Start-Up Slam Louisville
September 30, 2009
The Start-up Slam is a great way to form a company for little cost to you – if you are ready to start your company. If you company is in the early stages, then you will benefit from some very useful information for free.
Ouiwrite, re-writing the rules on research papers
September 28, 2009
I caught up with Peyton Fouts Friday afternoon for a demo of his Ouibox platform and first product Ouiwrite. Anyone interested in being a beta tester, send me an e-mail to rstump at insightbb.com.
1) What is your 30 second elevator pitch?
OuiWrite is a web application that redefines what it means to “write a paper”. It formats in MLA, APA and a couple other formats automatically, and as the user is writing, OuiWrite will actually find resources that the user is writing about and make it available for 1-click annotations as well as bibliography entries without any research at all making writing less about the idiom and more about the idea.
2) Tell me about Ouiwrite and what inspired you to develop it?
Well all great ideas come from God, but you know, I think it was necessity. I think it’s the classic “find a need and fill it”. Children are born curious creatures with big imaginations and somehow through the educational process, which is all about learning and understanding curious things, or at least it should be, we regiment learning in such a way that is no longer fun. OuiWrite serves to remove the drudgery of writing and concentrate on creativity which is really the true identity of a good paper anyway
3) What are the features of the Ouibox platform that makes it unique?
OuiBox is a huge website with innumerable features but the best way to describe it is taking Facebook, Myspace, Skype, iTunes, Google Maps, all email accounts, Blogger, Youtube and more and putting them all in a centralized place where all the functions interact with one another. The scope of the site is unique as well as the 3D fixed-interface. I’m really excited to show the world.
4) What are your development plans for the company over the next 12 months?
OuiWrite is just the first of many patentable automated services I hope to bring out over the next set of years. I have a new major module scheduled each month for the next 5 years, all of which are on the OuiWrite level as far as innovation goes, it should be interesting.
View the Ouiwrite demo:
The Founders Visa
September 23, 2009
Currently, their is a trending topic among VC’s and those in the tech world about the need for a “Founders Visa” Or ” Startup Visa”. The idea is basically the following:
provide a special visa to allow immigrants who want to start a company entrance into the US.
They would be barred from working for another company so as to not take jobs away from Americans.
The idea comes from the fact that roughly half of all tech startups were started by immigrants and that our current immigration policy keeps these company founders from moving to the US to found their companies.
This idea was started by Paul Graham and has been picked up by the likes of Brad Feld, Eric Ries and Paul Kedrosky etc. While I am for stopping illegal immigration, I believe this is a smart way for the US to keep its place as the leader in innovation. Each of these companies will employ Americans and some will become very large companies creating thousands of jobs. While some of the details still need to be worked out, It is a good sensible step to take. One detail I would support is to allow VC and investment funding to be used as the barometer of whether you receive the Visa, or an accreditation process similar to the way Universities determine if a student can get a student visa.
I think a smart immigration policy is to let in to The US all of the smartest people from all over the world that want to come here legally.
Chrysalis trio promoted
September 22, 2009
Chrysalis Ventures , based in Louisville Kentucky, has promoted three investment professionals: John Willmoth to venture partner; Matt Winn to senior associate and Elizabeth Rounsavall to director of research and analytics. I know Matt & Elizabeth and they are dedicated and work hard to assist their portfolio companies.
anatomy of an entrepreneur
September 21, 2009
I have written about this Kauffman Foundation research but Onstartups put a list together of the surprising characteristics of company founders. Which surprises you the most?
1. The average and median age of company founders when they started their current companies was 40.
2. 95.1 percent of respondents themselves had earned bachelor’s degrees, and 47 percent had more advanced degrees.
3. Less than 1 percent came from extremely rich or extremely poor backgrounds
4. 15.2% of founders had a sibling that previously started a business.
5. 69.9 percent of respondents indicated they were married when they launched their first business. An additional 5.2 percent were divorced, separated, or widowed.
6. 59.7 percent of respondents indicated they had at least one child when they launched their first business, and 43.5 percent had two or more children.
7. The majority of the entrepreneurs in the sample were serial entrepreneurs. The average number of businesses launched by respondents was approximately 2.3.
8. 74.8 percent indicated desire to build wealth as an important motivation in becoming an entrepreneur.
9. Only 4.5 percent said the inability to find traditional employment was an important factor in starting a business.
10. Entrepreneurs are usually better educated than their parents.
11. Entrepreneurship doesn’t always run in the family. More than half (51.9 percent) of respondents were the first in their families to launch a business.
12. The majority of respondents (75.4 percent) had worked as employees at other companies for more than six years before launching their own companies.
Event: Preparing for Prosperity: Will you be ready when the recovery begins?
September 16, 2009
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Preparing for Prosperity: Will you be ready when the recovery begins? The challenging economic climate forced many small businesses to cut expenses and drift into survival mode. Now the economy is seeing signs of recovery. Is your business ready? Focused on our common goal to be competitive, this message explains market trends, developing business strategies and what it will take to be prosperous when consumers begin spending money. Event Info September 29, 2009 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511 There is no cost but advance registration is required. |
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Melvin Gravely II, Ph.D. The Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking
Dr. Melvin Gravely is professionally dedicated to developing capacity and opportunity for minority entrepreneurs. He is the author of the popular book, When Black and White Make Green and his latest, Getting to the Next Level: Business, Race and Our Common Goal to be Competitive. Dr. Gravely is a sought after keynote speaker and respected advisor to major corporations, chambers of commerce executives, urban city leaders and NMSDC affiliates. Dr. Gravely is a frequent guest on radio stations from Los Angeles toNew York and has been featured in many national publications including Black Enterprise Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and American City Business Journals. After ten successful years working for a large corporation, he co-founded a civil engineering firm and grew it into a multimillion dollar company. Dr. Gravely is the president and Chief Operation Officer of Validex. Validex is a leader in the professional background screening industry. He is also an author, speaker and entrepreneur. Dr. Gravely speaks and writes on various topics related to entrepreneurial thinking and minority business development. He is the author of seven books, including The Lost Art of Entrepreneurship.
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For more information contact the Bluegrass SBDC at 859.257.7666.
Life Science Accelerator
September 14, 2009
Gov. Steve Beshear today joined state and local officials to mark the opening of a life science accelerator building that provides offices and laboratory space for start-up biotechnology companies developing anti-cancer drugs, genetic tests and medical instruments. The building will also serve as the new U.S. headquarters for bioLOGIC Corporation, a global life science accelerator company with offices worldwide. bioLOGIC, one of the owners of the facility, has already helped bring several biotech companies to Kentucky.
During the event, Gov. Beshear also announced that one of bioLOGIC’s resident companies, PHD Diagnostics, is launching a new genetic test, marketed as Respiragene™, which can identify smokers and ex-smokers who are at greatest risk of developing lung cancer. PHD’s subsidiary, Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, will be the only lab in the nation processing these tests in which technicians extract DNA from cells and scientists then analyze specific sets of genetic markers to determine that individual’s likelihood of developing lung cancer.
Other resident companies in the bioLOGIC building include Bexion Pharmaceuticals, which is developing anti-cancer drugs; NeoCytex Biopharma, which is researching drugs for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease; PureWater, whose technology can help provide affordable clean water for households in developing countries; PrimeDP, a drug development company; and BotanoVation, a company developing over-the-counter natural health products.
Geeks Night out
September 8, 2009
The next GNO is coming up this Friday at Soundbar Blu in Lexington. Soundbar is located in South Lime among the area closed to through traffic so please see the link for parking
company profile: Pilus Energy
September 1, 2009
Pilus energy is a northern Kentucky based company founded by Jason E. Barkeloo, MA, Daniel J. Hassett, PhD, Randal T. Irvin, PhD, & Jeffrey D. Myers, PhD. I caught up with Jason and put a few questions to him about the startup:
What is your company’s 30 second elevator pitch?
Licensing a microbial fuel cell reactor that harnesses a proprietary bacterium and harvests the direct current electricity and hydrogen gas from their metabolism of organic materials. We then wholesale the bacteria/nutrient powder to licensees. Addressable battery market is $63B. Our fuel cell is scalable to 1) recharging consumer electronics, 2) providing electricity to residential and commercial facilities, 3) transportation fuel, and 4) for large utilities to provide electricity to the grid.
What has been your company’s funding & growth so far?
Raised $25K in seed capital from a west coast investor. With this funding we achieved the first operational prototype reactor. We also filed provisional patent and executed tech transfer agreement from a university.
What is the outlook for your business in the next eighteen months?
With funding our outlook is substantial. We already have potential customers approaching us based upon the promise of our technology.
What attracted you to entrepreneurship?
Focusing my passions in such a way to provide positive impacts to socieity.
What have been the advantages and disadvantages of starting a high tech business in Kentucky?
Advantage: The Commonwealth demonstrates visionary support and a nimble adaptability. We have a real partner that is supportive of our goals.
Disadvantage: Kentucky is not generally seen on the west or east coasts as an incubator for technology startups.
