Winners Announced in the 13th Annual Utah Innovation Awards
SALT LAKE CITY- Eight innovations were announced as winners in the 13th annual Utah Innovation Awards, presented by Stoel Rives LLP and the Utah Technology Council. This statewide program, the first of its kind, recognizes innovations and the Utah companies that created them. The program is sponsored by Webb Audio Visual Communication, Utah STEM Action Center, Utah Business Magazine, KUER 90.1, Fluid, GoEngineer, ViaWest, Lone Peak Productions, USTAR, Grant Thornton, and the Girl Scouts of Utah. Winners were announced during a sold out Awards Luncheon today at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center.
The 2015 Utah Innovation Award winners are as follows:
CLEAN TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY
Highly Effective Controlled Solid-State Lighting Drivers by Innosys, Inc
InnoSys combines high-efficiency LED lighting with sensor-rich energy management for monitoring, control and analytics with its iLumens lighting control and management system that reduces energy consumption by up to 90% while giving users full control over the system’s use, control and interactions and even how it expresses light.
COMPUTER HARDWARE/ELECTRICAL DEVICES
Scalable Graphene Nanoribbons by Solan
Graphene Nanoribbons have the potential to extend the performance of silicon devices for new applications including high-bandwidth 5G and terahertz communications, thermal imaging and chemical/biological sensors. Working with University of Utah, Solan has developed the processing techniques to produce the Nanoribbons structures on silicon and other substrates that will allow the scalable manufacture of these devices using conventional semiconductor processing methods.
CONSUMER SOFTWARE
3DPlusMe by 3DPlusMe
Launched in January 2014, 3DPlusMe is the first consumer 3D printing retail personalization platform. 3DPlusMe has licenses with Assassin’s Creed, Marvel, and MLB. 3DPlusMe provides a complete scan-to-3D print platform and creates a story-driven 3D experience for printed mechandise.
ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE, CLOUD AND BIG DATA
SaltStack Enterprise by SaltStack
SaltStack makes software used by companies such as LinkedIn, Hulu, Salesforce.com, Clemson University, Overstock.com, Lyft and thousands more to keep data center infrastructure highly available, performant and secure. SaltStack software orchestrates, automates, manages and configures cloud infrastructure, data center systems and applications at a massive scale.
LIFE SCIENCE: BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PHARMACEUTICAL
XCR by Fluoresentric
Fluoresentric has developed XCR™, an ultrafast RNA/DNA amplification chemistry that is 30,000-fold more sensitive than PCR in blood. On Fluoresentric’s hand-held, smartphone-driven device, XCR™ amplifies 14 copies of DNA within six minutes, demonstrating the speed, flexibility and low cost of making near-patient molecular testing an everyday occurrence.
LIFE SCIENCE: MEDICAL DEVICE
Suture-Less Soft Tissue Repair by CoNextions Medical
This novel device is designed to achieve safer, stronger and more durable tendon repairs marked by faster rehabilitation, fewer complications, and lower long-term costs than traditional suture-based repairs. With stronger primary repair, the device enables early mobility, which reduces adhesions, ruptures and triggering.
MECHANICAL SYSTEMS/CHEMICALS/MANUFACTURING
BeamWatch by Ophir-Spiricon
Ophir-Spiricon’s BeamWatch is a non-contact, focus spot size and position monitor for very high-power lasers used in material processing applications such as automotive and aerospace manufacturing. Because there is no contact with the laser beam, the system has no power restrictions and has been successfully tested on high-power lasers up to 100 kW; previous contact-based systems have been limited to a maximum of 10kW.
OUTDOOR AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Noke by FUZ Designs
Noke is the world’s first smart padlock, Noke eliminates the need for keys or combinations by using your smartphone to unlock it. Using Bluetooth smart technology, Noke provides instant access, is easily shared, and gives instant feedback of who, when and where it was accessed. This saves time and money, and increases convenience and security for businesses and consumers.
A committee of approximately 80 professionals from private industry, government and higher education evaluated and voted on program finalists and winners. The more than 100 nominations were put through a rigorous evaluation process during which committee members evaluated each innovation against a wide range of criteria addressing elements such as novelty, market need, market disruption and potential/current economic impact. Votes were tallied by the accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP.
400 individuals attended the Awards Luncheon at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. The program receives support from the Association of Corporate Growth, Manufacturing Extension Partnership, MountainWest Capital Network; the Wayne Brown Institute, and the Women Tech Council. For more information about the Utah Innovation Awards program please visit www.utahinnovationawards.com.
About Stoel Rives LLP
Stoel Rives is a business law firm providing counseling and litigation services to a wide range of clients throughout the United States. The firm has more than 350 attorneys operating out of 11 offices in seven states, with a satellite office in Washington D.C. Stoel Rives is regarded as a leader in corporate and intellectual property law, energy, natural resources, environmental, and litigation. For more information, visit www.stoel.com.
About Utah Technology Council
The Utah Technology Council is the essential resource for Utah’s over 5,200 science and technology companies seeking to develop management talent, improve Utah’s business environment and raise investment capital. Members can connect and share insights with industry peers, venture capital firms, professional service providers and government and academic leaders. Visit www.utahtechcouncil.org or call 801-568-3500.