Cincinnati Innovates awards $80K in prizes to 10 dynamic startups

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Entrepreneurship
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September 28, 2010

Judges for this year's Cincinnati Innovates competition plowed through 301 entries for new company and product ideas to award $80,000 in prizes to 10 Greater Cincinnati entrepreneurs.The First Place winner was Jocelyn Cates, of Burlington, Ky., who created an online event venue booking website application called Venue Agent. Cates won a $25,000 prize. Soapbox profiled Venue Agent in a recent issue as a Featured Growth Company.Cates explained the company this way: “Many brides don't know that booking on a Thursday or Friday could save them 50% on their venue - and many venues have a tough time selling off-season dates. VenueAgent is like the Hotels.com of event venues."Cates said the funding will help fund a site redesign and formal public launch."We have much work to do in order to get ready for a formal launch to the public. We will use the money and the mentorship from CincyTech to gear the site to be even more of a venue "deal" website, offering venues the opportunity to fill vacancies at their facility while making it possible for brides and event planners take advantage of great savings," she said. The second place winner was Mason resident Suprasanna Mishra, of Mason, who created the Facebook application "ConcertEverytime." The app, which also has a downloadable counterpart, crawls your electronic music library (ex. iTunes) finding your favorite bands based on playlists and other factors. The app then geolocates those bands and find concert dates for your favorite artists."I'll be using the grant from Cincytech to develop and brand both the downloadable application as well as the online facebook counterpart. It'll help take ConcertEverytime from concept to completion and basically act as the founding seed money for my idea," Mishra said.The awards were announced Sept. 22 at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center along the Cincinnati riverfront. The second annual competition was open to anyone now or originally from the 15-county area of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. It had a broad reach and included innovative products, devices, business processes and more. The top prize of $25,000 was sponsored by CincyTech. The contest's aim is to identify and support a wide diversity of high-potential entrepreneurs. Nearly 34 percent of entrants were women, and 17 self-identified ethnic groups were represented."We've been very pleased with the kinds of participants Cincinnati Innovates is attracting. We are looking for strong startups in which to invest, and we’ve seen many good ideas coming out of this competition," Said Bob Coy, president of CincyTech.The other award winners were:Northern Kentucky Commercialization Award:  $10,000. Winner: Alex Frommeyer, Alex Curry, Daniel Dykes, and Joseph Schab, all Northern Kentucky residents, Intellidontic Endodontic File -  a safer endodontic file that protects patients from nerve damage during root canals. (Award sponsored by Northern Kentucky eZone, Vision 2015, Northern Kentucky Tri-Ed, and bioLogic)Legal & Patent Awards sponsored by Taft Law FirmFirst Prize, $10,000: Winner: Amit Bhattacharya and David Ralph, OsteoDynamics - a device that enables painless and non-invasive diagnosis of osteoporosis. Second Prize, $5,000: Winner: Georg Weber, MetaMol Marker for Breast Cancer Aggressiveness - diagnostic tools to predict whether a breast tumor will spread.LPK Design and Branding Award: $10,000 (applied toward design and branding, sponsored by LPK)Winner: Sally Pipkin, Patients at Play -- Clothing and IV covers designed to put a smile on parents and kids faces in the hospital - and safely secure needle sites for young patients undergoing treatment.CoStrategix Web Development Award:  $5,000 (applied toward web application, sponsored by CoStrategix)Winner: Darcy Crociata, FunBooks - an app that lets you grab status updates, comments and photos from Facebook and click them into a hardcover snapshot of your life stream. Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens Get Started Award:  $2,500 (applied toward business accounting and advisory, sponsored by Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens)Winner: Keara Schwartz, ShareSomeSugar -- an eBorrowing community where you can find someone in your neighborhood or social network who is willing to lend you something that you need.HYPE! Community Choice Award: $2,000Winner: Dan Calhoun, of Northern Kentucky, RooRoo - In-flight games for airline passengers.Student Innovator Award: $1,000Winner: Carly Hagins, Compostable Portable Restroom -- a greener alternative to current porta-potty designs. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Elizabeth Edwards, Cincinnati Innovates founderYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

Blackbook EMG adds more connectivity and experience with recent hires
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Entrepreneurship
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September 28, 2010

In a 21st century hi-tech reinvention of yesteryear's "little black book," a Cincinnati startup company is providing the corporate community with connectivity and sense of belonging vital to successful onboarding and retention of today's employees.Blackbook EMG's innovative solution to this universal corporate challenge comes in the form of the company's multi-tiered software and services.  The company's Compass online platform identifies an individual's or family's personal needs and outside interests and helps connect them to places to eat, shop or catch a live show.Now an integral resource in the workplace of such clients as Macy's, Procter & Gamble, Ethicon, TriHealth, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, KAO Brands, Givaudan Flavors and LPK, Blackbook is proving to be an invaluable tool for retaining top talent.Attracting top talent of their own, Blackbook's management team - led by founder and CEO Chris Ostoich and Sr. VP of Operations Carla Messer- was recently joined by two area professionals whose background experience and community connections make them the perfect fit for the Cincinnati startup.Myrita Craig, whose eight-year tenure at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber included roles as executive director of Agenda 360 and vice president of small business and programs, comes aboard as president of Blackbook EMG, while marketing and business development specialist Stephen Samuels will round out the executive team as vice president of client experience.  "Myrita has spent most of her career taking opportunity and organizations to the next level," says Ostoich, who believes the company's dynamic incoming president has "the vision, networking, and big-picture thinking to take Blackbook to the next market."Samuels' new role at Blackbook, believes Ostoich, "falls right in line with his personal mission." Founder and president of Bridging Broadway, an advocacy group connecting people and places to create a dynamic entertainment district in downtown Cincinnati, Samuels' background also includes urban planning, extensive travel experience, and work as a community advocate, all of which, says Ostoich, "are in perfect sync with what Blackbook is all about." Practicing what they preach and what they provide in their own workplace and in their active community involvement, the Blackbook team continues its mission to keep corporate talent "happily ever after" right here in Cincinnati.Writer: Alyce VilinesSource: Chris Ostoich, BlackBook EMG founder and CEO

Empower Mediamarketing best place to work
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Cincy In The News
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September 28, 2010

Cincinnati's Empower Mediamarketing ranked among the Best Places to Work in Media & Marketing according to Advertising Age. Despite economic hard-times, this company proves to thrive with a commitment to employees and work. The company focuses on employees, clients, and communities with great benefits, diversity programs, education and creative workspaces. Read the full story here.

UC earns spot as one of the world’s top universities
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Cincy In The News
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September 28, 2010

London's influential magazine, Times Higher Education, issued its annual 200 world university rankings. The University of Cincinnati ranked for the first time on this prestigious list as 190th among all universities and 76th regionally among North American schools. Times Higher Education claims this is the most rigorous and reliable rankings ever as the magazine looks at five different categories including teaching, research, citations, industry income, and international mix. Read the full story here.

Cincinnati named a top “Twitter city”
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Cincy In The News
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September 28, 2010

Cincinnati ranked among the top 50 "Twitter Cities" reported by NetProspex. The sales and marketing database company looked at the cities with the most activity on Twitter by businesspeople. They assessed the average number of tweets and the average number of followers of U.S. professionals to compile this new, unique list. Read the full story here.

Cincinnati, Norwood named best communities for kids
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Cincy In The News
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September 28, 2010

America's Promise Alliance, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, ranked Cincinnati and Norwood on its 100 Best Communities list. The list ranks communities that make the effort to keep children in school and prepare them for college and work through programs. Cincinnati focuses on various programs such as the Strive partnership, Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates, and Place Matters, while Norwood focuses on after-school and youth activities to maintain student involvement. Read the full story here.

UC “guru” and grads profiled in Entrepreneur
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Cincy In The News
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September 28, 2010

UC professor Chuck Matthews and graduates Ahmed Shuja, Dan Cremons, and Dan Shelly were profiled in Entrepreneur magazine's 'gurus and grads' issue. Matthews is the founder and executive director of UC's Center for Entrepreneurship Education and Research. He earned his doctorate in business from UC. His former students have found success in the business world with Meridian Life Sciences, Alpine Investors, and Progressive Cooling Solutions. Read the full story here.

Park + Vine partners with Building Value in move to new space
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Development News
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September 28, 2010

Cincinnati's premiere green general store, Park + Vine, is moving from their location at 1109 Vine Street to a new location at 1202 Main Street in the historic Belmain building. The new space will be more than twice the square footage of the previous store, totaling 2,563 square feet. The new location will include a concrete bar serving La Terza coffee, fresh squeezed juices and grab-and-go food items with products from local healthy food producers including Fabulous Ferments, Picnic & Pantry, Lucky John Market and Five Star Foodies. Seating will be available for customers to gather with views of Main Street to enjoy refreshments and create community conversation. "People want to hang out with us and the previous space wasn't designed that way," says owner Dan Korman. "We survey our customers every January and the majority said they would like a drink bar."To stay true to their green roots, Park + Vine has organized two people-powered brigades with dollies and bicycles to transport the merchandise and goods from the old store to the new one without using gas-powered vehicles. Korman is also lobbying to have standard bike racks installed on the sidewalk in front of the store and for a bicycle corral to be placed in a metered car parking spot to accommodate cyclists and scooters. There are currently hoops for locking up bikes on the parking meters. Park + Vine hired Building Value and it's subsidiary Building Ability, which empowers people with disabilities by providing the opportunity to work and have greater independence, to create three shelving units for the new store out of repurposed materials. One wall will feature a display made of reclaimed furniture, virtually cut and repurposed as a piece of functional art and shelving. Korman was interested with working with the non-profit because of the green products they were creating and repurposing.Half of the new one-stop green spot will offer food-related items; the previous store's footprint only offered ten percent of space for food and pantry items. There will be a bulk food station and cleaning supplies, as well as a private room for community lectures and a small deck in the back for customers to enjoy. "We felt so confined in our old location. This gives us an opportunity to play with the space a lot more. I've felt settled well be here a long time. Everyone seems excited about it, although some are sentimental about the old space. Other stores, as well as restaurants and bars, can more easily open around us now." says Korman. "Main Street is just as much of a community as Vine Street, which was just getting started a few years ago," says Korman. The store hours will increase after the move. With the new space holding their soft opening on Friday, October 1, the store will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Writer: Rene BrunellePhotography by Scott Beseler.

Sweat Training to open urban loft-style fitness studio in downtown Cincinnati
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Development News
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September 28, 2010

A new gym will open in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, October 4 along 7th Street in the former Provident Camera Building.  Sweat Training will be relocating from its Pleasant Ridge location to Downtown to take advantage of a growing number of urban professionals in Cincinnati's center city."The vibe of the gym is so important...it should make you feel out of your element while also making you want to train there," said Danielle Korb, Owner & Fitness Professional, Sweat Training.  "The big windows and openess really give the space an urban loft feel that is inspiring."The 2,700-square-foot space is located on the fourth floor of the historic eight-floor building.  Korb says that she signed a two-year lease after looking at roughly 20 other locations throughout the center city and nearby neighborhoods.  Korb also says that she has the option to not only extend that lease, but expand the space onto the next floor if needed.The new gym will reportedly boast tons of equipment, a 73-foot turf runway, and offer high-intensity resistance training led by Korb.  Sweat Training will be following a model of urban fitness establishments that have become popular in New York and Los Angeles which focus on more intimate settings that tie into an urban lifestyle."This location allows me to tap into Cincinnati's urban professionals who work hard, train hard, and like to socialize in the city," Korb explained.  "That is what Downtown is all about, and as a Downtown resident, I will be able to walk to work everyday."The new location will also include a large Cincinnati-inspired wall mural, done by Higher Level Art, that fits the "sweat in the city" ethos of Sweat Training.Once open, the 18 W. 7th Street location will be open from approximately 6am to 12pm Monday through Saturday, and 3pm to 8pm Monday through Thursdays.  Korb says that outside of boot camps scheduled for 6am Monday through Friday and 9:30am on Saturdays, all other trainings can be made by appointment by contacting DanielleKorb@SweatTraining.com.Those who would like to learn more about Sweat Training can celebrate the opening of the new location on Saturday, November 13 at the gym's official launch party that will include food from the popular Cooking with Caitlin.  Stay tuned for more details about the launch party by following Sweat Training on Twitter @SweatTraining or by becoming Danielle Korb's friend on Facebook.Writer: Randy A. SimesPhotography by Scott Beseler Work in progress wall mural by Higher Level Art Danielle KorbStay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy

Cincinnati officials looking to win big in second round of TIGER grants
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Development News
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September 28, 2010

Cincinnati officials have submitted a $35 million application for funds from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II program.  The problem is that Cincinnati is not alone in their TIGER II aspirations.  Approximately 1,000 applications were submitted for consideration totaling more than $19 billion in requests - a number far exceeding the $600 million available through the program.“The wave of applications for both TIGER II and TIGER I dollars shows the back-log of needed infrastructure improvements and the desire for more flexible funds,” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a prepared statement.  “This also shows the opportunities still before us to create jobs, to reduce congestion, make wise environmental choices and help generate lasting economic growth.”In February 2010 Cincinnati officials learned that the streetcar project had been passed over in the first round of TIGER funding which distributed $1.5 billion to 51 projects nationwide.  At that time officials attributed the loss to the highly competitive nature of the program, but were encouraged by the positive feedback they received from the DOT.Cincinnati's current $35 million request would close the remaining $12 million gap and potentially reduce the amount of local bonds needed for the $128 million streetcar project.  Should the project receive the full $35 million, the modern streetcar project could potentially also see an expanded scope from its current Downtown/Over-the-Rhine loop and connection to Uptown."The streetcar project speaks directly to a number of the priorities that have been identified recently by the U.S. DOT," said Chris Eilerman with the City's Department of Transportation & Engineering.  "The streetcar specifically speaks to the livability principles of providing more transportation choices and improving the economic competitiveness of neighborhoods, sustainability, walkability, and creating vibrant, urban neighborhoods.  This is why we believe that this is a transformative project that will compliment the growth that Cincinnati is experiencing now."Cincinnati's official request was submitted by the Ohio DOT as one of their priority projects.  The State of Ohio previously awarded the Cincinnati Streetcar project $15 million through its Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC).According to the U.S. DOT, grants awarded through TIGER II will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects on a half-dozen criteria including environmental, transportation, economic, and livability factors.  Those projects that are able to create and preserve jobs quickly will also be given priority.  Officials expect to hear back about projects winning TIGER II funds later this fall. Writer: Randy A. SimesImage Provided Stay connected by following Randy on Twitter @UrbanCincy

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