2011 New England Innovation Awards Winners and Finalists
Winners
Black Duck Software helps over 800 companies in 22 countries build better software, faster, for less money. As software has become more ubiquitous in everything from cellphones to automobiles; household appliances to airplanes to cruise missiles; and of course powering the internet, Black Duck is the leading global provider of solutions for enabling enterprise scale adoption of open source software.
Biovation is a high-tech manufacturing company providing non-woven fiber products with antimicrobial properties for food packaging, wound care, and custom OEM applications. Biovation has extensive experience with bioplastic polymers such as polylactic acid, which comes from cornstarch and is completely biodegradable. Also, Biovation’s infection control chemistries are available for coating on fibers, textiles or as stand-alone products for proprietary applications.
Harvest is transforming the organic waste industry by harnessing the full energy, carbon and nutrient value from discarded organic materials. The company is led by a management team with deep experience in composting, renewable energy, engineering and finance, and its trajectory indicates that it will remain one of the fastest growing companies in clean technology.
IdeaPaint is the creator of single-coat, roller-applied paint products that can turn any smooth surface into a high-performance dry-erase writing surface. IdeaPaint creates dynamic environments within corporate, educational and home settings. For more information, please visit www.ideapaint.com. For ongoing company and product updates, follow IdeaPaint on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ideapaint or connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ideapaint.
John Matouk & Co. is a manufacturer of luxury bed, bath and table linens based in Fall River, Massachusetts. A third-generation, 82-year old company, Matouk combines old-world craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology to create exquisite products for affluent consumers. Matouk has reinvigorated its domestic manufacturing tradition and consistently grown sales by employing a world-class marketing strategy.
Science Club for Girls increases girls’ self-confidence and literacy in science, engineering, technology and mathematics by using a whole-girl approach. We connect girls with female role models in these fields through hands-on explorations, mentorship and leadership opportunities. We inspire over 1,000 girls in K-12th grades in five cities in eastern Massachusetts and also in Ghana.
TEI Biosciences is a leading biomedical company that has applied its expertise in regenerative medicine to develop and commercialize novel biologic devices for a broad spectrum of soft tissue repair applications – from reconstructive surgery and wound healing to dura, tendon, and meniscus repair. TEI sells its products directly and through partnerships with some of the world’s major medical device companies.
Trexel is an investor and employee-owned company specialized in the development and commercialization of microcellular foamed processes for the plastics industry. The Company’s patented MuCell® Process which is used to produce injection molded parts worldwide (as well as TPE & TPV and other extruded products), provides significant cost savings and otherwise unattainable quality improvements.
UTEC is a youth-led safe-haven for youth development and grassroots organizing. With over 1,900 members, UTEC has created a multicultural place of belonging that emphasizes the holistic development of Lowell’s young people, ages 13-23, who are most often overlooked and labeled as “at-risk.” UTEC was founded to stem the tide of urban youth struggling to successfully navigate the path to adulthood.
Finalists
AisleBuyer leverages smartphone technology to unite the best features of both ‘bricks’ and ‘clicks’ retailing. Its platform, which includes a virtual shopping assistant, ‘location aware’ digital circular, and patent-pending, mobile self-checkout system provides retailers with an end-to-end solution designed to increase sales, reduce costs, and offer unprecedented analytical insight into in-store shopping behavior. AisleBuyer is headquartered in Boston, MA.
Arisaph Pharmaceuticals is an emerging biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformational therapies for cardiometabolic diseases and cancer. Arisaph designs and develops differentiated medicines that are highly potent and act selectively on validated targets. The company has an experienced leadership team with a proven record of building highly successful pharmaceutical enterprises, exemplified by the sale of its prior company, Kos Pharmaceuticals, to Abbott for $4 billion in 2006.
ATASK started as a grassroots volunteer effort over 20 years ago to address gaps in services for Asian battered women. ATASK is now a 15-year old $1.8M, United Way agency with 30 staff fluent in 12 Asian languages and dialects. The agency’s mission is to provide HOPE to survivors and to prevent domestic violence in Asian families and communities. ATASL is considered a model for culturally competent services for DV survivors.
At Avila Therapeutics we are pioneering the design and development of new medicines called targeted covalent drugs. These molecules are able to silence the activity of disease-causing proteins, and we are developing a product pipeline of new medicines with a focus on cancer, autoimmune diseases, and hepatitis C. This technology is the foundation for our alliances with Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Clovis Oncology, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
HighRes Biosolutions, Inc. (www.highresbio.com) is the leader in the design and construction of innovative robotic systems and laboratory devices used by pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research laboratories. HighRes accelerates drug discovery, high throughput genotyping, siRNA screening, next-generation sequencing sample prep, biorepository science and molecular diagnostics with highly flexible, expandable and modular integrated systems, bench-top devices and consumables.
Kaon Interactive creates interactive 3D product models and solution demonstrations to help marketers and sales teams transform complex product stories into dynamic interactive experiences. Because of Kaon’s patented compression technology, these engaging, photo realistic product/solution experiences can be leveraged across multiple platforms of the LED cost reduction. Sapphire is used as a substrate material to make LEDs.
pION INC designs, manufactures and sells analytical tools for ADME-related measurements used in new drug development. Products include instruments, supplies, reagents, software, and analytical services based on patented high-throughput solubility (µSOL) and permeability (PAMPA) assays. Its Rainbow™ brand, patented in situ fiber optic UV dissolution detection systems provide time-savings in R&D and QC testing of drugs in solid dosage forms.
Pluromed, founded in 2003, is a commercial Woburn, Massachusetts medical device company that addresses the need to control bleeding in a wide variety of situations, without causing damage to blood vessels as clamps do. LeGoo ® Internal Vessel Occluder, based on the Company’s patented technology, is a liquid, which hardens into a plug at body temperature and is removed by cooling.
Primary Source promotes history and humanities education by connecting educators to people and cultures throughout the world. In partnership with teachers, scholars, and the broader community, Primary Source provides learning opportunities and curriculum resources for K-12 educators. By introducing global content, they shape the way teachers and students learn, so that their knowledge is deeper and their thinking is flexible and open to inquiry.
TSI of Brunswick Maine is a leader in defense industry innovation. It has a 30 year track record in emerging technology. TSI specializes in Augmented Reality (AR), a visual technology that blends virtual and real world. However, TSI values the creativity and energy of its people, its most important asset and is known as a great place to work.
Visual Magnetics is a company that was started in 2006 and launched in 2007 with its wide format magnetic micro – iron printing films, we have been growing at over 200 percent per year. Our staff has grown over 500% in the last two years. Everything Visual Magnetics produces is made in the USA we just brought millions of dollars in manufacturing of extruded films to a company in Rhode Island and have done this with no Bank line of credit or a credit card. Just true boot strapping. We have won 3 DPI product of the year awards competing with companies like HP, Kodak, Canon, and the like and have 3 US patents and 5 pending.