolutionizing electricity storage and delivery.
Today’s high-performance lithium ion batteries are based on an inherently unstable platform. Stability and lifetime limitations prevent lithium ion cells from addressing key applications. Efforts to increase performance while minimizing cost have exposed the vulnerability of this system to catastrophic failures and explosions that are taking their toll on the industry and consumers alike. Seeo is developing a novel materials platform that provides the inherent safety and stability needed to enable a new generation of high-performance batteries.
FiReSpotter: Khosla Ventures
Participating at FiRe 2008
Nitash Balsara, Co-Founder and Scientific Chairman (FiRe Speaker)
Ilan Gur, Co-Founder and DirectorVisit Seeo Inc. online at: www.seeo.com
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Transonic Combustion Inc. is a research & development–phase company focused on developing a suite of technologies which is projected to enable conventional automotive engines to run at ultra-high efficiency on gasoline and on bio-renewable flex fuels. The company was founded by an inventor/entrepreneur with patents in fuel cells, batteries, electronics, and computer/communications architecture. The startup management team has a track record of establishing strategic partnerships with automotive, computer, and wireless communications companies.
FiReSpotter: Khosla Ventures
Participating at FiRe 2008
Mike Cheiky, President, Founder, and Director (FiRe Speaker)
Michael Rocke, Vice President of Business DevelopmentVisit Transonic Combustion online at: www.tscombustion.com
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uBoost is a web-based rewards and recognition platform for K-12 students whereby points are awarded for academic achievement and redeemed for relevant rewards and recognition. Rewards aimed at all constituencies (students, parents, and teachers) are necessary to create the system of collaboration that motivates and supports students. uBoost is designed to improve the way students feel about their education, enable parents and educators to encourage their progress, and ultimately drive positive student learning outcomes.
Premium Rewards – In addition to over 100,000 unique rewards which include free and discounted merchandise and digital assets, uBoost has added on-line educational games, music and other digital downloads. Students can convert their points into cash for their college savings account, gift awards to their friends, and donate points to a charity in support of their favorite cause.
Community/Corporate Sponsorship – An increased selection of rewards such as scholarships, laptops, and school funding will be provided by private individuals, corporations and foundations.
Parent Engagement – The parent desktop application (widget) and toolbar will communicate student performance data through rss feeds, text and email messaging. Parents are awarded 25% of all points earned by their child and those points can be used reward their child’s achievement.
Social Networking – Students spend an increasingly large percentage of their time online interacting in social networks. uBoost offers a controlled virtual environment to redeem points and interact with peers. Each student will have a home page displaying awards, academic results, reward wish lists, filtered-chat, feedback and award ranking.
Auction Site – Relevancy and engagement will be greatly enhanced with the opportunity to use uBoost points to bid on a large selection of premium rewards.
Early partnerships with Weekly Reader, Reader’s Digest, Schoolnet, E2020 and New York City Department of Education will help uBoost scale quickly.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Michael Pfeffer; Managing Partner, Koholala Ventures
Participating at FiRe 2008
John Bower, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
David Remy, Chief Technology Officer and Chief ArchitectVisit uBoost online at: www.uboost.com
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Vlingo Corp. delivers a voice-powered interface for mobile phones. Leveraging a new technology called adaptive “Hierarchical Language Models” (HLMs), Vlingo’s approach allows carriers and mobile application providers to quickly and inexpensively voice-enable any application – without custom engineering or in-house speech expertise. Unlike conventional voice recognition technologies that require individual purpose-built applications and rely on constrained grammars and scripted interactions, Vlingo’s open approach eliminates a costly and intensive manual effort and scales to tasks as broad as open mobile search. As a result, consumers get quick, easy, and accurate access to mobile applications, which translates into new revenue streams
Participating at FiRe 2008
Dave Grannan, President and CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Erin Keleher, Marketing Communications ManagerVisit Vlingo online at: www.vlingo.com