APRIL 11, 2014 | SECTION BA SUPPLEMENT TO THE CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

INSIDELetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2B

Pacesetter winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3B

Emerging winner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B

Bioscience winner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B

Engineering winner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B

IT winner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B

Marketing winner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B

Finalists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7B

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Each year, the Business Courier’s Innovation Awards recognize bold ideas and big changes around the Tri-State. � e program honors businesses making signifi cant strides in the areas of bioscience, engineering, information technology and marketing, as well as emerging companies that show the potential for growth. We also honor what we call Pacesetters – organizations and individuals whose innovative contributions have changed their industry or our community.

Competition for these awards has grown strong, as noted by our judging panel led by Mark Lacker, a professor of entrepreneurship at Miami University. Professor Lacker headed a team of MBA students who evaluated the nomination submissions against a set of criteria that included the value of the product or service, what makes it unique and third-party sources of validation.

“Honestly, this was the most diffi cult year to determine No. 1 in several groups because of the quality of companies and accomplishments,” he said. “What a great testament to the innovation in our region.”

We would have to agree. Many thanks to Mark and his team for their hard work. And congratulations to our winners and fi nalists.

Nikki Kingery Associate Editor

Inspired to bring about change

Associate Editor

submissions against a set of criteria that included the value of the product or

Over its 28 years, Eureka! Ranch has helped hundreds of busi-nesses and product develop-

ers - from small family-owned opera-tions to Fortune 500 companies - refi ne, accelerate and launch new ideas. � e renowned founder, Doug Hall, has been called everything from the “idea guru” to a “creativity wizard,” and even the “Eureka!” in the name conjures that light-bulb-above-the-head moment coveted by inventors and entrepreneurs.

But as an evangelist of change and constant improvement, it’s only appro-priate that the think tank has moved beyond simply helping companies solve specifi c dilemmas. Today, the focus is on teaching others how to innovate, and the scrutiny is applied to the innovative process itself.

“There are systems for account-ing or for getting stuff on a truck, but there wasn’t a system for innovation,” explained Maggie Nichols, COO of Eure-ka! Ranch.

Even if a system is broken, in terms of its innovative process, most businesses have little time to invest in improving it, Nichols said. So Eureka’s Innovation Engineering program off ers a reliable method for rapidly generating mean-

ingful – and measurable - ideas.Every month, a new class of business

leaders attends three- and fi ve-day edu-cation sessions at Eureka! Ranch. About 15 percent of the companies and organi-zations are at the beginning of their life cycle and looking to establish a culture

that embraces change. The rest are on the other end of the curve, Nichols said, seeking a fresh lease through reinvention.

And, true to what Eureka! Ranch preach-es, every month the staff experiments with

diff erent approaches. During a recent session, they explored biomimicry as a type of stimulus, examining how the survival processes found in nature might translate to business, Nich-ols said. If it delivers meaningful and repeated results, only then is it consid-ered as a possible new method.

– Amy Howell Hirt

Eureka! Ranch working to develop innovative process

2B CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

Innovative Organization of the Year: Honoring a company or organization whose leadership in innovation brings positive attention to the organization and the region as a whole

Nichols

Think of the Hamilton County Busi-ness Center as a proud parent. The oldest business incubation program

in Hamilton County has been helping develop successful, innovative business-es since 1983 - pre-dating even the Small Business Development Center of Ohio.

“We’re probably one of the original 75 incubators in the country,” said Pat-rick Longo, vice president and executive director of the HCBC.

While Greater Cincinnati has seen an explosion of startup accelerators focused on specific areas like biotech, branding and advanced manufacturing, HCBC has remained focused on its original goal: promoting economic development by fostering entrepreneurs from any field.

The heart of the incubation program is a Norwood hub that provides tenant com-panies with ample work space, as well as connections to mentors, investors, on-site coaches and financing.

While the average business incuba-tor offers 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, HCBC has 92,000 square feet – allowing the organization to take more chances on a range of companies, so long as they are innovative, scalable, early-stage and armed with a business plan.

Last December, HCBC was awarded $500,000 - the maximum grant allow-able under state law - from the Ohio Third Frontier Commission to support biomedical and tech startups. But the center also mentors civic-minded orga-nizations like Silverton-based Scenario Learning, which developed online safety

and compliance training for teachers and school administrators.

Over its 31-year his-tory, the organization has helped launch 140 companies, generating 1,800 jobs. Just last year, the 47 tenants created 41

jobs and generated more than $17.2 mil-lion in revenue.

But just like a parent, Longo says the HCBC is always striving to better sup-port each tenant, and hopes to help more companies secure angel investments and reach A round funding.

– Amy Howell Hirt

April 11, 2014 3B

E ven before he began his 30-year career, Ephraim Gutmark had an eye on the future, and what was possible

through engineering.“I knew I wanted to be an aerospace

engineer when I was 7. That was when peo-ple were talking about rockets and going to the moon, so it seemed very interesting and challenging,” he said.

Through his research and development of innovative fluid engineering applica-tions, the professor of both aerospace engi-neering and otolaryngology at the Universi-ty of Cincinnati has helped many industries answer their most challenging questions. He has developed fracturing technology, improved missile propulsion systems, cre-ated jet noise reduction technology that was jointly patented by GE Aviation and UC, and improved the safety of power-generat-ing gas turbines, to name a few advances.

“I work with companies on the most advanced technologies,” Gutmark said. “It’s exciting because you have a window to peek into the future and what will hap-pen many years from now.”

He has always been interested in researching how his advances in aero-space engineering – and understanding of the physics of flow – could be applied to

medicine, which is perhaps no surprise giv-en that his three children are working or studying in medical fields, he said.

About seven years ago, Gutmark began working with the UC otolaryngology department. He has applied his knowledge to help people with voice disorders regain their voice, by determining how air flows

through the larynx and causes the vocal cords to vibrate.

“It had an immediate impact on treatment,” he said.

His aerospace work continues along with his medical research.

Through funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory, GE Aviation, GE Research Center, NASA and Boeing, his lab at the University of Cincinnati is one of the few capable of studying pulse detonation engines, which have been called the “pro-pulsion system of the future.”

– Amy Howell Hirt

Innovative Community Contribution: Honoring an individual or organization that positively impacted the business market or community at large

Lifetime Award for Innovative Achievement: Honoring an individual whose achievements have demonstrated success and leadership in innovation

Gutmark’s work at UC brings advances in aerospace, medicine

Hamilton Co. Business Center helped pioneer role of incubator

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By Amy Howell HirtCourier Contributor

I f innovation is born from frustration, then accountants Ryan Watson and Craig Baldwin at one point had more

than 400 sources of inspiration.The two previously worked for Deloitte

& Touche, and Watson recalled auditing a large financial institution in Columbus. The standard procedure for obtaining the necessary financial information involved manually sending requests and follow-up emails, and tracking it all in a primitive spreadsheet. Only this time, there were hundreds of accounts to hound, and six or seven Excel files.

You don’t have to be a number crunch-er to see how the quantity and frequen-cy of communications would add up to countless nonbillable hours.

“I can tell you from experience, it’s the No. 1 time suck,” Watson said.

So when Watson and Baldwin, along with fellow accountant Ryan Baker, went out on their own, creating online firm Upsourced Accounting in 2011, they sought to develop a system that would optimize the efficiency of routine requests and follow-ups. The result is Sqrl: an infor-

mation-gathering web application that’s driven by automation and collaboration.

After graduating from the Brand-ery’s accelerator program last October, the company raised $550,000 in a seed round of funding – led by CincyTech with help from Hyde Park Venture Partners and Vine Street Ventures – and went live at the end of January.

Unlike traditional messaging plat-forms like email, and unlike those Excel files that Watson and Baldwin had floating around, the application serves as a com-munication assistant of sorts. It provides saved request templates, sending auto-mated follow-ups and tracking it all on a color-coded dashboard that any team member can access to see the real-time status of gathered, outstanding and past-

due requests.“It’s really a collaborative tool,” Wat-

son said. The software is also designed to play

well with other technology. A client receiving a Sqrl message simply receives an email in their inbox – no software required. Retrieved files can be synced to a cloud storage account or shared via file-hosting services such as Dropbox. The platform also integrates an additional lay-er of security for sending and receiving sensitive information, utilizing the same encryption used by online banks.

Although the tool was initially targeted

to small- and mid-sized accounting firms gathering financial data for audits and tax returns, it can be beneficial for any busi-ness that frequently requests informa-tion from multiple clients, Watson said. Of the company’s 200 current clients, 115 are from the accounting industry – eight of them being the top firms in the coun-try. The other 85 come from fields such as insurance, law and advertising. There’s even a physician in charge of a hospital’s onboarding process for new doctors.

While expanding their client base, the team also has sights set on Sqrl doing much more than hunting and gathering documents.

“In terms of our long-term position-ing, we want to be the means by which you gather what you need,” Watson said. That could mean using the software to pay invoices or obtain signatures on documents.

Along with forging new uses for Sqrl efficiency, Watson said, they haven’t for-gotten their original goal: to reduce the amount of time spent retrieving client information. The team is working with social scientists to learn factors that can increase response rates, including the optimum time to deliver a request.

4B CiNCiNNAti BUSiNeSS CoUrier

Assurex improves match of drugs to patientsBy Amy Howell HirtCourier Contributor

F or people seeking pharmacological treatment for conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar

disorder or chronic pain, finding the right medication and correct dosage is often a lengthy ordeal. Physicians have tradition-ally relied on a trial-and-error selection process, which can have immediate and long-term detrimental effects.

“Each time someone is on a medica-tion that’s inappropriate for them, their chance of success decreases and intoler-ance goes up,” said James Burns, CEO of Assurex Health.

Founded in 2006, the company has developed genetic testing that provides doctors with a patient-specific guide for selecting a psychotropic medication that will deliver the greatest therapeutic ben-efit and the least adverse reactions.

Using technology developed at Cin-cinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Cen-ter and the Mayo Clinic, Assurex’s Gen-eSight testing is powered by a deeper understanding of genetic variability.

Burns explains that everyone, without exception, has genetic factors that affect

their metabolism and response to differ-ent drugs – making each medication a better, or worse, choice.

“If they’re not on the right medication, it’s not going to work for them therapeu-tically, or they’re going to see adverse effects,” he said.

Prescribing physicians – including psychiatrists, primary care doctors and obstetricians/gynecologists – typically order GeneSight testing after a patient has tried one or more medications with-out success, Burns said.

GeneSight Psychotropic, released in 2011, specifically analyzes pharmacoki-netic genes related to the serotonin sys-tem. Using a cheek swab, the Assurex lab-oratory generates a personalized report that, in essence, “rates” how successful each commonly prescribed medication is likely to be.

In clinical studies, patients who received prescriptions based on GeneSight testing had two times the rate of thera-peutic response and remission of symp-toms, compared with those who received “treatment as usual.” In the most recent study, published in the November 2013 issue of Discovery Medicine, the test also found that 30 percent of the patients were previously prescribed a medication that presented severe gene-drug interactions.

Following the successful launch of GeneSight Psychotropic, the company introduced additional tests for genes that

affect a patient’s response to stimulant and nonstimulant medications, used in the treatment of attention deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD) and opioid med-ications prescribed for chronic pain.

While genetics is the scientific core of the company, Burns said the success – and potential – of the testing rests on the incorporation of advanced informatics. At least a quarter of the company’s employ-ees work in areas like programming and data analysis.

“What we are is a genetics-based infor-matics company,” Burns said.

ASSUrex HeAltH

From left: Assurex Health COO Donald Wright, vice president of laboratory operations Rao Mulpuri and CEO James Burns.

Sqrl

Sqrl is an information-gathering web application that’s “a collaborative tool.”

bioscience winner the winner is a company that has achieved a significant milestone in the life sciences, including – but not limited to – drug therapeutics, medical devices, medical imaging and pharmacogenomics.

emerging winner the winner is working on the pre-commercialization research phase, has received outside funding and demonstates potential for growth.

Sqrl saves time by managing communicationsCompany: SqrlCEO: ryan watsonAddress: 1411 Vine St., over-the-rhine 45202Description: request engine that automates and manages routine client communicationsEmployees: 4Web: www.getsqrl.com

Company: Assurex Health CEO: James Burns Address: 6030 S. mason-montgomery road, mason 45040Description: Assurex Health has served as a pioneer in the field of personalized behavioral medicineEmployees: 180Website: www.assurexhealth.com

By Amy Howell HirtCourier Contributor

T hanks to GPS and smartphones, when we hit the open road, we all know how to get from point A to

point B. But do you know how to get there in terms of finding best-rated hotels, sce-nic routes, charming local diners and cul-tural attractions along the way?

With Roadtrippers, founders James Fisher, Tatiana Parent and John Lauck are resurrecting the adventure of the great American road trip in a decidedly high-tech way. The free web and mobile application is designed as a single-source planning platform for getting on the road – and off the beaten path.

Fisher, whose family owned a safa-

ri company in Africa, said the idea came from first-hand experience with the unorganized medley of resources that are required to plan a road trip.

“You use Google Maps for directions, Expedia for booking a hotel ... but none of these ‘talk’ to each other,” he said.

Roadtrippers incorporates the logis-tical considerations addressed by web-based mapping services – offering turn-

by-turn directions and fuel cost and travel time estimates – but adds a hyper-local guide to unique stops along the way.

Its database provides information on 400,000 destinations culled from staff-ers, travel organizations, local bloggers and digital mapping organizations. Curat-ed experiences let users search by topic, such as fall foliage or beer tastings.

The company, which launched in July 2012, hit a milestone of 1 million month-ly users last December, then quickly sur-passed it with 1.3 million users in February.

With $2.5 million raised in series A round funding last year, the company plans to expand its services. Starting this spring, users will be able to book accom-modations directly through the applica-tion – a top-requested function that Fish-

er expects will bring 2 million monthly users by May and supplement the rev-enue generated from online advertisers and activity bookings.

April 11, 2014 5B

IT wInner the winner achieved a significant milestone in it, including packaged applications, custom applications and digital media.

Roadtrippers steers travelers off beaten path

roAdtrippers

Roadtrippers founders, from left: James Fisher, John Lauck and Tatiana Parent.

Company: roadtrippersCEO: James Fisher Address: 131 e. mcmicken Ave., over-the-rhine 45202Description: web and mobile platform for road-trip planningEmployees: 30Web: www.roadtrippers.com

engIneerIng wInner the winner achieved a significant milestone in advanced engineering – where technology is used to design a product.

Michelman supports collaborative approachBy Amy Howell HirtCourier Contributor

S ince 1949, Michelman Inc. has helped find solution for clients by developing enhanced coatings and

emulsions for uses ranging from flexible packaging to construction products.

Now, to anticipate industry changes and accelerate clients’ ideas, the company is embracing a new role that encourages a broad, collaborative approach.

“We want to be further out ahead of our customer,” said Rick Michelman, vice president and chief technology officer.

In February, the company opened the Michelman Advanced Materials Collabo-ration Center. Funded through a $2.5 mil-lion grant from the Ohio Third Frontier

Industrial Research and Development Center Program, collaborators includ-ed the University of Cincinnati, non-profit process improvement and innova-tion consulting firm TechSolve, and the National Composite Center, a Kettering-based organization focused on accelerat-ing advanced materials manufacturing.

Designed to help expedite the develop-

ment and commercialization of new tech-nologies, the research facility is outfitted with open desks and laboratory spaces to encourage a free exchange of ideas.

Given the landscape of today’s research and development, sharing across indus-tries will be equally crucial for accelerat-

ing the development of technologies, so the company is always looking for ways to reuse a solution in a different application .

“It’s about finding people who have something in common, even though they are solving different problems,” Michel-man said.

micHelmAn inc.

Michelman operates in Shanghai and recently launched a Chinese language website.

Company: michelman inc.VP and CTO: rick michelman Address: 9080 shell road, Blue Ash 45236Description: developer of coatings for flexible film packaging, paperboard and corrugated cartons; and water-based surface modifiers, additives and polymers Employees: more than 350 globallyWeb: www.michelman.com

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6B CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

Marketing winner The winner has achieved a significant milestone toward the innovation of consumer marketing.

Marketing engineering

Lisnr pinpoints message with audio content By Amy HOwEll HIRTCourier Contributor

F rom electronic billboards to auto-mated emails, marketers have long employed the latest technology in

hopes of delivering the right message to the right consumer at the right time.

While social media and mobile com-munication provided groundbreaking ways to pinpoint the customer and cus-tomize the message, the issue of timing has remained a significant hurdle – and one that Lisnr, an audio-based marketing and content distribution platform, aims to turn into an advantage.

The startup, launched in 2012, provides clients with a streamlined medium for delivering optimum content to their tar-get consumer, at the ideal moment.

“This is opening up a whole new media source, being able to push a message based on the audio around a consum-er,” said Rodney Williams, CEO and co-founder of Lisnr.

The concept was born in March 2012

when the five founders met on a Cin-cinnati StartupBus, a venture that gives teams of potential tech entrepreneurs three days to develop and then pitch their concepts. Less than six months later, the new company was on its way, with seed-stage funding from CincyTech, a public/private partnership that invests in startup technology companies.

While app-based services such as Shazam also use audio content recogni-tion, Williams, a former brand manager at Procter & Gamble, said the similarities end there.

Ultrasonic signals, which are inau-dible to humans but detected by smart-phones’ microphones, are at the heart of

Lisnr technology. Lisnr places these audio “tags” in clients’ media, such as a song. If the free app is downloaded on a smart-phone, it will continuously “listen” for tags. When a tag is detected, Lisnr sends a notification to the user that additional content is available.

For consumers, that timing allows for an additional level of interaction that’s become known as the “second-screen experience.” If someone is listening to music, for example, Lisnr might deliv-er exclusive news about an upcoming release from the artist. At an event, the app might activate features that interact with show. Last year, electronic dance trio Swedish House Mafia partnered with the company to prompt fans to access a light-show feature during the concert.

For marketers and brands, the approach allows for extremely targeted messaging with users who are already engaged and provides ample opportuni-ties for cross-marketing.

To date, Lisnr has focused on music and live entertainment, but because the

tags can be placed in any audio source, Williams says the potential applications are endless.

This year, the company hopes to close a new round of funding and expand on their notable successes from 2013 – including generating over $500,000 in revenue and signing Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z.

– Amy Howell Hirt

Company: lisnrCEO: Rodney williams Address: 538 Reading Road, Cincinnati 45202Description: Audio-based marketing and content distribution platformEmployees: 11Website: www.lisnr.com

lISNR

Rodney Williams is CEO and co-founder of Lisnr, an audio-based marketing tool.

ahalogyCEO: Bob GilbreathLocation: 3197 linwood Ave., Cincinnati 45208Website: www.ahalogy.comCompany description: Ahalogy exists to help large brands take advantage of the potential of Pinterest and content marketing.Innovative impact: large brands are interested in content marketing, but most lack the budget to create original photos and articles on their own. The Ahalogy Content Network is the only solution that helps brands source content for Pinterest, which is the key driver of scale success on this promising new platform. Ahalogy provides software that content creators use to save time. In return, these creators provide Ahalogy with a license to share this content. In late 2013, Ahalogy began making this content available on additional social platforms, including Facebook. Unlike every other content sourcing solution, Ahalogy has data on how this content is performing in real time.

DocustarCEO: Jay BrokampLocation: 1325 Glendale milford RoadWebsite: www.docustar.comCompany description: Docustar’s marketing resource management product line, marketHUB Plus, is designed for large corporations in industries with widely distributed sales channels, such as financial services, insurance, manufacturing and building products.Innovative impact: The Speak Socially module of marketHUB Plus is specifically designed to enable companies to more effectively engage their distributed work force and partners in their social media outreach. There are a number of innovative features that are specific to this application: the social media content library and approval workflows, for example. moreover, the product provides the ability to set up segregation within the system so different departments are able to view or have access to different content.

Finalists

general nano llcCEO: Joe SprengardLocation: 775 mentor Ave., Suite 170 Cincinnati 45212Website: www.generalnanollc.comCompany description: General Nano is a specialty manufacturer of carbon nanotube materials for aerospace and defense applications. Its customers include the Air Force, Navy, Army, NASA, and numerous aerospace and defense OEms and prime contractors.Innovative impact: General Nano manufactures very long carbon nanotubes, which give application engineers the freedom to design applications not possible with short nanotubes. Earning the Navy’s investment is was significant for the company, Sprengard said. “They are one of the finest institutions in the world, and they are an early adopter of lighter, stronger, more conductive material.”

intelligrateDCEO: Chris ColeLocation: 790 Innovation way, Cincinnati 45040Website: www.intelligrated.comCompany description: A leading North American-owned automated material handling solutions provider for the warehousing, distribution, consumer product manufacturing, and post and parcel markets.Innovative impact: In 2012, Intelligrated upgraded its I-watch™ sorter maintenance software to improve efficiency and accuracy for customers’ distribution systems. The upgraded I-watch software enables Intelligrated technicians to complete regular, remote analyses of machine performance and condition information. The software transmits data to a support team that quickly diagnoses and resolves potential problems.

A&B SenSor TechnologieSCEO: Anastasios AngelopoulosLocation: 965 Capstone Drive, Miamisburg 45343Website: N/ACompany description: A&B Sensor Technologies was founded in 2009 to bring unique optical sensing devices to market. In particular, they have

developed a noninvasive method of measuring blood glucose in diabetics, which overcomes the problem of signal interference by the humidity in human breath.Innovative impact: The company has developed an inexpensive, portable device to detect gaseous biomarkers and hazards. Existing detection methods are typically bulky and time intensive. A&B Sensor Technologies aims for instant results as a real-time device. A prototype has been constructed and preliminary clinical data has been collected that demonstrates outstanding blood glucose correlations in diabetics. When finished, the device will be no bigger than a flip-top cell phone.

AprIl 11, 2014 7B

Finalists

AirwAy TherApeuTicS llcCEO: Marc SalzbergLocation: N/AWeb: www.airwaytherapeutics.comCompany description: pharmaceutical startup specializing in development of surfactant-related products for lung disordersInnovative impact: Airway

Therapeutics llC was formed in 2011 to commercially develop promising potential therapeutics arising from within the pulmonary research program of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The target product for development, AT-100, is a unique replacement protein therapy to prevent and treat lung disease in premature infants. The company managed to successfully manufacture this complicated protein and has proven the concept in a pivotal study involving lambs. Major pharmaceutical and biotech companies have shown interest and are pursuing r&D collaborations.

BioScience

CONGRATULATIONS!CONGRATULATIONS!To all of our Innovation Awards fi nalists and winners for your innovative products and services! The Cincinnati Business Courier presents this program with the aim of spurring the development of new ideas. Thanks to all who support our Awards programs

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cloud TAkeoffCEO: phillip OgilbyLocation: 5155 Financial Way, Mason 45040Website: www.cloudtakeoff.comCompany description: Cloud Takeoff is the first one of its kind in the construction industry, combining estimating software with the ability

to share digital blueprints across an entire project team in real time.Innovative impact: Cloud Takeoff is a solution for the commercial construction marketplace, allowing users such as contractors and material suppliers to share and collaborate on projects online as a single set of documents and to create highly detailed estimates.

connXuSCEO: rod robinsonLocation: 5155 Financial Way, Mason 45040Website: https://connxus.comCompany description: This web-based service helps corporations locate, evaluate and engage small, woman- and minority-owned

businesses.Innovative impact: ConnXus’ software platform provides corporations with a host of services including targeted diverse supplier outreach. In addition to its software-as-a-service-based revenue model for major corporations, ConnXus also generates subscription revenue from diverse suppliers that upgrade to the “ConnXus plus” premium subscription, which provides diverse suppliers with a host of business growth-oriented services. The company added several major clients last year, including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Harley Davidson.

iT

kApTureCEO: Mike SarowLocation: N/AWeb: https://kaptureaudio.comCompany description: Kapture is the first wearable tech product solely focused on audio. The technology inside the Kapture wristband allows a consumer to never miss a

meaningful moment in daily conversations.Innovative impact: Everyday exchanges can quickly turn into meaningful moments. Kapture allows consumers to seamlessly record these memories. Kapture is also changing the way technology is customized to suit fashion. Every wristband can easily be intermixed with other color options. On the high end, a Kapture owner can slide on a 14K gold microphone grill for a night on the town. Kapture will evolve as a consumer’s style evolves.

reppCEO: Michael BergmanLocation:N/AWeb: www.myrepp.comCompany description: rEpp is a platform that allows anyone to verify and control their own information. The consumer-facing site (www.myrepp.com) allows consumers to quickly create their

own rEpp profile, provide context to any records in their past through a patent-pending system, and then share customized profiles with whomever they desire.Innovative impact: Today, when we meet someone, we go to Google, Facebook or Twitter to find out more about them. But fraudsters can easily create fake stories and profiles. rEpp tackles this problem from a different angle. Instead of others searching you out on the Internet, you actually search yourself out via rEpp, which acts as the verifying third party, and then share your information through rEpp to those that you meet.

emerging