Innovation Pipeline Awards

The 4th Annual Innovation Pipeline Awards will be presented during the 2010 Cantor Colburn / CCAT Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit. The companies designated: Tech Companies to Watch are all finalists for the Innovation Pipeline Awards. Winners will be announced that evening. All Tech Companies to Watch have been asked to exhibit and give an elevator pitch during the event on 9/30. Register to attend, click here

The class of 2010, Tech Companies to Watch have been announced, click here

4th Annual Cantor Colburn/CCAT Innovation Pipeline Awards

1. The Most New Patents Award will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut technology company that was awarded the most patents in the last year (defined as the period July 2009 to June 2010) by the U.S. patent office.

2. The Most Significant Early Stage Capital Investment Award will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut technology company that raised the most angel capital in the last four quarters through June 30, 2010. The award may be solely a round of angel investment or a round of angel investment combined with a private equity investment. Investments of $1M or less will be considered for this award.

3. The Deal of the Year Award will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut technology company that either was purchased (an exit event), or to the company that made a significant acquisition, merged, secured a large round of financing or entered into a strategic partnership or alliance for the purpose of re-selling its products or services.

4. The Most Promising Technology Product or Service of the Year will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut technology company whose product or service was introduced in the last year and is being sold in the market place and has potential to scale and exhibits a great degree of innovation. A product in beta that exhibits potential to scale and is innovative is also eligible. The product or service can come from any technology vertical.

5. The Most Promising Software Product of the Year will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut software company whose software product was introduced in the last year and is being sold in the market place (installed at clients or sold as SaaS), is innovative, and has filled a market need. A software product in beta that exhibits potential to scale and is innovative

6. The Most Promising New Internet/New Media Company of the Year will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut technology company that is defined as an Internet/New Media company (see definition below) whose product or service was introduced in the last year, is innovative, and has filled a market need. Any electronic communication platform or internet technology in beta that exhibits potential to scale and is innovative is also eligible.

   Internet/New Media is a catch-all term for all forms of electronic communication. Examples are:
   •  Special audiovisual effects of any kind
   •  Streaming video and streaming audio
   •  3-D and virtual reality environments and effects
   •  Highly interactive user interfaces
   •  Mobile presentation and computing capabilities
   •  Any kind of communication requiring high-bandwidth
   •  CD and DVD media
   •  Telephone and digital data integration
   •  Online communities or social media sites
   •  Live Internet broadcasting
   •  Person-to-person visual communication

7. The Most Promising Life Sciences Company of the Year will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut company  whose "cutting edge" innovation in the field of life sciences is potentially a major medical advance through its innovative design, its cost savings and its improvement to global health. A product in beta that exhibits potential to scale and is innovative is also eligible.

8. The Most Promising New Green Tech Industries Company of the Year will be awarded to an emerging Connecticut company whose product has demonstrated success in its design, innovation and adoption by the marketplace. Green Tech includes wind power, solar power, biomass, hydropower, biofuels, environmentally friendly cleaning products, more efficient lighting and other appliances that are more energy efficient. An innovative product that is in beta that exhibits the potential to capture market share and is environmentally friendly is also eligible.

Any questions, please contact Paige Rasid, prasid@ct.org  at CTC at 860-289-0878, x335  

EVENT DETAILS:
Date & Time: Thursday, September 30, 2010, 10:30 - 7:30 PM
Location: New Haven, Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, 155 Temple Street
Parking - We suggest you park either in the parking garage below the Omni Hotel or just across the street in the Temple St. Garage (which is slightly less expensive). 

Agenda:
10:30 AM - 3:00 PM - ACA Regional Northeast Angel Summit (accredited investors only, $75 for full day)
Luncheon with keynoter address, deal syndication, poster fair and Innovation Pipeline Awards

3:00 - 7:30PM - Poster Fair and Innovation Pipeline Awards (All Attendees, $45)
3:00 -5:30 PM - Companies to Watch, Poster Fair and Networking, Elevator Pitches by Companies to Watch
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Innovation Pipeline Awards

Register to attend, click here

More information about the Program:
The Connecticut Technology Council is interested in attracting investors and technology companies from the Northeast to participate in the Cantor Colburn LLP / CCAT 2010 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit.

Program Highlights:

• Northeast ACA Angel Investor Summit
• Tech Companies to Watch Poster Fair
• Elevator Pitches and 4th Annual Innovation Pipeline Awards

This event will include a poster fair of Companies to Watch. Network with and learn about the best of up-and-coming tech companies. This event focuses primarily on young, emerging technology companies who have:

• an innovative product or service,
• and, the potential to grow quickly,
• less than $5 million in revenue,

This annual program, produced with the support of title sponsors Cantor Colburn and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), showcases and celebrates the state's most promising start-up technology companies.

The past two years' events have attracted over 100 exciting, emerging tech companies from all the technology vertical. Companies selected to participate (Companies to Watch) will be invited to exhibit in a poster fair and to deliver brief "elevator patches" to attending angels and other event attendees.

The day's activities begin with the Northeast ACA Angel Investor Summit which brings together angel investors from Southern New England and the tri-state area. The angels will network, hear from a keynoter, engage in deal syndication and then attend the poster fair.

The event concludes with the Innovation Pipeline Awards which will recognize eight of the exhibiting companies in one of the following eight categories:

• The Most New Patents
• The Most Significant Early Stage Capital Investment
• The Deal of the Year
• The Most Promising Technology Product or Service of the Year
• The Most Promising Software Product of the Year
• The Most Promising New Internet/New Media Company of the Year
• The Most Promising Life Sciences Company of the Year
• The Most Promising New Green Tech Company of the Year

Cantor Colburn LLP

Eligibility Criteria

For consideration in the Connecticut Technology Council 2009 Innovation Awards, a company
must have met the following criteria:

1. Must be headquartered in Connecticut. Subsidiaries or company divisions are not eligible.
2. Must have proprietary technology or propriety intellectual property, except those in
    the IT Services category. A company is also eligible if it devotes a significant portion of its
    revenue to the research and development of technology.
3. Revenue must not exceed $10M. The Innovation Awards are aimed at younger,
    emerging technology companies.

Cantor Colburn LLP

CNA Insurance

Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies

Connecticut Innovations

Economic Development Center
of New Haven

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge

Fiondella Milone & LaSaracina

Microsoft

Open Solutions Inc.

Wellstone Insurance

LaunchCapital LLC