Five Dayton startups to be awarded in Detroit

Five Dayton startups have cracked the Top 20 Early Stage Startups list to be recognized at TiECon Detroit 2018.

TiECON Detroit is one of the largest entrepreneurship-focused conferences in the region, according to its website. This year, the theme is artificial intelligence, and the TiECon awards are recognizing top technology startups.

10XTS, focused on building distributed ledger technology solutions and blockchain products;

Demeter, Inc., focused on precision agriculture solutions that are scalable at all levels of the agricultural community, from large operations in North America to smallholder farmers in the developing world;

P&C Pharma, focused on helping patients easily consume medication by blending medicines via a liquid formula;

Founded in Silicon Valley in 1992, TiE (www.tie.org) is a global nonprofit organization focused on fostering and enabling entrepreneurship through mentoring, educating, networking, funding, and incubating. The network includes more than 60 chapters in 18 countries.

TiECon SV is the world’s largest conference for entrepreneurs, with more than 4,600 attendees from more than 22 countries, and listed by Worth Magazine to be among the 10 Best Conferences for Ideas and Entrepreneurship alongside TED and the World Economic Forum.

TiECon Detroit is modeled off TieCon SV and is Michigan’s largest ongoing conference for entrepreneurs. The 2018 conference is Saturday, Oct. 6 and is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees. More info at www.tiecondetroit.org.

Want to experience the Dayton region’s next great food brands before they hit shelves?

Join us Monday evening, Sept. 24 at the new SPARK Fairborn for our first-ever food edition of Early Risers!

Sip, sample & support these local biz owners & innovators from 5 to 7 pm at this special evening edition of Early Risers, brought to you in partnership between Dayton Tech Guide, SPARK Fairborn, SPARK Fairborn’s Kitchen Incubator Collective & Dayton Most Metro.

Lea Richards & Andy Cothrel, seeking product feedback for their new clean dessert startup, SpoonJoy;

Vanessa Moon, seeking feedback and mentorship on her plans to launch a Filipino food biz;

& Amber Tipton, who is working to grow The Neighborhood Nest into its own retail space!

While you taste the goods at Early Risers: Food Edition, get a first look at SPARK Fairborn, the area’s newest coworking space, & check out SPARK Fairborn’s kitchen incubator, a home-base commercial kitchen space designed to enable entrepreneurs to launch or grow food businesses in partnership with Kitchen Incubator Collective. Learn more at www.sparkfairborn.com or SPARK Fairborn’s Grand Opening Event on Sept. 29 from 4-6 pm. Parking for all events is available behind the building.

Early Risers is a pitch series that connects entrepreneurs to the things they need most, like first customers, key employees, mentors, funding, and more. Each startup gets 10 minutes to pitch, then the audience gets 5 minutes for Q&A.

In the last two years, 90% of startups have gotten their ask granted through a connection made at Dayton Tech Guide’s morning editions of Early Risers. So grab a sample and find a place you can plug into the Dayton region’s food startup community!

Our next regular edition of Early Risers will be Friday morning, Sept. 28, 7:30-9am. Stay tuned over the next week for the reveal of your September entrepreneurs.

In early August, a community team that included engineers, startup ecosystem builders & recent college grads developed two potential solutions to a medical challenge that costs taxpayers millions of dollars per year — and they did it in only five days.

The technology sprint, which was held at the 444 building in downtown Dayton, was the result of collaborative efforts between Ascend Innovations, Downtown Dayton Partnership, Wright State Research Institute’s Dayton Tech Guide team and the Wright Brothers Institute.

“It was a way to really connect the downtown entrepreneurial and innovation community with some of our bigger institutions and their challenges,” Downtown Dayton Partnership Economic Development Project Manager AJ Ferguson said. “We unpack the problem Monday, and as the week goes, we get into a repetitive process — say ideas, blow them up, break them, try again.”

In the short-term, a sprint is fun and energizing, offering participants “a really raw form of innovation & creativity not readily available in everyday jobs,” Ferguson said.

Long-term, the hope is that ideas that emerge from a sprint become new companies and intellectual property that drive the local economy, he added.

The August sprint was focused on an issue with a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter — a PICC line. These lines travel through a patient’s vein to reach the heart to enable the rapid, simultaneous release of multiple medications, including powerful antibiotics that cannot be injected through the skin.

One patient that often needs a PICC line is the opioid user, who has higher risk of developing infections due to the environmental conditions of illicit drug use. But an opioid user with a PICC line inserted cannot currently be released to receive antibiotics in an outpatient setting for concern that the line presents an easy access point a patient could use to self-inject opioids, which could lead to an overdose.

Keeping these patients under supervised watch in the hospital limits available beds and costs about $70,000 per five-day stay, according to information consolidated by Ascend Innovations.

Additionally, overdose via PICC lines or IVs can also occur in the hospital when friends or family bring drugs in to a patient. According to one study, 44 percent of illicit drug users admitted to use in a hospital setting.

The issue was brought to Ascend’s attention by Premier Health Director of Operations Ryan Muhlenkamp, who has 13 years of experience in healthcare. Ascend receives projects submissions from the Premier Health, Kettering Health and Dayton Children’s hospital networks.

These patients “need intensive antibiotic treatments, but we can’t complete the therapy outside the hospital because we’re afraid they’d inject via the PICC line,” Muhlenkamp said. “What is a product that would allow us to discharge the patient so they’re safer, and we can open up hospital beds and reduce costs to the taxpayer?”

On day one, the team learned about the issue, interviewing an infectious disease doctor, a risk manager for a large hospital network and medical device experts familiar with the commercialization process. They were challenged to find solutions that could be used across the board to assist potential adoption rates and avoid any HIPPA issues that could occur by distinguishing opiate users from other patients with PICC lines, such as chemo patients.

By the end of the week, the team had 3D-printed and built prototypes of two devices — a digital locking clamp & a plastic locking enclosure, both designed to restrict unintended access to the line.

“Things done for the common good are really easy to inspire passion and focus,” Wright Brothers Institute Rapid Innovation Manager Joe Althaus said. “We had a really strong team, we got mixed perspectives, and the environment was light and airy — it allowed folks to be mobile, dynamic.”

“Sprints are the way of the future as far as innovation and tech development,” he said. “They can be applied to software, hardware, even business practices.”

Kaitlyn Roberts, recent University of Dayton grad with an economics and finance background, wasn’t sure what she would be able to contribute to a team filled with engineers — ultimately an idea she had became one of the two final products.

“A lot of my skills revolve around finding problems with things,” she said. “This process gives me space to openly criticize and say, ‘this can be better, let’s push this farther’.”

The short timeline of the sprint also prevents individuals on the team from getting too emotionally attached to an idea they propose, Roberts added.

The different viewpoints were cited as a strength by all of the sprint team members.

“As an engineer, you tend to lock in on how the mechanism will work, how the design will work,” Maria Lupp, Ascend design engineer, said. “It was cool to have others with different opinions come in and help you get out of your own brain and think outside the box.”

Moe Hamdan, biomedical product development engineer and Wright State graduate, had just started a new job with New Jersey-based startup MediSolutions, but he came back to Dayton to participate in the week-long sprint.

The brainstorming process helps foster communication and personal development for participants, he said. Sprints are “cost-efficient and highly effective” across startup ecosystems or even within corporations, he added.

“Being able to foster an environment where you’re sharing ideas and discussing problems is highly valuable,” Hamdan said. The best solution “could come from a simple idea.”

The sprint team also included Kory Gunnerson, Engineering Director at Ascend; Mike Pratt, additive manufacturing research engineer, University of Dayton Research Institute; and Adam Paxton, engineering student heading into his sophomore year at University of Dayton.

In the coming months, Ascend will lead efforts to refine the designs, apply for patents, and partner with local health systems and funders to push a final product to market.

POMIET is an acronym, cofounder Stacy Sheldon explains — the healthcare startup works to create “peace of mind in everyday technology.” The people in the room at the doctor’s office are central to the development of the software.

“We’re redesigning the interface to allow people to have a conversation about what they want in their care,” Sheldon said. “Technology should be engaging and easy to use. It should enable physicians, clinicians and patients, not get in the way.”

Designed for a tablet, Healthii enables the doctor to have a natural, face-to-face conversation with her patient.

POMIET’s crown product to date is Healthii, an app created for physicians’ offices, and its own spinoff startup. Designed for a tablet, the app enables the doctor to have a natural, face-to-face conversation with her patient, rather than sit in a corner of the exam room typing in answers to a linear checklist of questions she is regulatory required to ask.

Sheldon is one of three cofounders of POMIET. Her partners Rob Keefer and Paul Spencer both bring software development backgrounds and masters degrees in human factors engineering to the table. Sheldon brings the business savvy with her prior experience behind-the-scenes of other early-stage companies.

“A lot of IT is broken. Technology has done wonderful things in other areas of healthcare, but in that doctor’s office space, it has been more intrusive than enabling,” Sheldon said. “It’s an area that caught our heart as we did market research over the years with healthcare providers.”

Providers were frustrated and overwhelmed with the ways technology interfered with caring for patients. During one interview, a nurse started crying only a few minutes into the conversation, Sheldon recalled.

“We knew it could be better if someone took the time to design it better,” she said. “Talking to them made us feel closer to their passion and purpose in taking care of others.”

The cofounders formed POMIET in 2013. Today, they have a partner in Dayton piloting the prototype and an agreement with a leading electronic health record company to integrate the finished product and sell it within their App Store, which will set Healthii up for national distribution. They plan to have the app in people’s hands by 2019.

POMIET is the only Ohio company — and one of only two Midwestern companies — to crack Healthcare Tech’s Top 10 startups list.

“I’m super excited for POMIET to be a Dayton-based company on that list,” Sheldon said. “There’s growing attention for the innovation and entrepreneurial community in the Midwest. I’m excited to be on the list with companies based in LA, New York, Colorado, the usual suspects, and alongside great company like Flat Iron Health.”

Sheldon and her cofounders worked with The Entrepreneurs Center in Dayton to do R&D for Healthii before deciding to spin it off as its own startup company, a product of the POMIET lab.

“We’re hoping to stay engaged with their efforts, see what we can do to have a great launch and generate more exciting stories for our area,” Sheldon said. “It’s an exciting time to roll up our sleeves.”

TECH CORPS will run a hackathon for 75 Dayton-region high school students this fall.

The hackathon will give students the chance to learn about computer science in a fun and engaging environment that promotes diversity and inclusion. Sinclair Community College will host the event, Friday, Nov. 16, 6-9pm & Saturday, Nov. 17, 9am – 4pm.

During the hackathon, students will learn to use MIT App Inventor to create and develop a mobile app that tackles a real-world need. Students will work with peers and technology professionals and advocates from the region.

Sinclair Community College will host the 2018 Dayton Regional TECHCORPShack on Friday, Nov. 16, 6pm-9pm and Saturday, Nov. 17, 9am-4pm for high school students in grades 9 through 12.

Winners from Columbus, Dayton and Zanesville will receive a cash prize and go on to a final competition in Columbus on Dec. 8. Each member of the finale-winning team will receive $500.

TECHCORPShack is a TECH CORPS signature program, supported by AT&T. TECH CORPS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring K-12 students have equal access to technology programs, skills and resources that enhance early learning and prepare them for college and career.

TECH CORPS is also seeking other partners to volunteer, promote the event and donate swag. If you’re interested, visit bit.ly/TCHVol2018.

To apply for this event, students should visit bit.ly/TCHack18 by Wednesday, October 10.

We’re so excited at the list of entrepreneurs & startups slated to pitch at our August 24 Early Risers!

William Foster — his company is Picnik — is looking to expand his local prepared meals operation. He’s looking for connections to new customers.

Noah Bragg — his company is Mojo — is working to empower independent coffee shops to provide their customers with the same order-ahead options as larger coffee chains. He’s looking for connections to coffee-shop owners & software students interested in working with Mojo.

David Mancuso — his company is RxConcile — is looking for introductions to customers and funders for the pharmacist-led telehealth app, which just finished its pilot phase.

The August 24 Early Risers edition is sponsored by Kevin Kincaid of Kemper Reserve National Insurance Company. Kevin will be bringing the coffee and donuts to kick off the 7:30-9am session.

Early Risers kicks off a whole day of open co-working and events @444 with Dayton Tech Guide, Nucleus, Wright Brothers Institute & The Entrepreneurs Center.

One year ago, Nick Ripplinger was introduced to the tech that would become the world’s first (and only) reusable infrared marker.

Today, Nick and his Battle Sight Technologies biz partner Bennett Tanton have plotted 54 products they want to prototype by the end of 2019, all based around the same core technology.

“We knew we had a supercool technology, but we didn’t realize how big the potential was,” he said.

The MARC IR infrared marker works when microcapsules break and release chemicals that mingle and react with chemicals in the marker’s wax.
Photo credits: Battle Sight Technologies

The device works when microcapsules in the marker break and release a chemical that reacts with other chemicals in the marker’s wax. When Scott Koorndyk from The Entrepreneurs Center first showed him the tech, the military veteran zoned out halfway through the meeting and started jotting down ideas for how to use it on a battlefield, Nick admitted with a laugh.

They secured the license for the tech through the Air Force Research Labs Materials and Manufacturing Directorate in November 2017 and debuted the marker at a special ops command meeting in March.

Their go-to target market was special ops, due to Nick’s background — he served in the military until a leg injury in Iraq ended that career in 2009 — but individuals at all levels of the military have shown interest, from special ops down to the National Guards, he said.

And everybody has their own twist — while the device was designed for close-quarter combat, medics, pilots and corrections officers have all had suggestions on new ways to tweak or use the tech.

“We’re dealing with the very best customer base this country has to offer,” Nick said. “We’re not trying to improve the product to sell more, but to save lives, to make our guys more lethal. There’s no better mission in the world than supporting our warfighters.”

Nick and Bennet hope that 12 to 15 of the prototypes they have planned make it all the way to market. They’ll be up to seven full-time employees by the end of 2018 — and any veteran who applies will get an interview, Nick said.

“Our veterans are wildly talented and intelligent, but that doesn’t always translate on a resume,” he said. “If you apply, we will talk with you, and see where it leads.”

They’re also evaluating new spaces for manufacturing as they look to scale up production to meet some of the larger orders starting to roll in. But don’t worry, they’re definitely not leaving the Dayton region, Nick said.

Battle Sight Technologies Founder & military veteran Nick Ripplinger and his biz partner have 54 more ideas for ways to use the tech that is in the infrared marker.
Photo credit: Battle Sight Technologies

Dayton also has a great network of people & organizations who support the makers and biz owners, and Nick’s first piece of advice to new & aspiring entrepreneurs is simple — “Get involved in everything you can.”

A Chamber of Commerce mentorship program could connect you with someone who becomes a regular customer. An interview opportunity on a podcast could evolve into a business partnership. (Both happened for Nick.)

“You just never know where that one conversation could go,” he said. “But you can’t have the conversation if you’re not being an active participant.”

“We don’t know what we don’t know,” he said. “You have to go and experience it, and be able to laugh it off when something blows up in your face, and be able to move on to plan C or D or whatever letter you end up on.”

Being a business owner is a 24/7 job — when the Office of the Secretary of Defense calls at 10:30pm during your one-year anniversary party, you don’t let that call go to voicemail, he said with a laugh. You’ll feel guilty for missing soccer practice, but you can find ways to pull your family into the business, the mission, he said.

“My 6-year-old can probably give a better elevator pitch for the company than I can,” Nick said. “It’s so cool when it seems like they understand the sacrifices are to have a larger impact.”

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I never really took enough time to sit back and enjoy the successes,” Nick said. “I beat myself up for mistakes, but we’ve come so far in one year. I’m really thank for the mentors, the community, for being here in Dayton with the right people around us — It’s so humbling.”

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