The deadline has been extended to July 31st for the Singularity University Smart City Accelerator in Columbus, Ohio. The accelerator funds each team at $100,000 (in exchange for 6% equity) and will accept up to 10 companies.
The program is focused on startups that can push the $50M Smart Columbus initiative forward in the areas of mobility, connectivity, data analytics, infrastructure/energy and manufacturing/production.
Be sure to read the original, full press release below or check out their website for more information.
Each of Ten Selected Startups Will Be Eligible For up to $100,000 in Funding
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF., and COLUMBUS, Ohio – May 8, 2017 – Singularity University (SU), a global community with a mission to educate, inspire, and empower leaders to apply exponential technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges, today announced it is sponsoring a Smart City Accelerator, the first program of its kind, in Columbus, Ohio, the winning city of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. The SU Smart City Accelerator will drive the next wave of innovation, providing participants with the exponential technologies, tools, global network of experts, mentors, and partners they need to ensure their nascent ideas and ventures for the smart city of the future come to market faster. The goal will be better functioning cities that transform how residents and communities work and live.
The smart city-focused startup accelerator begins accepting applications May 15, 2017, and will bring innovators from around the globe to Columbus in September. The Singularity University Smart City Accelerator will be supported by SU in its first long-term program outside of Silicon Valley and sponsored locally by American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and NCT Ventures. Each of the 10 selected businesses will be eligible to receive up to $100,000 in funding from NCT Ventures.
“The SU Smart City Accelerator will attract innovators from around the world and amplify the successes Columbus already has achieved in becoming recognized as a global center of technology and innovation,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “I view the SU Smart Cities Accelerator as a mutually supportive partner and participant of Smart Columbus, and I look forward to working with Singularity University on this transformative initiative.”
“When Columbus won the U.S. Department of Transportation Smart City Challenge, Singularity University wanted to be part of – and contribute to – the innovation ecosystem here,” said Singularity University Vice President of Corporate Innovation, Nick Davis. “One of the primary goals of Smart Columbus is to support the local entrepreneurial environment, expose local corporations and entrepreneurs to cutting-edge ideas from other cities, and provide the foundation for a sustainable link between Columbus and other innovation hubs across the world.”
Startups, ranging from early-stage companies with a working prototype of their products to those beginning to grow their revenue, can learn more and apply online at su.org/sca. Singularity University Accelerators are differentiated in the market by their focus on exponential thinking and technologies, as well as by the commitment SU makes to supporting innovation over the long term.
“We are committed to giving the innovators and entrepreneurs who participate in this world-class accelerator program full access to our community as a living laboratory so that we can learn together what business models and technologies are going to make our cities better in the future for all people,” said Alex Fischer, President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, representative of the region’s business leadership and the entity co-leading Smart Columbus alongside the City of Columbus. “There is unprecedented investment and commitment by local and national industry leaders to demonstrate in Columbus what the future can be for mid-size cities, the most prevalent city size in the world. We are proud to have SU joining the team as we embark on this journey.”
The SU Smart Cities Accelerator will choose 10 businesses focused on one or more of the following:
SU will provide help accessing Singularity University faculty and programs, identify mentors from large companies and startups across the globe to provide expertise on industry and technology, and assign mentors to the team for which their expertise will be most valuable. Other sponsors will facilitate web services, legal support, financial services, and tax planning for the ten businesses.
With Singularity University’s support, Columbus will have the opportunity to integrate West Coast innovation concepts into its existing networks. Over the past decade, business accelerator programs tailored to the unique strengths of a given community have emerged as key engines for generating innovation, new businesses and new jobs.
“Bringing the Singularity University (SU) Smart City Accelerator to Columbus is a catalyst for innovation and technology in Columbus, and AEP is proud to be a part of it,” said AEP CEO Nick Akins. “In fact we so believe in the benefits of SU’s Smart City Accelerator that we are sending an AEP team through it. The vision of Smart Columbus is for this community to be a center of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the SU Smart City Accelerator represents a significant step toward the realization of that vision.”
“This accelerator will empower entrepreneurs to leverage breakthroughs in technology, from autonomous vehicles to efficiencies made possible by object awareness, to enhance lives and improve standards of living,” said Rich Langdale, Managing Partner, NCT Ventures. “The Smart Cities initiative is more than a challenge. Civilization is at a turning point and Columbus has the opportunity to promote innovation and pioneer what it means to live in a smart city of the future.”
Organizations to Benefit from Supporting Smart Columbus Accelerator
Partners and sponsors of the SU Smart City Accelerator can also benefit from getting involved beyond raising awareness and linking their brands to thought leadership and innovation. Sponsoring companies can choose to develop new products outside their traditional – often slower – R&D processes and gain the help of outside experts and resources. They will also get a first look at the most cutting-edge startups as well as possible market disruptions these startups represent, helping them to formulate better strategies for their own futures. Sponsors and partners will gain full access to all accelerator classes and presentations from subject matter experts in all areas around smart city technologies and innovation. Companies outside Columbus will gain invaluable access to the city’s existing corporate, industry and academic expertise, while local startups will benefit by forging critical relationships with entrepreneurs and thought leaders from across the country.
To learn more about how local businesses, organizations and individuals can get involved in the SU Smart Cities Accelerator as a sponsor, partner, mentor, or by investing resources, expertise or other in-kind support go to su.org/sca.
ABOUT SINGULARITY UNIVERSITY (SU)
Singularity University is a global learning and innovation community using exponential technologies to tackle the world’s biggest challenges and build an abundant future for all. SU’s collaborative platform empowers individuals and organizations across the globe to learn, connect, and innovate breakthrough solutions using accelerating technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital biology. SU was founded in 2008 by renowned innovators Ray Kurzweil and Peter H. Diamandis and is partnered with leading organizations including Google, Deloitte, Genentech, and UNICEF. To learn more, visit SU.org, join us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @SingularityU.
About Smart Columbus
As the sole winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Smart Cities Challenge, Columbus was awarded funding and designated America’s Smart City; but more importantly it also won the coveted job as global teacher for cities around the world on how to “become Smart” by embracing the reinvention of transportation to accelerate human progress. Columbus received a total of $50 million in the form of two grants: $40 million from USDOT and $10 million from Vulcan, Inc., a Paul Allen company. These dollars provide the seed funding for Smart Columbus, a region-wide Smart City initiative co-led by the City of Columbus and Columbus Partnership. The City of Columbus, under the leadership of Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, is the lead recipient of the $50 million and will administer the deployment of these funds for the duration of the grant period, which concludes at the end of 2020. The Columbus Partnership, representing the Columbus Region’s private sector, is the lead implementation partner for the grant program and is responsible for the initiative’s Acceleration Fund, which is credited as a significant factor in Columbus’ winning of the challenge. The Acceleration Fund, which started out as $90 million now totals more than $360 million and is composed of coordinated and aligned investments by the private sector to complement, scale, and sustain Smart Columbus projects and programs. This number will continue to increase as new partnerships are formed with companies like Singularity University to reach the goal of $1 billion by 2020.
About AEP
Headquartered in Columbus, American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP also operates 224,000 miles of distribution lines. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning approximately 26,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP supplies 3,200 megawatts of renewable energy to customers.
About NCT Ventures
NCT Ventures is a Columbus-based venture capital firm dedicated to providing a platform for entrepreneurs to succeed in turning their ideas into profitable business models through hands-on operational support. Over the last 20 years, NCT has helped build many successful companies across a variety of industries. NCT empowers entrepreneurs to develop disruptive technologies that improve market efficiencies. For more information, visit http://www.nctventures.com/.
Many of you have heard that The Entrepreneurs Center was the recipient of The Ohio Third Frontier’s Dayton Region’s Entrepreneurial Services Provider (ESP) a few months ago. TEC is running full steam ahead now with the launch of Catalyst Bootcamps to help startups with value proposition and customer discovery.
The bootcamp is a great first step for startups with an addressable market of at least $250M in town to refine their idea and potentially gain access to ESP funds that can help take their business to the next level. Uses of funds can include prototyping, patent protection, business plan development, and legal assistance. TEC has also has legal, marketing, and accounting partners that can assist companies as well.
Entrepreneurs who are located in the Dayton Region (Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, or Shelby County) interested in being considered for the ESP services can contact Chris Wallace at [email protected] or Jordan Roe, the ESP analyst at [email protected] or can fill out the form here.
Revolution’s RISE OF THE REST® with Steve Case is a nationwide effort to work closely with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems. The VC fund and it’s leader (who founded AOL) embark on a bus tour every year to visit cities in “flyover states” and invest $100,000 in local startups, listen to innovators, learn from local leaders, and host a party to celebrate with the local community.
Columbus will be a part of Revolution’s 6th Rise of the Rest bus tour on October 13th. There will be three public events as part of the event and registration is now open for all three!
Join Steve Case and J.D. Vance for a Fireside Chat interview where they will be discussing the city’s startup economy
During the Rise of the Rest Pitch Competition, 8 of the most innovative startup companies in Ohio will be given the opportunity to pitch Steve Case and a panel of all-star judges. Steve Case will personally invest $100K in the winning startup.
Startups located within a 75 mile radius of Columbus are encouraged to apply to pitch by August 15th!
After a great day, Steve Case and the ROTR crew will be hosting a networking party for entrepreneurs, investors, and all other members of the Columbus entrepreneurial ecosystem. Join us to celebrate all the amazing progress in Ohio, meet the people making it happen, and enjoy a few drinks with new friends! Those attending the Pitch Competition will have first priority into the Happy Hour, which has limited space, so be sure and register for the Pitch Competition as well!
The Dayton Tech Guide team heard from Steve Case at the Kauffman Foundations ESHIPsummit a few weeks ago and highly recommends a visit to Columbus to hear his Fireside Chat.
To read up more on Steve, J.D. Vance, and Rise of the Rest check out these sources:
This article originally appeared on wpafb.af.mil.
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – For nearly two decades, Joe Diemunsch played a key role on teams developing the Air Force’s combat identification capabilities. Creating better sensors for pilots to automatically confirm their targets much sooner than could be done with the naked eye, provided a satisfaction the computer engineer thought he couldn’t top.
Until now.
As the first person to officially enter the Entrepreneurial Opportunities Program, also known as EOP, Diemunsch is in the midst of a one-year sabbatical from the Air Force Research Laboratory. Launched by AFRL last fall as another pathway to commercialization, the idea is that AFRL scientists and engineers will apply their skills, and possibly an intellectual property from the lab, to start or help grow a technology company.
It’s a perfect fit for Diemunsch, who had a dozen customers for his grass cutting service as a pre-teen in the 1970s and always dreamed of owning a business.
During the EOP’s sabbatical phase, Diemunsch is exploring the possibility of applying his expertise in an Air Force technology – deep learning algorithms used for automatic target recognition – to help farmers. His thought is to build a tool that an agronomist, a crop expert, would use with data received from sensors aboard a remotely piloted aircraft to identify nutrient deficiencies, disease, pest damage and weeds.
Armed with more precise information, farmers could reduce the guesswork and traditional blanket treatment methods that lead to wasted resources. The tool could also equip the industry to better deal with anticipated new rules limiting the use of phosphorus to address problems with algal blooms in lakes and streams.
“The underlying technology has a very big potential to impact the agriculture industry,” Diemunsch said.
Behind the program
In recent years the Air Force has increased its focus on commercialization – the practice of spinning technology into the mainstream – which has several upsides. It can leverage the private sector to make big strides in technology the Department of Defense might need in the future, promote economic growth across the country and provide a revenue stream to the Air Force.
To be eligible for EOP, lab employees must agree to pursue one of three avenues: consider the possibility of licensing Air Force technology; apply their skills from the lab in a commercial role that could help solve Air Force problems; or temporarily support a business already licensing Air Force technology.
According to Ryan Helbach, chief intrapreneur for AFRL, for those pursuing the first two avenues, the EOP is split into two parts. The first phase is a sabbatical, which allows AFRL professionals to retain their pay and benefits while laying the foundation for a business. That work includes feasibility studies, lining up customers and funding, developing a business plan and possibly the creation of prototypes. The second phase is the separation of the employee from AFRL, who is then free to incorporate the business and license an Air Force technology, if desired.
The third avenue involves AFRL paying its researcher, for a specific period, to assist a business that is already licensing Air Force technology. This mutually beneficial relationship provides the company critical support for its commercialization effort while exposing the researcher to scientific advancements it can bring back to the laboratory.
AFRL has modeled EOP after a program run by Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy for more than 20 years.
“EOP is part of a larger push by AFRL to embrace the lean business mentality that is so prevalent with startup companies, from clearly focusing on solving the customers’ problems, to embracing a fail fast approach, to getting early and frequent customer input and feedback,” Helbach said. “While there is likely only to be a handful of participants in the program over a given year, the dividends and benefits will pay off in the long term for the Air Force, local communities and the nation as a whole.”
The EOP includes a takeback agreement that provides the opportunity to return to AFRL within five years of leaving. Lowering the risk provides more incentive for scientists and engineers to commercialize technology.
AFRL employees have the option to take the sabbatical and return to work for a period of time before making the decision to separate. Diemunsch, for example, plans to return to his job within the Sensors Directorate before making his decision on whether to leave the lab, secure a technology license and launch a business. In addition to spurring commercialization, the program is expected to be a recruiting tool for the next generation of AFRL engineers and scientists, many of whom have been exposed to the entrepreneurial mindset, while providing new opportunities to the existing world class scientists and engineers at the lab.
“EOP is a groundbreaking opportunity for AFRL researchers,” said Air Force Technology Transfer Program Manager Keith Quinn. “It touches several key Air Force personnel and technology issues: motivating new entrepreneurial-minded researchers; energizing current employees to expand their thinking about research; pushing AFRL technology into the commercial marketplace; and creating jobs and new small businesses.”
For AFRL employees who choose to license intellectual property from the laboratory, EOP relies on an official mechanism that has long since been in place.
Patent License Agreements, also known as PLAs, are facilitated by the Air Force Technology Transfer Program and its affiliated Office of Research and Technology Applications and its Partnership Intermediaries. Each year, the Air Force signs approximately 30 to 40 licenses, which contribute to maximizing the use of Air Force technology in the economy, creating new businesses and job opportunities and stimulating research.
Original article: Out of the lab and into the front office: Researchers boosting Air Force technology commercialization through new path to business ownership
By Joe Cogliano, AFRL Small Business Office and Mindy Cooper, Air Force Technology Transfer Program / Published June 14, 2017
A professional Dayton Startup Week attendee comes into the week with a plan and goals. Luckily for you, we’ve drafted a few goals and advice to achieve them.
“Just showing up is half the battle”, according to Woody Allen. We think that number is slightly inflated, but it is the first step to having an awesome week!
Dayton Startup Week Basecamp is at 400 E 2nd Street in downtown Dayton. Street parking is available in the vicinity but the best places to park for free are at Tech Town and 2nd Street Market (they are open Thursday & Friday).
Pro tip: Use Downtown Dayton Partnership’s Parking Finder to find lots when parking Downtown.
Bobby Unser wisely states that “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet”. Startup Week provides the opportunity but it’s up to you to come prepared. Here’s our checklist of what to bring:
Pro tip: Come prepared for Ohio weather. Ask Alexa, Siri, or Google if you need to pack a bumbershoot or sunglasses each morning.
Don’t be that guy (or gal). You know the one. You can tell as they approach you that you are going to be trapped in a conversation about them and their product for the next 15 minutes. Startup Week is about building relationships, not your sales funnel.
Our advice is to follow the mantra of the original Startup Week city, Boulder, and Give First! Read more about this idea from Boulder-ite and startup community guru Brad Feld.
Pro tip: Use the business cards you receive as note cards. Write where you met the person, how you can help them or more about their startup on the back.
Learning is great but implementation is better. Go ahead and try Sara Moore’s CLUE method that you will learn about at her Social Media Masters workshop on Thursday at 1PM. Or maybe you’ll pick up a lesson from the Hiring Your First Employee panel on Wednesday at 1PM.
Pro tip: Lessons learned from others mistakes are just as valuable. Be sure to check out Take 2: How to navigate through screwups, setbacks, and pivots on Wednesday at 4PM or Tales from the Crypt: Lessons learned from a failed startup on Thursday at 3PM.
The best way to network is to take advantage of our social events and you will get to explore some great locations in the process.
Pro tip: Use the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s Find it Downtown page for food, drinks, or businesses in the vicinity of Basecamp!
The Start Downtown initiative brought together over 100 people last summer to figure out ways to support entrepreneurs in the area and then broke into small groups over a few months to make headway into one of six problems.
The small group focused on funding has set up a local Kiva chapter to provide loans to local businesses. Read more about the program from the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s release below or click here to join Kiva Dayton!
Greater access to capital is critical to continuing the growing momentum in the Dayton startup community. Funding can’t just be for high-growth or technology-based startups – businesses of all types need to have opportunities for funding. To provide another outlet to support Dayton small businesses, Start Downtown introduces Kiva Dayton – a collaborative effort between several startup ecosystem partners to utilize the international platform of Kiva as a lending outlet for local small businesses and startups. The first Kiva Dayton candidates will be launching soon.
Soon you’ll be able to support these Dayton-area entrepreneurs through Kiva!
What is Kiva?
Kiva is like crowd-funding, but instead it’s crowd-lending – after your loan is repaid, you can use the same dollars to support another small business. Loans are 0% interest and are repaid by the small business over a period of 6-36 months depending on the loan size. Businesses that apply for lending through Kiva have 30 days to reach their fundraising goal. If they don’t reach their goal, they don’t receive funding.
What Businesses are a Fit for Kiva?
Kiva borrowers are typically businesses that are unable to access capital through traditional lending outlets – either because they don’t have a revenue track record, or because they are unable to meet the loan down payment requirements. Kiva isn’t easy money though – you need to have a good plan and be willing to hustle to meet your fundraising goal. For entrepreneurs just getting started, Kiva is a great option to build financial credibility.
How Can You Help?
The Kiva Dayton team is building a base of ecosystem partners that can advise local startups on how to put together strong Kiva applications, and a network of Dayton funders who help provide support to local small businesses. You can help by signing-up to be a lender on Kiva and joining the Kiva Dayton Lending Team.
To learn more about Kiva, or explore an application for your small business, please contact Scott Murphy at [email protected].
KIVA DAYTON PARTNERS: Downtown Dayton Partnership, Nucleus, Minority Business Assistance Center (MBAC), Ohio SBDC Network, The Entrepreneurs Center, Dayton Tech Guide, NCIC CapitalFund, Dayton Development Coalition, Dayton SCORE
Local startup Galatune just launched their second KickStarter! Their first KickStarter launched founder Adam Wik’s vision for a universe of Galatune products with a starter deck that raised $20,841 from 138 backers.
Adam is back with a second KickStarter, this time as an expansion pack. Galatune’s first booster deck will include 30 new action cards emphasizing traps, back-stabbing, and evil underhanded strategies. A $10 pledge will land you a copy of the first expansion but add on a little extra and you can score an add-on product to the Galatune universe, a plush of the adorable Mufen character.
Be sure to back Adam on Kickstarter before time runs out on July 2nd!
Want to get a feel for the gameplay first? Check out Galatune’s Facebook page for upcoming game nights or try it out at Dayton Startup Week!
No, you won’t get to meet Anna Kendrick. And there won’t be any acapella groups or karoake nights.
This is so much better.
Startups live and die by their ability to pitch for funding or sales. Locking down that first customer or investor is all about your ability to sell what you are developing.
During Dayton Startup Week you will get plenty of opportunities to develop your pitch and hear from those who have done it before.
Make sure you register before time runs out!
EARLY RISERS: NIGHT OWL EDITION
Early Risers is a Dayton Tech Guide’s monthly pitch event that gives 3 startups the opportunity to pitch their business or product to an audience of Dayton’s business leaders, angel investors, and game changers.
Startup Week will bring a new twist to this exciting event! Early Risers: Night Owl edition will bring back six of the best pitches from the past year to pitch to a new audience! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear six great startups pitch their business and network with Dayton Startup Week attendees to close out a great first day!
PERK-E-LATOR
10 participants will be selected at random to pitch on Thursday June 15th at 5PM. Each participant will get 90-seconds to pitch their business to the panel, who will then provide helpful feedback!
Participants that pitch may also have the opportunity to pitch at an upcoming Dreamer’s Gala. Interested in pitching? Fill out THIS FORM and we will randomly select 10 entrepreneurs to pitch!
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF CREATING A PITCH DECK
Need to find investors, so you can have the capital needed to launch or scale your business?
Before you start building that pitch deck join Queen City Angels, who have heard thousands of pitches and invested over $45M in businesses, to get advice on what you should and should not do when pitching for dollars.
WORKSHOP: PITCH BOOT CAMP
Queen City Angels, a large Ohio-based Angel network that has invested over $45M in businesses to date, will run you through a version of their pitch bootcamp!
BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE: INVESTOR ENTREPRENEURS
Being an entrepreneur does not mean you can’t invest in startups. This panel of entrepreneurs does both! You won’t want to miss the lessons they’ve learned from being on both sides of the fence.
ANGELS IN OUR OUTFIELD: REGIONAL INVESTOR GROUPS
Ohio has numerous angel and venture firms that can help you start and scale your business, and we’ve gathered many of them on stage for you! Come find out what markets, technologies, and business types they invest in.
PREPARING FOR FUNDING: WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOUR ASK
Do you know what you should have ready when you approve a bank or an investor? Find out from our panel of local investors!
WHAT’S INVESTIBLE? LESSONS LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE
How do startups pick which founders to invest in? Why do they pick certain industries to focus on? This panel will shed light on the questions you’ve always wanted to ask!
MIDWESTERN VENTURE AGENCIES
The Midwest has numerous angel and venture firms that can help you start and scale your business! Come find out what markets, technologies, and business types they invest in!
When you have the @AFRLMakerHub at your disposal & your hosting a ribbon-cutting, you make custom scissors. @Team_AFRL #wheredaytonismade pic.twitter.com/dim3iYGQoC
— WrightBrosInstitute (@wbiinnovates) May 25, 2017
The WBI-AFRL Downtown Innovation Center officially opened last Thursday with a ribbon cutting and words from the stage by AFRL, WBI, and local economic development professionals. This wasn’t an ordinary ribbon cutting, though–when you house a maker hub, you create your own wooden scissors to make the official cut.
The space has been operational for a few weeks, bringing in 50+ researchers from AFRL, universities, NASA, and industry for a “Summer of Innovation” project focused on autonomous software. Officials stated that the group already has identified four potential spin-out companies.
The WBI-AFRL side of the building will also house AFRL’s Small Business Hub, the AFRL Maker Hub, and WBI’s Tech Transfer Team.
Startup Week attendees will have the opportunity to see the space and hear a series of talks from WBI & AFRL partners in just two weeks!
Monday 1PM: Overview of AFRL
Monday 2PM: AFRL Downtown
Monday 4PM: AFRL STEM
Tuesday 1PM: Jedi tricks for working with the (Air) Force
Tuesday 2PM: AFRL Small Business Innovation Research
Thursday 3PM: EOP Overview
Attendees from last year’s inaugural Dayton Startup Week will recognize 444 as last year’s Basecamp. The WBI-AFRL space occupies the south side of the building’s first floor. The Entrepreneurs Center will occupy the north side of the building’s first floor in the coming months. TEC’s side will include partners from university, venture capital, and startups that will provide a commercial & community view to the government side of the building.
Startup Week attendees can hear about some of the community initiatives going on in the WBI event room at 444.
Monday 11AM/Tuesday 10AM: ESP Overview
Tuesday 3PM: What is the Ohio Federal Research Network?
Wednesday 2PM: Resources & Programs to Hire People
Thursday 9AM: Intro to the Ecosystem
Thursay 10AM: Ohio Third Frontier Program Overview
Thursday 2PM: TEC TAP Intro
The second floor of 444 houses local software development startup Mile 2, which hosted an open house for their space immediately following WBI’s ribbon cutting ceremony. Co-founder Jeff Graley sat down with the Dayton Tech Guide team a couple of months ago to talk about the vision for their space.
Since then, the team has added some startup flair to their office with Dayton and tech inspired murals.
Cognovi Labs, a Wright State University spin off, just closed a $680,000 fund raise. The company was featured last year at both Early Risers and Catalyst.
Check out Cognovi Labs’ full press release below or read our past story on the technology and their analysis of the presidential election.
Also, be sure to check out Ikove CEO Erica Waite at Dayton Startup Week on the Midwestern Venture Agencies panel.
Cognovi Labs, Inc., the AI and Behavioral Science company that correctly predicted the Brexit results and the US presidential elections has just closed on a $680K Seed B convertible note. This brings the total seed investments to $845K, on top of more than $2 million in grant investments for the development of the technology by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies at the Kno.e.sis Center of Wright State University.
Ben-Ami ‘Beni’ Gradwohl, Ph.D., long time leader in financial services and fintech innovation, with prior executive positions at firms like Morgan Stanley and Citi, has joined Cognovi Labs as Co-Founder and CEO to bring the powerful predictive technology to the market.
The investment was introduced and organized by Flavio Lobato, Managing Partner at Ikove Capital and Chairman of the Board at Cognovi Labs, and leveraged a truly global network of blue chip early stage investors. This includes the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York, an influential angel group based in Europe and the Ikove Startup Nursery Fund out of Columbus, Ohio.
Cognovi Labs’ technology is a spin off from the Kno.e.sis center at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, one of the most influential research centers in semantic web in the world. The center is led by Amit Sheth, Ph.D., who is among the top 100 most cited authors in Computer Science and among the top few in World Wide Web. Amit Sheth is also Co-Founder of Cognovi Labs.
Cognovi Labs is a graduate of the prestigious Ikove Startup Nursery program, which aims to identify disruptive technologies under development at leading research institutions and then provide a launch pad to commercialization. Over the last two years, Ikove has successfully incorporated eight emerging technologies out of research labs, including the 2015 TechCruch Disrupt People’s choice winner Nikola Labs.
Cognovi Labs’ technology captures emotions from social media, understands human behavior, predicts outcomes in real time, and improves decision-making. The firm is now shifting from political forecasts to creating predictive signals in the Financial Services and Consumer Retail sectors. By building out its product offerings, it will continue to “listen to the future” – from fundamental channel checks to emotional branding, Cognovi’s social media-based AI technology systematically provides insights into upcoming consumer behavior.
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