More live-blogging at the Ga Technology Summit (hashtag #gts09). For more info on live-blogging see previous post.
Dennis Zakas (DZ) chair of Innovation committee for TAG recognizing the Top 10 innovative companies.
DZ – Thanking the committee members for their role in making this a vital summit. Showcasing the innovation in the state – diversity of industries, large number of applicants. Process pick a top 40 then choose top 10 finalists. Competition, that is not based on financials, but on innovation, disruption, technology. Quick 3 minute presentations coming up from the Top 10 on why they are innovative.
DZ – see the TOp 40 displayed in the lobby – vote for winners
1. Suniva – CTO speaking – spin-off from GaTech – photovoltaic – solarcells – sunlight to electricity with zero emissions. Valu chain and Value prop – buys silicon solar cells – make cells to sell to consumers, builders. Make superior quality solar cells at low-cost and high efficiency – seeking parity with fossil fuels in cost and efficiency. 2008 went into full production, 32 megawatt capacity, customer orders over $1billion, pipeline twice as much. Best in class efficiency 17-18% – reaching 20% with next generation screen printing technology. US innovation, quality and jobs.
2. Acculynk – fighting online fraud -$ 3.7 Billion in US. 3/4 cost eaten by vendors. Only company to enable online PIN based transactions – Take POS concept to the internet. Good for banks, consumers, and vendors. Online pinpad that plugs into the merchant – scrambled and encrypted technology – take the debit card from your wallet and the PIN in your head to the online transaction. PIN never in the clear. Get X/Y cordinate of mouse, not the number – so hard to fake/intercept. 300million debit cards is the potential user base.
20 minute intermission. Be back soon 🙂
And we’re back..
3. Unicoi – embedded solutions of IP Media Devices, mobile, automotive devices. Fusion-embedded networking and cellphone suite – develop interface to be customized for each client – new VoIP webphones coming out using the technology
4. PlayON Sports – helping content owners stream video to broadcast live events – connect with fans further down the chain – youth baseball, college lacrosse, community soccer league, etc. Event manager software fo full user contorl of scheduling and config. Tools for use in the field Production Manager with built in production graphics – score boards, etc.
5. Pramana – thwarting malicious bots – automated traffic – human beings are becoming the minority on the Internet – this is a problem. Captcha is the better know way toapproach this problem. Correlation engine is a shield for web property to detect bot traffic – Forbes called them “invisible captcha” – trying to protect Human Reputation online. Technology licensed from GaTech.
6. SecureWorks – separating the good guys from the bad guys – 300 employees – targeting financial institutions, government, retail. Compliance Central – get client’s vendors into compliance. LogVault – fault-tolerant log retention. Web App Security Service – web layer smart firewall fo protection from cyberattacks
Pause from Top 10 presentations to hear Tino Mantella’s (TM) state of the industry report:
TM – focusing on Georgia’s positioning, not an economic forecast. High-level overview of 176 page, 6 month study. Data and feedback gathered from 500 respondents. Comparing with CA TX, MA, FL, NC. Downloadable from tagonline.org.
TM- Ga – significant drop in female technology graduates, but Ga still leading and highest percentage of women-owned technology businesses. Need to do better, but proud of our lead.
TM- we are a leader among benchmark states. Ga Tech outspent MIT on innovation and research. Only beat by Johns Hopkins
TM – VC funding has more than double – 5% increaase over 2007. Software largest funding slice, Energy tech growing and now number two
TM – Ga ranks low by comparison to average VC deal size against benchmar states, but neck-and-neck with NC and MA. Still not getting our fair share against overall US tech investment.
TM – Ga entrepreneur’s get most of their funding from personal cash and friend’s and family, some angel money – more dependence than MA and CA – majority have to bootstrap. We’re way behind CA and MA in funding startups
TM – Entrepreneurs coming up shor in other resources behind funding, and the entrepreneurs feel that state support is low. Where is the grant money? Very dismal, but improving employment growth. We’re 10th largest tech employer in nation, but we need more growth to hold or improve the position. Software and IT services are largest employers, telecom is next but shrinking, bio-sciences is growing, but employment loss is happening. IPOs zero in Georgia in 2008. M&A is best exit strategy for tech companies in GA. 82% of buyers from out of state. Our best are leaving the state.
TM – Momentum and Challenges – creating opportunity. Education – STEM – science, tech, engineering, math
TM – HOPE scholarship still putting a lot of students in play, Universities investing heavily in R&D. VCs say they are willing to invest in good deals here. Need to make them aware of the deals. Capital and funding is number 1 need of Ga entrepreneurs.
TM – we need investment in money and TLC for growth in US and Ga.
Now back to Top 10 Innovators
7. CCP North America Games – began as White Wolf – book and game company – Crowded Control Productions. EVE online massively muliplayer game. World’s largest single online game server – military grade world’s fastest storage, 10 times the capcity of the industry. 100o players in one space battle concurrently. Amazing graphics engine. Game experience video is shown – it is impressive.
8. Purewire – protecting people from malicious people places and things online. SaaS web security service. Analyze traffic – checking corporate policy, attacks, etc
9. Asankya – worked with gov’t military, selling network service to companies providing cloud apps – improves application throughput up to 20x performance. New apps – new acceleration. Cloud application acceleration – projected market for cloud apps $72 B. Technology developed at Ga Tech. Pushes packets through network faster, in the right order. Works for one way, two way, encrypted, etc. Video demo at table. Best in class acceleration.
10. NanoLumens – world’s largest flexible video displays – thinner and lighter than LCD or Plasma – going after outdoor advertising market – $25B and growing market – Flat or curved wall – former CTO of Philips on the team. Flexible displays made of small rigid parts, “Nixels” on flexible circuits. Reduces volume, weight and power usage. Can be rolled to ship! 62% less weight – 80% more energy efficient. Holding up a working product – incredible thin and flexible display.
live blogging at Ga Technology Summit pt3 – Ron Clark
Still doing the live blog thing at the GTS. Next up Ron Clark (RC) – if it is like the last time I saw him I might be laughing too much to blog well, so bear with me.
Showing a classroom video. The energy is impressive. The podium doesn’t look big enough for RC to stand on, I wonder if he’ll try?
RC – getting kids to love learning – Origin: from North Carolina, taught to use things that were different, was teacher of the year, saw a program on schools in Harlem, and picked up and moved there to find the schools from the TV show. Telling story of meeting an upset 13 yr old kid, convinced him to try. 1999 got job at that school. Had kids that were all below grade level – every one of those kids have now graduated high school and most are in college. Got them technology . They tested ahead of their class by the end of a year. Caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey. Feels that “No Child Left Behind” as turned our approach upside down, we’re teaching to the bottom, and pulling the brightest down, instead of teaching to the top and getting them to raise up the rest. Doesn’t want to leave anybody behind, but wants to keep the bar high, and keep raising it. Wrote a song to pop star Rheanna’s music to teach order of operations to his class to learn algebra. All his students have Zunes with lesson loaded on them – they all have laptops from Dell. Got huge growth in testing scores.
RC – 55 rules for setting clear expectations from students – manners, respect, structure — blending respect structure and innovative approaches. Oprah told him to write a book so he listened, he wrote it – she made it a book pick – and it sold! Went to number 2 in nation on that announcement went #1 around the world. Used funding to start the school here in Atlanta. Teaching kids here and teaching teachers his approach. Found a warehouse in run-down part of town, surrounded by crack houses, and prostitution. Fought for that building because he felt it in his heart. 19 break-ins during construction – lots of theft of copper pipe. Need to get the community involved – went to every house over 4 months and told everyone what he was doing – he was often scared. Often asked if he was Mormon. Told people he was building the most innovative school in the world – got the community behind him – no more break-ins. Ran out of money – got sponsors from the community, Veizon, Delta, Intercontinental Hotels. Students can text message him live during class for nstant feedback. Using Active Expressions, Dell sponsors laptops, got Definition 6 helping them to figure out what to do with all that technology.
RC – building world leaders -school of tomorrow. 3000 superintendants, teachers, principals from around the country visiting to observe and learn tools and techniques. Congressmen and world leaders visiting to learn too. Students are webcasting with kids around the world – traveling with the kids to make in-person connections – Delta is sponsoring travel. Going around the world on spring field trips. Live video conferencing – virtual reality version of school.
RC – students take a test by running a gauntlet. Made an online gauntlet so other schools can use the concept .
RC – non-profit – need donations – offering tours and visits. Warning every visitor has to go down the 2-story slide in the middle of the school and get “Slide – certified” – the slide is a symbol for how innovative they want to be. The model for innovation in education.