TECH

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CANCER STOPPER

by Jayson Kurfis – A protein, CRR9, serves as a nexus for tumor cell survival. It’s located on the cell surface, making it an accessible drug target. By developing antibodies to the CRR9 protein, Essential Biotechnology has devised a method to kill therapy-resistant tumors.

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OIL FROM WATER

by John Jonelis – What if you can make oil out of water? What if, you also end up with more water? That discovery will benefit our country and the world. The technology now exists. Commercialization is beginning.

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CLEANTECH TRUTHS DEBUNKED

by Laurance K. Hayward – There has been an evolution and broadening in the definition of Cleantech, call it 2.0. Cleantech 1.0 involved funding solar, wind, battery and biofuel technologies. Often these required the end user to pay more for their use, many required subsidies, or incentives to be competitive. For example, there is a generally accepted “sustainability premium” associated with receiving power by solar relative to coal or natural gas. The technologies also required a change in behavior.

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THIS AIN’T NO LEMONAID STAND

 

by Loop Lonagan – What if y’could combat starvation by producin’ yer own meat ‘n potatoes—and do it right at da local food bank? Hey, I’m lookin’ at a real working prototype here. What about a solution to student debt? Or, maybe fer yer next birthday party, ever’body plays laser tag with drones? Or learns music real fast? Or gets a little help rememberin’ stuff. I can use summa that.

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5 STARTUPS WE LOVED FROM TECHWEEK

by Jeff Segal – Marketing and startups actually have a lot in common. Marketing is about problem solving, and startups are founded to solve problems. Marketing is about storytelling, and every startup has a story. A great marketing campaign and a successful startup both make people say, Wow, I wish I’d thought of that!

 

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BLOOD CENTER

by Jayson Kurfis – Blood Center holds over one hundred issued patents in the US and abroad. The strong patent and license activity helps “bridge the gap” from basic research to commercialization. The institutions most successful spin-off, GTI Diagnostics currently owned by Immucor, is focused on blood-based diagnostics. The company sold to a private equity firm in 2008 for approximately $20 million dollars and sold two years later to Gen Probe for $53 million.

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MAY THE FOREST BE WITH YOU

by Neil Kane – If there was ever a way to combine high tech and high touch, this company epitomizes it. This is a creative group that hit it out of the park by innovating on technology while also providing a substantial impact return, all with one of the most gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing product lines you’ll ever see.

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THE HIDDEN DANGER IN YOUR DATA

by Howard Tullman – You need to be exceedingly careful these days that you don’t let the ease of access and the ubiquity of massive amounts of quantitative performance data cause you to over-emphasize the math and measurements—and thereby lose sight of the far more important qualitative attributes of what’s going on.

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RAW TALENT

by John Jonelis – Ever want to be a Shark on the popular reality TV show? Wish you controlled a billion dollar investment account? Wonder what it’s like? I’m here at Chicago’s 1871 incubator doing it. Emotions run high. Hey, mine are running away with me. That guy on the end keeps grabbing all the deals!

GOODBYE DR ALZHEIMER

by John Jonelis – ADMdx has pioneered a new science to help big pharma wipe out Alzheimer’s disease. With a mission that huge, they can pivot and adjust, yet never stray from their course. I’m talking to their CEO, Dawn Matthews and her first statement knocks my socks off.

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WHIZ KIDS

by John Jonelis – You don’t want to compete with this kid. Believe me. Just watch his intensity as he pitches his business to some of the private equity luminaries in the city. I’m a judge at this event and try not to show my feelings of awe as he answers all the tough questions in a pressure-cooker environment without so much as a flinch. There’s an intimidating team behind him too. They’re all in middle school. Middle school!

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WHAT MAKES INNOVATION?

by John Jonelis – This guy gives insights that I find both lucid and striking—insights on innovation that clear away the cobwebs—that make you sit up straight and say, “Yes!”

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WHO’S RUNNING THE ASYLUM

Loop Lonagan – special correspondent – The genie’s outa the bottle. I’m talkin’ Big Data. Information about you. Personal stuff. Real personal.

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THINK LIKE A ZOMBIE

by John Jonelis – A highly experienced instructor on a training mission forgets his own parachute. (True story) How can that happen to a seasoned instructor? What caused the fatal mistake?

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THINK FAST

by John Jonelis – “I must’ve walked down that alley 100 times, but for some reason something told me I shouldn’t go down there.” But the Marine dismisses the thought and carries on with his mission. Next, he gets blown up.

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MIT WHITEBOARD CHALLENGE


Mark T Wayne – special correspondent – Five minutes, a marker, and a whiteboard. That’s all you get with this jaded crowd of critics, skeptics and swarming humanity. You’ve come here to bare the greatest idea of your life and all the dreams that go with it. You competed for a chance at this grueling event against near a hundred early-stage teams. You’re one of only ten to make the finals. Now they give the signal and you start like a runner off the blocks. And when your five minutes are up, it’s “NEXT!” No excuse will answer, sir! You are not permitted to utter another word, so you sit down to bite your nails.

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TECH CHILDREN

Mark T Wayne – special correspondent – Permit me to proclaim that, next year, children—yes children I say, should organize Techweek. The event will gain from it. I have good evidence for such speculation, as you will see

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THE TWO LAWS

IMSA Kids at MIT Enterprise Forum
Mark T. Wayne – special correspondent – Frankly sir, I am flabbergasted! This is something beyond my experience! Think of it. High school students turned serious entrepreneurs. These are children in suit and tie—teams of them politely waiting to speak in turn without interrupting the others. Not so much as a spit wad—do you hear me? Not one! That in itself is cause for more than casual interest. And no fluff here, sir! These kids seek equity funding without so much as a blush. And they do it with such aplomb.

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GAS FOR THE MASSES

by Bill Blaire – So lemme tell you ‘bout somethin’s been botherin’ me a long time. Mosta what we see at these events around town is high tech or mobile apps. It’s like all the mechanical engineers curled up ‘n’ died. But c’mon—doncha think there’s more to life than apps? I wanna hear about some solid stuff fer a change. Stuff made outa steel with big bolts.

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THE SECRET WORLD OF 3D PRINTING

John Jonelis – What happens when, instead of manufacturing a product with cheap labor overseas, you can select a design from the internet and download it the same way you purchase music and then create the product at the point of sale? Good-bye supply chain. Hello customization.

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THE STORY BEHIND BIG DATA

John Jonelis—There’s a lot of buzz about Big Data these days. By Big Data, we’re talking Big Mountains of Data. The manipulation of this resource will change the world and do it soon. I hear plenty of lofty goals for the benefit of mankind but destructive ends also seem likely. So what can we expect? I’m here to pass along the short version in plain language.

TURN THE PAGE

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