Member News Archive

August 2011

 

In Case You Missed It

August 2011 - Tango, the communications software and service management company from Orange, went public after an initial offering price of $8 a share in late July. The stock has been trading between $8 and $12 on the NASDAQ global stock market under the symbol TNGO in its first month.

Remediation Solution for Precision Combustion is Funded
August 2011 - Precision Combustion Inc. (PCI) has announced that it has been awarded a DOE SBIR Phase I Grant for Steam–Based In-Situ Soil Remediation Thermal treatment of this mercury and its compounds, whether above ground on removed contaminated materials or in-ground, is highly effective in removing more than 90% of mercury in place but is dependent on site-specific factors. Treating mercury in ground avoids the added hazards of transporting contaminant soil to a treatment facility and reduces exposure risks. The project is an opportunity to explore a new potential solution to meet the anticipated high demand for in-situ thermal remediation for contaminated soils not only in the U.S. but worldwide as well, in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.

More Capital for CTC Member Continuity Control

August 2011 - Connecticut Innovations (CI) has has made a $250,000 investment in Continuity Control Inc. of New Haven, Conn., through its Eli Whitney Fund. CI’s investment is part of a $1.1 million funding round that was initiated by CI in 2010. CI’s initial investment in 2010  was $250,000. Also participating in this funding round are LaunchCapital, Top Floor, Club Circle Partners, Gnostic Ventures and individual investors.

July 2011

Making More Health

July 2011 - Boehringer Ingelheim and Ashoka's
Changemakers have announced the Making More Health competition, a contest seeking promising solutions to the world’s most challenging health problems. The competition will award $10,000 to each of three winners proposing the most innovative and helpful solutions to critical issues. The contest continues Boehringer Ingelheim’s three-year initiative to identify and support healthcare solutions around the world. Entries in areas ranging from diagnosis to treatment access will be accepted until September 21st, when the competition ends.

Cervalis Partners with VMware

July 2011 - Cervalis has strengthened its partnership with VMware, making it part of the VMware Service Provider Program (VSPP). The partnership strengthens Cervalis’ current cloud computing services offered while increasing the availability and efficiency of IT resources and applications to customers through VMware’s virtualization software. The new VMware platform in Cervalis’ data centers and greater reliance on cloud computing will allow customers to react to market dynamics more quickly than ever before.

Pradeep Das Named Pitney Bowes Inventor of the Year

July 2011 - Software and hardware manufacturer Pitney Bowes has identified Pradeep Das as their Inventor of the Year for his system combining the communication and digital imaging portions of a cell phone for use in retail. The patented technology allows smart phones to capture and decode printed barcodes using this Quick Response (QR) code to redirect users to websites or special offers. Pitney Bowes is already marketing the invention with pbSmart Codes, a program that generates the unique bar codes for users. Retailers can use the codes to quickly connect customers to their products.

New Priceline.com Alerts

July 2011 - The expert travel discount finders at Priceline.com have added a new feature to their Name Your Own Price system. The company now allows customers to enter a hotel deal they want and receive an email alert when somebody else gets the same deal. Customers can then book the winning bid in just a few seconds, paying a price that they can afford. This latest advancement shifts the travel industry from offering a set “low” price to one uniquely suited to each customer and their budget constraints.

VBrick Systems Wins Award

July 2011 - Enterprise IP video leader VBrick Systems has won the 2011 HP AllianceONE Partner of the Years Award in the HP Converged Infrastructure Solutions, Education category. VBrick won the award for its Distributed Media Engine (DME), a platform which provides media redistribution, media transformation and video-on-demand content storage. The engine allows for the efficient delivery of media content to a distributed workforce, offering a compelling way to manage streaming video and ensuring access to broadcasts. The recognition from HP validates the value of systems like the DME as smart phones and other devices requiring distributed media delivery become more popular.

June 2011

Alexion in Germany
June 2011 - German authorities have given the OK to Alexion Pharmaceuticals to formally open a clinical trial into using its treatment for a rare form of anemia to aid victims stricken in the recent E. coli outbreak in Germany. It has sickened more than 3,400 people and killed 35. On May 30, Alexion disclosed that it was donating thousands of doses of Soliris, also known as eculizumab, for use on some 800 confirmed cases of E. coli victims whose kidneys had been affected with STEC-HUS. The German study is a response to critics concerned about the use of a drug not specifically approved to treat STEC-HUS symptoms.

Genomas Receives Follow-On Federal Grant
June 2011- Hartford genetics-pharmaceutical researcher Genomas Inc. has won $1.3 million more in federal health funding to help doctors better predict outcomes for patients treated with drugs to control damaging levels of cholesterol. Genomas specializes in generating predictive models based on patients' DNA for crafting pharmaceutical treatments that effectively deal with illness while minimizing harmful side effects. Genomas founder and President Gualberto Ruano, M.D., said the National Institutes of Health has engaged Genomas to apply its technology to determine which statins - prescribed to 40 million Americans annually to control cholesterol - work best for certain patients.

AdmantX Raises Nearly $3 Million
June 2011 - CTC Member Admantix, led by serial entrepreneur Brooke Aker, has raised $2.8 million from an Italian venture firm to develop Web-tracking technology that doesn't rely on the traditional electronic footprints left on consumers' computers. This tracking usually is done using footprints, or "cookies,'' left on computers, which report consumers' activities. The practice is controversial as some consumers consider it a violation of their privacy. ADmantX uses semantic technology to report many of the same consumer reports without cookies. The company was spun off in 2010 from Indianapolis technology firm ExactTarget. AdmantX announced the funds are from Atlante Ventures Mezzogiomo, the venture capital fund of Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo.

Queralt Lands Leading CIO as its Chairman
June 2011 - Queralt, Inc., a leading developer of cloud-based RFID tracking systems, has added Paul A. Strassmann – former Director of Defense Information of the Department of Defense, former CIO of corporations such as Xerox and General Foods, and former Acting CIO of NASA – has joined the company as its new Chairman of the Board. Strassmann has an illustrious career spanning 56 years in the information technology field. In 1997, he was named to the CIO Hall of Fame by CIO Magazine as one of the twelve most influential CIOs of the decade.

May 2011

Prometheus Research Makes List

May 2011 - The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and Fortune Magazine released the 2011 Inner City 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city companies in the U.S. CTC member Prometheus Research from New Haven ranked third on this year's list. The Inner City 100 program recognizes successful inner city companies and their CEO's as role models for entrepreneurship, innovative business practices and job creation in America's urban communities.

                            

SyferLock Releases Enhanced Authentication Version

May 2011 - SyferLock Technology Corporation (www.SyferLock.com) has announced the release of its patented enhanced authentication system and methodology which allows users the ability to login to their Open-ID enabled accounts with higher security, device-less, zero footprint one-time passwords utilizing one of the most secure knowledge based authentication systems currently available. SyferLock’s MySyferLock™ product delivers a huge increase in security and protection over the predominantly used static passwords.

                           

  

Protegrity Picks Veteran to Pilot Company

May 2011 - Protegrity USA, Inc., a leading provider of end-to-end data security solutions, has announced that Suni Munshani has been named CEO of the company. Munshani, who brings 25 years of software industry experience, will lead Protegrity through its next phase of growth as large enterprises demand more affordable and effective data security solutions. For the past five years, Suni served as CEO for Novitaz, a leading provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software solutions for the retail, banking, healthcare, high-tech and hospitality industry.

                          

Axxun Secures Second $100,000 Angel Investment

May 2011 - Stamford-based Axxun Inc., a Connecticut Technology Council "2010 Company to Watch," announced it has closed its second $100,000 angel investment under the State of Connecticut's Angel Investor Tax Credit Program. The program allows Angel Investors to take a credit against their state income tax for certain investments made in qualifying businesses. Investments must be at least $100,000 and not more than $1 million to be considered under the program.

                        

More Power to Plainville

May 2011 - GE’s energy industrial solutions division in Plainville has unveiled its GE Electric Vehicle (EV) Solar Carport in Plainville. It will uses GE’s new “smart” charging stations for electric vehicles. GE partnered with Inovateus Solar, a solar power distributor and integrator, to install the carport. The companies are using solar energy and smart grid technology to fully charge up to 13 electric vehicles with six Level 2 charging stations. The solar panels at the site will also power the overhead lighting in the parking lot. The demonstration project produces the energy equivalent to power 20 homes per year.

                            

Two Members Partner to Help Each Other

May 2011 - United Illuminating has donated $5,000 to help repair a New Haven CURE’s mobile laboratory. A $5,000 grant will help make $8,800 worth of repairs to the BioBus’ laboratory floor and its transmission, said James Torgerson, president and chief executive officer of UIL Holdings, the corporate parent of UI.

                             

Innovatient Solutions Secures $1M

May 2011 - Connecticut Innovations (CI) has made an investment of $500,000 in Innovatient Solutions Inc through its Seed Investment Fund. CI led the investment round of $1 million, which also involved company founders and angel investors. Innovatient is developing a patient-centered information system aimed at improving communications between hospital care providers and patients, thus enhancing clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.

                       

Priceline.com Promotion

May 2011 - Christopher L. Soder, who is priceline.com's President, North American Travel, has also been named Chief Executive Officer, priceline.com North America. The promotion is effective June 2, 2011 and Mr. Soder will continue to report to The Priceline Group's President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery H. Boyd. In his new role, Mr. Soder will be responsible for priceline.com's North American operations, supplier relations, website and marketing. 

 

April 2011

Queralt Offers Cloud Solution for RFID
April 2011 - Queralt Inc. has introduced new software that helps companies explore and accelerate the use of RFID by employing cloud computing. The new offering helps clients create RFID and sensor networks connected to the cloud, leveraging Queralt’s new application. For the first time, clients will be able to use a simple web-based interface to easily track their assets, monitor their activity and receive intelligent notifications, while enjoying the flexibility, security and the scalability of cloud services. This allows clients to focus on the results of the technology and not on the requirements to support the infrastructure that RFID and wireless sensors requires.

ATMI Inducted into SBIR Hall of Fame

April 2011 - We missed this in late February when ATMI was inducted into the inaugural Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Hall of Fame on February 15th in Washington, D.C. The official ceremony was at the White House, where Company co-founder and former CEO/Chairman of the Board, Dr. Gene Banucci, accepted the award on behalf of ATMI. He credited the program as the catalyst for both the creation and growth of ATMI.

VBrick Introduces New Product

April 2011 - Enterprise IP video leader, VBrick Systems has introduced its Rich Media Desktop (RMD). The RMD enables employees throughout an enterprise to easily create and stream dazzling presentations that combine audio, video, images and data from their desktops. VBrick is the first to introduce a solution for desktop video content creation which can be viewed live or on-demand, and streamed to devices such as PCs, smart phones and tablets located behind the corporate firewall and over the Internet.

 

March 2011

Cantor Colburn Repeats on Patent List
March 2011 - CTC member law firm Cantor Coburn got 1841 utility patents and 91 design patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2010, ranking again as one of the nation’ 20 busiest patent law firms, Intellectual Property Today reports.

PEL Associates Wins U.S. Patent
March 2011 - Mort Wallach dba PEL Associates was awarded a United States Patent “Smart Sensors For Perimeter And Border Security” - a designation that has significant potential for job creation. Applications include protection of our borders, airports, chemical, and nuclear power plants. Business plans are under preparation.

Advantage Capital Partners Invests in Three Connecticut Startups
March 2011 - Advantage Capital Partners, a small business finance firm in partnership with Ironwood Capital, has provided pre-seed funding for three promising startup companies: Greenleaf Biofuels, Guilford, Floop, Inc., Woodbridge and NovaTract Surgical, New Haven. "Connecticut's recently enacted jobs bill intended to promote ... a robust investment climate led to our investments." noted Marc Reich, President of Ironwood Capital.

VBrick lands $850,000 Military Medical Contract
March 2011 - Video systems developer VBrick Systems announced that the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. has purchased a complete TV distribution solution to stream video content to 1,200 television sets and 6,000 PCs throughout the facility. VBrick's video communications solutions are now in more than 100 of the 120 civilian government agencies, powering a variety of applications.

Rogers Makes Another Purchase

March 2011 - Killlingly-based Rogers Corp. will pay $7.4 million for a Canadian silicones business that could spur its growth in aerospace, mass transit and other markets. Rogers said it has signed an agreement to acquire assets of the silicones business of MTI Global Inc. in Toronto. Sales related to the assets close to $21 million in 2008. The assets include product lines, technology and manufacturing equipment at MTI Global plants in Bremen, Germany, and Richmond, Virginia.

Shipping Company Selects Triple Point

March 2011 - Triple Point Technology, the global leader in commodity and enterprise risk management software, announced early this month that Ocean Tankers has licensed Triple Point's chartering and vessel operations software to manage all pre- and post-fixture activities for its wet bulk shipping operations. Ocean Tankers specializes in the transportation of petroleum and related products and provides worldwide coverage.

New DECD Commissioner Appointed

March 2011 - In an appointment all of us in the tech sector were watching and waiting for with anticipation, Governor Malloy has appointed Catherine Smith to lead the Department of Economic and Community Development. Smith, who lives in Northford, has worked for ING for the past 10 years. Prior to that, she worked at Aetna for 17 years. Smith is currently the Chief Executive Officer of ING’s U.S. Retirement Services, a position she's held since 2008. In this capacity, Smith helped ING weather the recession and retain customers. Smith managed 3,000 employees and had oversight of sales, marketing, operations, customer service, product development, risk management and finance. While working at Aetna from 1983 through 2000, Smith worked in a variety of areas, including investment management, corporate planning, health plans, investor relations and financial services.

HABCO Teams with Sikorsky

March 2011 - HABCO, Inc. is pleased to announce that Sikorsky Aerospace Services has agreed to be a distributor of HABCO’s composite repair kit and will be highlighted the kit at the Heli Expo held March 5-8, 2011 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.  The kit, used for rotor blade repairs is the only kit on the market approved by Sikorksy, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy.

 

February 2011

Alexion Pharmaceuticals to Purchase Assets of Orphatec Pharmaceuticals
February 2011 - Alexion Pharmaceuticals has acquired the patents and assets of Orphatec Pharmaceuticals related to an investigational therapy for patients with molybdenum cofactor deficiency, a rare genetic disorder characterized by severe brain damage and rapid death in newborns. Based in Germany, Orphatec is a privately held, development-stage biotechnology company.

NEW CEO at FuelCell Energy
February 2011 - FuelCell Energy Inc. has promoted Arthur "Chip'' Bottone to president and chief executive officer, one year after he joined the Danbury alternative energy system maker. He succeeds Daniel Brdar, who remains chairman at least through FuelCell's 2011 annual meeting. An engineer, Bottone joined the company in February 2010 as senior vice president after serving as an officer at Ingersoll-Rand Co. Since arriving, he has played a key role in devising and implementing FuelCell's strategy for broadening the commercialization of its key product.

January 2011

Discover Video Meeting Town Meeting Service (Now You Can Keep a Close Eye on Local Govt.)

January 2011 - The town of Rocky Hill has implemented Discover Video’s Video Publisher service for delivering town meetings to citizens live and on-demand on the Internet. The new Discover Video service permits Rocky Hill to publish town meetings and agendas on the web for anyone to view or replay using PCs, Macs, or mobile devices.

Pescatello Retains Chairman’s Role at NEBA
January 2011 - Paul Pescatello has been re-elected as Chairman of the New England Biotech Association (NEBA) at the organization's annual meeting. NEBA is a non-profit, member-driven organization comprised of state biotech associations, companies, academic institutions, and other organizations in the six New England states with a collective mission to support and grow the biotechnology industry in the region, and serve as the regional policy and public affairs voice for the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry. Pescatello is President & CEO of CURE, the educational and business support network organization for bioscience in Connecticut.

Shizzlr to Reside at CTech
January 2011 - Connecticut Innovations has landed Shizzlr Inc. as its newest tenant at CTech@Science Park at Yale, its New Haven-based technology business incubator. Shizzlr, launched by two graduate students from their dorm rooms at the University of Connecticut, is an Internet-based social network company that has developed a proprietary, location-driven social planning technology platform that integrates with Facebook.

Farmington Bank Going Public

January 2011 - Farmington Bank has announced that it will try to raise $132 million in new capital as it converts to a public company. Its board of directors has approved a plan to convert its mutual holding company into a public stock form of ownership. Farmington Bank will become the latest Connecticut community lender to convert to a public company as it tries to raise enough capital to continue its recent growth spurt and buffer against higher capital levels being demanded by regulators.

Tech Top 40 Winner Secures another Prize

January 2011 - RSL Fiber Systems, a manufacturer of advanced lighting solutions and illumination systems for commercial and military applications, has earned the 2010 North American Technology Innovation of the Year Award in Remote Source Lighting, presented by internationally-renowned research leader Frost & Sullivan. The annual Frost & Sullivan “Best Practices” awards recognize companies in a wide variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance.

Rogers Buys Local Company with German Connection

January 2011 - CTC member company Rogers Corp, a provider of specialty materials and components for high tech industries, has announced it will pay $154 million to acquire Curamik Electronics, a Rogers-based manufacturer of power electronic substrate products headquartered in Eschenbach, Germany. Curamik produces direct copper bonded ceramic substrate products used in the design of intelligent power management devices. Its products are used in highly efficient industrial motor drives, wind and solar energy converters and hybrid electric vehicle drive systems.

In the Heavens

January 2011 - Eric Knight, local inventor and rocketeer has written a book about his rocket adventures of a few years back in which he collaborated in putting the first civilian rocket in space. The book is called The New Race to Space.

Marcum and Cronus Partners Partner-Up

January 2011 - Cronus Partners LLC (“Cronus”) has announced that it has aligned itself with Marcum LLP and become the affiliated investment banking firm of the Marcum Group. Marcum is one of the largest independent public accounting and advisory services firms in the United States. As part of the transaction, Cronus has changed its name to “Marcum Cronus Partners LLC.”

NEOS Makes New Appointment

January 2011 - Randy Love has joined NEOS/Vgo as VP, Strategic Solutions.  Randy will work with its clients and partners to establish solutions best suited for their respective goals and needs. He comes to NEOS from Travelers Insurance, where he was VP of Business Intelligence IT and led the Architecture and Infrastructure Services team for the Business Insurance division.

NASA Makes Two Awards to Precision Combustion

January 2011 - CTC Member Precision Combustion has landed two contracts with NASA that ultimately could be used as part of a manned space trip to Mars. The contracts with the federal space agency were awarded under NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program. The contracts call for Precision Combustion to make a carbon dioxide separator and methanation reactor to effectively separate odorless colorless gas from the Martian atmosphere and to produce methane and water vapor.

Good for Gerber

January 2011 - Kidswear maker Fishman & Tobin has signed on to upgrade the product lifecycle management software it gets from South Windsor's Gerber Technology Inc. to track its expanding global production and sales of children’s fashions. F&T designs and makes under license such child wear brands as Dockers, Natural Issue, Penguin Sport, Munsingwear and Perry Ellis.

An IRA for Manufacturers

January 2011 - On the first day of the 2011 session, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro reintroduced the bipartisan Manufacturing Reinvestment Account Act, a bill that would provide America's manufacturing businesses with greater opportunities to grow and compete in today's global economy. The legislation would provide manufacturers with the option of establishing a manufacturing reinvestment account (MRA), similar to an individual retirement account (IRA), at a local community bank, and to make annual contributions into these accounts of up to $500,000 over a period of seven years. Funds then distributed from the account can be used to invest in machinery, facilities and job training thereby providing a bigger return on the dollar and allowing manufacturers to develop their businesses and boost our economy.

Better Safe than Sorry

January 2011 - SyferLock Technology Corporation has complemented and augmented its enhanced authentication products with an additional, “true 2 factor” authentication technology solution called GridSoftToken™.  With the addition of this “soft token” solution, SyferLock now covers the entire authentication spectrum, as well as the myriad of diverse and evolving use cases and business requirements challenging the security and account access of organizations and their users.

December 2010

SeeClickFix Co-founder Interviewed
December 2010 - The Huffington Post recently interviewed Ben Berkowitz, co-founder of SeeClickFix.com, a website that is revolutionizing the way we report problems of infrastructure in our hometowns. If you notice something that needs to be fixed in your town, SeeClickFix lets you skip the bureaucracy and report the problem directly and transparently.

Sarker of Natural State Research Recognized
December 2010 - Dr. Moinuddin Sarker has been awarded the Renewable Energy Innovator of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers. The award was presented to Dr. Sarker in early December in Washington D.C.

Marcum In China Move
December 2010 - On January 1st, Marcum LLP's China practice will merge with the China practice of Bernstein and Pinchuk, LLP to form Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk, LLP. The combined firm will be the only middle-market accounting firm with significant on-the-ground resources in China. The firm will service China-based, publicly traded companies as well as China-based companies transitioning to U.S. stock exchanges. With offices in Beijing, Guanzhou, Hangzhou and Hong Kong, Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk will have more than 75 professionals.

UTC Buys Wind Power Company
December 2010 - United Technologies Corporation has completed its acquisition of Clipper Windpower, a California-based company focused on wind energy technology, turbine manufacturing, and wind project development. UTC said the acquisition creates the long-term financial stability necessary for Clipper's continued growth, while allowing Clipper to leverage UTC's management capabilities, operational expertise and technology in blades, turbines, and gearbox design.

Alexion in the News Again
December 2010 - Dr. Leonard Bell, CEO and co-founder of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, is the 2010 runner- up in TheStreet.com's "Best Biotech CEO'' of the year poll. Bell came in second, with 39 percent of the vote, behind winner Mitch Gold, who led Dendreon through a topsy-turvy Food and Drug Administration approval process for the prostate cancer therapy Provenge.

November 2010

HBJ Honors PEL Associates
November 2010 - PEL Associates was recently honored with the 2010 Business Energy Summit Award on “Energy Innovation and Conservation” for its ship hull coating technology (Smart Coating Systems). The event held at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Rocky Hill was sponsored by the Hartford Business Journal.

RSL Fiber Systems makes Key Investment in West Virginia and Coal Mining

November 2010 - East Hartford, CT – RSL Fiber Systems, LLC, an East Hartford, Conn.-based developer of advanced lighting solutions and integrated illumination systems, is moving aggressively to expand beyond its military roots into a wide variety of high-demand commercial lighting applications. And one of its first official steps into this arena is establishment of a new business development initiative designed to introduce the company’s revolutionary technology to commercial markets.

CAS Medical Expands Its Device Line
November 2010 - Branford’s CAS Medical Systems Inc. is paying as much as $3.6 million to add a California firm's blood-pressure monitors to its medical-devices lineup. CAS Medical's Statcorp Inc. division agreed to terms with OSI Optoelectronics Inc., of Hawthorne, California., for OSI's disposable and reusable blood pressure cuff and rapid infusion cuff business.

Nufern and the Navy
November 2010 - The Navy has chosen East Granby technology manufacturer Nufern as its lead maker of optical fibers for upgrades to its submarine-launched Trident nuclear missile fleet. Under the three-year, multi-million-dollar contract, Nufern will supply several thousand meters of fibers to be used in new generation fiber-optic gyros that help the ballistic missiles more accurately engage their targets, authorities said.

CI’s Pre-Seed Fund Is Off and Running
November 2010 - Connecticut Innovations (CI) has announced its first client under the new Pre-Seed Fund, launched in September: NovaTract Surgical LLC of New Haven. NovaTract, which received $150,000 through the new fund, secured matching funds from LaunchCapital. NovaTract is developing a medical device that will be used in single-port laparoscopic surgery and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), which are minimally invasive methods to access the abdominal cavity with an endoscope for surgery.

Another Patent for PEL Associates
November 2010 - Mort Wallach and PEL Associates were awarded a United States patent (US 7,807,251) for technology that removes aircraft ice in flight and also cleans off fouling from a periscope head window in-situ. The concepts employ specially designed sensors and coating arrays releasable on command.

 

October 2010

SecureRF Joins DASH7 Alliance

October 12, 2010, Westport, CT – SecureRF Corporation, developer of asymmetric security solutions using the world’s first linear-based security methods, today announced they have joined the DASH7 Alliance, a non-profit industry consortium.  As a member of the DASH7 Alliance, SecureRF will work with more than 50 participating companies from around the world to advance the development of security methods and standards for the DASH7 wireless sensor networking standard. Click here to read more...

CTC Member picks up Additional Funding
October 2010 - Connecticut Innovations (CI) has made a follow-on investment of $250,000 in New Haven-based Continuity Control Inc. (formerly Continuity Engine Inc.) through its Eli Whitney Fund. This investment is part of a round of up to $750,000 also involving Club Circle Partners, LaunchCapital and individual investors.

Tech Top 40 Winner Receives Another Contract
October 2010 - FuelCell Energy Inc. has won a $2.8 million federal energy contract to build a New Jersey demonstration plant showcasing the capability of its power generators to produce cheap hydrogen fuel for industrial processes. Using Energy Department funding, FuelCell Energy will build the demo installation containing its DFC300 fuel cell on the grounds of a metal-processing plant in Union, N.J.

Alexion Is a Great Place to Work
October 2010 - Alexion Pharmaceuticals was chosen by Connecticut Magazine as one of the 23 best places to work in Connecticut, according to an October press statement. The magazine selected the 23 companies based on compensation, benefits, retention rates and professional development opportunities. It also looked at employee perks such as flex time and tuition reimbursement to on-site day care and free lunches. And if you were in another part of the world late last month and missed the news, Alexion was recognized as the fastest growing tech company in the state for revenue growth over the last four years.

Specialized Data Systems Does Good Work
October 2010 - Specialized Data Systems (SDS), a leading bank technology provider, has announced that client Torrington Savings Bank has been awarded The Innovative Lender Award by Mortgage Technology Magazine. Each year the magazine recognizes lenders and servicers in the mortgage industry for their efforts and innovation with the use of lending technology. During the National

Mortgage Banking Conference held in Atlanta, GA, Mortgage Technology Magazine presented awards in 10 categories honoring achievement in mortgage lending technology. The Innovative Lender Award goes to a lender that uses technology innovation as a way to be a market leader. Torrington Bank was recognized for their efforts in implementing an innovative Software-as-a-Service. (SaaS) solution from Specialized Data Systems called RemoteLender™ to lower initial costs of lending technology, reduce infrastructure costs, enhance compliance needs, reduce downtime and do more with less in a secure SaaS environment.

TopCoder Lands First Federal Contract
October 2010 - Glastonbury software developer TopCoder Inc. is sharing in a $14.2 million defense contract to devise an online regimen intended to boost a decline in interest among the nation's youth in math, technology, engineering and science. The three-year contract is from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). TopCoder will collect $5.6 million under the contract in collaboration with the University of Arizona.

September 2010

Internet University
September 2010 - Member company Campus TeleVideo has acquired a Cedar Rapids, Iowa company that will expand its school specific internet service on the campuses of its college clients. Locally the University of Hartford is a customer.

$5Million Allocated to Connecticut Innovations for Pre-Seed Funding
September 2010 -Governor Rell, as part of the watershed jobs bill that was passed by the legislature this spring, is making $5 million available for a Pre-seed Financing Program which will be administered by Connecticut Innovations (CI). Eligible tech start-ups can receive loans of up to $150,000 to develop new concepts and technologies. Companies will have to provide at least 50 percent of private investment dollars for each dollar of public financing.

Z-Medica Now In Asian Markets
September 2010 - Wallingford medical device maker Z-Medica Inc. has signed a deal with Japan's leading medical electronics maker to distribute Z-Medica's wound-dressing line in that Asian country. Thee two companies have been working since 2009 to obtain regulatory approval to distribute the QuikClot product line in Japan's highly regulated medical market.

How Would You Like to Tool Around Town in One of These?
September 2010 - Proton Energy Systems has reached an agreement with Toyota Motor Sales USA that will bring 10 of the automaker's hydrogen-powered vehicles to Connecticut for use by employees of the local company, as well as community and business leaders around the state. The cars will arrive in Connecticut in mid-October, around the time that a hydrogen refueling station opens at Proton Energy's Technology Drive headquarters. At about the same time Proton Energy Systems announced a joint venture with SupplyCore Middle East to provide on-site hydrogen generation and control solutions to Saudi Arabia, as well as other Arab nations in the region.

CCAT Gets Grant
Seotember 2010 - The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) in East Hartford landed a $566,573 Small Business Administration contract to aid enterprises in the Northeast to expand their commercialization of hydrogen-fuel cell technology and products.

Flying High with PASSUR
September 2010 - PASSUR Aerospace has contracted with Salt Lake City International Airport for its airport software solutions.

UTC and Energy Hub
September 2010 - In a national competition, UTC has been selected to participate in one of three “Energy Innovation Hubs” projects. The mission of these projects is to research, develop and demonstrate highly efficient building components, systems, and models that are applicable to both retrofit and new construction. The hub team will pursue a research, development and demonstration program targeting technologies for single buildings and district-wide systems. UTC has been selected for the greater Philadelphia project and will work with an impressive list of collaborators. Project participants include Bayer Material Science; Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeast Pennsylvania; Carnegie Mellon University; Collegiate Consortium; Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center; Drexel University; IBM Corp.; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Morgan State University; New Jersey Institute of Technology; Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation; PPG Industries; Princeton University; Purdue University; Rutgers University; Turner Construction; University of Pennsylvania; University of Pittsburgh; Virginia Tech; and Wharton Small Business Development Center.

$5Million Allocated to Connecticut Innovations for Pre-Seed Funding
September 2010 -Governor Rell, as part of the watershed jobs bill that was passed by the legislature this spring, is making $5 million available for a Pre-seed Financing Program which will be administered by Connecticut Innovations (CI). Eligible tech start-ups can receive loans of up to $150,000 to develop new concepts and technologies. Companies will have to provide at least 50 percent of private investment dollars for each dollar of public financing.

Z-Medica Now In Asian Markets
September 2010 - Wallingford medical device maker Z-Medica Inc. has signed a deal with Japan's leading medical electronics maker to distribute Z-Medica's wound-dressing line in that Asian country. Thee two companies have been working since 2009 to obtain regulatory approval to distribute the QuikClot product line in Japan's highly regulated medical market.

How Would You Like to Tool Around Town in One of These?
September 2010 - Proton Energy Systems has reached an agreement with Toyota Motor Sales USA that will bring 10 of the automaker's hydrogen-powered vehicles to Connecticut for use by employees of the local company, as well as community and business leaders around the state. The cars will arrive in Connecticut in mid-October, around the time that a hydrogen refueling station opens at Proton Energy's Technology Drive headquarters. At about the same time Proton Energy Systems announced a joint venture with SupplyCore Middle East to provide on-site hydrogen generation and control solutions to Saudi Arabia, as well as other Arab nations in the region.

CCAT Gets Grant
Seotember 2010 - The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) in East Hartford landed a $566,573 Small Business Administration contract to aid enterprises in the Northeast to expand their commercialization of hydrogen-fuel cell technology and products.

Flying High with PASSUR
September 2010 - PASSUR Aerospace has contracted with Salt Lake City International Airport for its airport software solutions.

UTC and Energy Hub
September 2010 - In a national competition, UTC has been selected to participate in one of three “Energy Innovation Hubs” projects. The mission of these projects is to research, develop and demonstrate highly efficient building components, systems, and models that are applicable to both retrofit and new construction. The hub team will pursue a research, development and demonstration program targeting technologies for single buildings and district-wide systems. UTC has been selected for the greater Philadelphia project and will work with an impressive list of collaborators. Project participants include Bayer Material Science; Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeast Pennsylvania; Carnegie Mellon University; Collegiate Consortium; Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center; Drexel University; IBM Corp.; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Morgan State University; New Jersey Institute of Technology; Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation; PPG Industries; Princeton University; Purdue University; Rutgers University; Turner Construction; University of Pennsylvania; University of Pittsburgh; Virginia Tech; and Wharton Small Business Development Center.

July 2010

Two Software Biggies Ink Deal
July 2010 - Connecticut financial software developers SS&C Technologies Inc. and Open Solutions Inc. have signed an agreement for Open Solutions to resell SS&C's PortPro brand bond-accounting software. Open Solutions plans to offer PortPro to bank and credit union customers who use the firm's financial accounting suite package. The cross-selling arrangement will open up new markets for Windsor-based SS&C.

More Open Solutions News
July 2010 - Open Solutions has acquired Illinois-based Weiland Financial Group, a developer of electronic billing technology and web-based account analysis tools. Open Solutions will integrate WFG's products into its own portfolio, as well as offer them on a stand-alone basis.

Another Software Company Purchase for Pitney Bowes
July 2010 - Pitney Bowes MapInfo UK, a subsidiary of Stamford-based Pitney Bowes, has acquired over 90% of the existing issued ordinary shares of Portrait Software. Portrait is an English company that provides customer relationship management software.

Skymira Makes Staff Appointment

July 2010 - Milford-based Skymira, a developer of remote information systems for companies that rely on remote field operations has named Mary Dyer as its business development manager. Dyer, who most recently held roles with the Australian Trade Commission, will oversee day-to-day business development activities.

June 2010

Sonalysts Soars
June 2010 - At the 35th Annual Connecticut Arts Directors Club (CADC) Awards Dinner held June 17th, Sonalysts Media won eight separate awards, including the coveted "Judges Award."

etouches Raises Capital

June 2010 - etouches, the Ridgefield-based maker of event management software, recently received $2.25 million in venture capital funding to increase marketing of its products and services.. Most of the funding comes from Greycroft Partners, a New York City-based venture capital firm, while the remainder is being provided by Cava Capital of Wilton and Connecticut Innovations. The Council uses the etouches software suite for its event planning and registration.

COCC Employee Honored

June 2010 - COCC’s Infrastructure Officer, Chad Burney, has been named a recipient of the 2010 InfoWorld CTO 25 Awards. The award honors senior information technology executives who have demonstrated leadership within their companies and in the greater IT community. Mr. Burney has led COCC’s infrastructure group since 2005 and garnered awards for the company’s innovative use of server virtualization in 2006 and desktop virtualization last year. For the InfoWorld CTO 25 award, Mr. Burney deployed solid state disk storage in the company’s production data center, improving performance by 85% and reducing power consumption by 80%.

Higher One Goes Public
June 2010 - Higher One sold nine million shares for $12 each in mid June, raising about $108 million. It had planned to sell 14.25 million shares for $15 to $17 each. Higher One said is using the proceeds from the offering to repay debt, costs associated with its acquisition of CASHNet and for general corporate purposes.

Golina Goes South

June 2010 - RezZiliant Inc.'s hosting division and its two data centers in Waterbury and Harford have been acquired by Access Northeast, a Marlborough, Mass., a data center operator and managed services provider. RezZiliant President and CEO Mark Golino said the deal lets his company focus on its rapidly growing healthcare software offering for hospitals and medical providers. Golina has moved to Florida to manage his healthcare software business.

May 2010

It’s the Clothes You Wear
May 2010 - Samara Innovations, which is developing athletic apparel to help protect young female athletes from injury while enhancing their performance, has launched its first product. Being launched Under the Aspaeris™ brand, it has released a patent-pending compression short for female athletes designed to help mitigate knee injuries, especially those involving the ACL. Two universities are outfitting all of their female teams and several premier athletes already are wearing the garments.

Four Connecticut High School Tech Scholars Win $100,000 Each

May 2010 - New England Entrepreneur Tom Sullivan has awarded $400,000 in scholarships to four Connecticut high schoolstudents on behalf of one of his companies, Proton Energy Systems in Wallingford. Sullivan, also founder of the Virginia-based Lumber Liquidators wood-flooring chain, handed out the Proton Energy Scholarships on May 4 at the National Hydrogen Association Conference and Expo in Long Beach, Calif. The four-year, $100,000 scholarships are targeted at high-achievingstudents in science and technology. The winners: Pomperaug High School pupil Jenny Lu: Philip Lubik of Lewis Mills High School in Harwinton; Carolyn Bai of, Old Saybrook Senior High School; and Andres Parrado of Westhill High School in Stamford.

VBrick Systems Makes Appointment

May 2010 - VBrick Systems, a Wallingford-based developer of IP video technology, has named Michael Rubin as its vice president of marketing. Rubin previously served as general manager of the access line of business at Sonus Networks.

April 2010

Three Members Get Federal Grants
April 2010 - Three CTC member companies have been awarded grants of nearly $100,000 each to further research projects that have commercialization potential. The companies are Precision Combustion of North Haven, Proton Energy of Wallingford and FuelCell Energy of Danbury. The grants are being awarded by the U.S. Dept of Energy.

Nufern Makes Acquistion
April 2010 - Nufern is expanding its production and marketing of specialty fiber-optic and laser components with the pending $1.4 million purchase of a Maryland firm's technology for making fiber optic gyroscope coils. Nufern has agreed to buy the Electro Optics division of video-surveillance system maker Optelecom-NKF Inc., based in Germantown, Md. Nufern initially plans to run Electro Optics out of the Germantown facility and later expand coil production to its manufacturing plant in East Granby.

Capital Raise for TranSwitch
April 2010 - TranSwitch, a Shelton-based provider of semiconductors for the voice, data and video network, has announced that it intends to execute a common stock rights offering to its stockholders in order to raise about $10 million. The company said it will use the capital for general corporate and working capital purposes.

Good Guy Award
April 2010 - WeRecycle! LLC is among the first electronics recyclers to earn e-Stewards Certification for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment from the Basel Action Network (BAN).After a rigorous third-party audit process, WeRecycle! is one of three companies nationally to meet the Certification's new standard.

Name Change to Marcum
April 2010 - Tax and business consultants UHY Advisors Inc. has merged its 150-member New England practice, including its Hartford, New Haven and Boston offices, into accounting firm Marcum LLP. Terms were not disclosed for the merger that was effective in early April. With the merger, New York-based Marcum has 950 employees, including 117 partners, in 15 locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Grand Cayman, British West Indies.

Available in Japan
April 2010 - Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received approval from Japanese health authorities to market its drug Soliris. Soliris is Alexion’s only commercial product. It is used in the United States, Europe, Canada, Korea and Australia to treat patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglo-binuria, or PNH, a blood diisorder defined by the chronic destruction of red blood cells, or hemolysis.

Fourth Tech IPO in Connecticut This Year
April 2010 - Tangoe Inc has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering of stock to raise an estimated $75 million. Tangoe’s software helps manage fixed and mobile communications assets and services, including contract sourcing, invoice processing, policy enforcement, and device decommissioning. In its IPO filing, the company reports 2009 revenue of about $56 million, compared to $37.5 million in 2008. Investors in the company include Edison Venture Funds, Sevin Rosen Funds, Investor Growth Capital, and North Atlantic Capital.

Birthday Celebration
April 2010 - ePath Learning, a leader in enterprise learning services, celebrates the 10th Anniversary of ePath Learning ASAP, its online learning management service this month ASAP is the longest running, single-instance, software-as-a-service solution in the industry today.

Geezeo.com Makes Important Hire
April 2010 - Geezeo has hired Steven Nigri as Vice President of Sales. Mr. Nigri has an extensive background in sales within the financial services industry. Most recently with The Deal LLC, he was able to consistently achieve top rankings in gross revenue and new business generation. While Global & National Accounts Manager at Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, he developed the global business and implemented solutions designed to cultivate sales leads and closure. Mr. Nigri is a University of Kentucky graduate.

CI Makes Another Investment
April 2010 - Connecticut Innovations has made an investment of $500,000 in Soft Tissue Regeneration Inc. (STR) of Stamford through its Eli Whitney Fund. This investment is part of a $3.5 million Series A round and supplements CI’s initial investment in 2009. Co-investors in this Series A round include Philadelphia-based MentorTech Ventures II LP, the New Haven office of Launch Capital and individual investors. STR is advancing a breakthrough technology to treat anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

HoloTouch Now Installed at Greenwich Hospital
April 2010 - HoloTouch, Inc. has installed the company’s new touchless, holographic switch at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Healing at Greenwich Hospital. In Greenwich Hospital’s installation, this switch replaces tactile exit controls for the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Healing suite.

AdChem and Cooper Law on Trade Mission
April 2010 - Two CTC Members, AdChem and Cooper law are part of a Connecticut Trade Mission to Israel with Congressman Joe Courtney (from Eastern Connecticut) from April 7th to 12th.

Diane Smith To Cover 2010 Election Politics
April 2010 - The Connecticut Network announced today that Connecticut broadcaster Diane Smith will join the staff as the network’s 2010 Elections Coordinator. Diane will manage day-to-day operations for CT-N’s election coverage this year. This means working closely at all levels of the CT-N organization to help develop, support and facilitate various election-related programming initiatives through Election Night 2010.

Rogers Closes Deal
April 2010 - Rogers Corporation has announced that it has closed on the transaction to acquire SK Utis Co., Ltd., a high performance polyurethane foam business, from SK Chemicals Co., Ltd. of South Korea. As previously announced on March 23, 2010, Rogers signed an agreement to acquire the intellectual property, technology assets and stock of SK Utis Co., Ltd. for US $29.1 million. Rogers will incorporate the business into its High Performance Foams Division, a leader in sealing, cushioning, isolation, and energy management solutions for customers worldwide. It will continue to operate the newly acquired manufacturing unit, located in Ansan, South Korea.

March 2010

Pescatello Elected to New Position
At its annual meeting, the New England Biotech Association (NEBA) elected Paul

Pescatello, CURE’s President, as its president for 2010. Pescatello has been a board member since

NEBA’s founding. NEBA has 600 members included in its nonprofit organization, which consists of

companies, biotech associations and academic institutions.

IPO Is Next Step
Higher One Holdings, has filed to raise $100 million in its initial public offering of stock.

Founded in 2000, Higher One is focused on helping college business offices manage their operations

and provide services to students. Its services support refunds, payments, electronic billing and

payment plans. This second tech company IPO would follow SS&C’s which occurred the last week in

March.

Young Scientist Selected by CTC
CTC selected Bethany Dubois, an 8th grader from Newtown Middle School for its Youth

Innovation Award ($100 award) at this year’s Connecticut Science Fair held At Quinnipiac University.

Bethany was a big winner: she also grabbed the Pfizer Life Sciences 8th Grade Award, was named

the recipient of CT Science Teachers Association Tafel Award, was picked for the CURE Bio-Science

Award, and won the Meyer and Young Woman Scientist Award.

Rodney A. Smith has been named president of AT&T Connecticut
Smith most recently served as Assistant Vice President for AT&T in Washington, D.C. His work inWashington, D.C. focused on advocacy before the U.S. Congress. In addition, Smith's extensive experience includes tenures as the deputy chief of staff and communications director for a senior member of Congress as a communications and government relations executive for two Fortune 500 companies,
and as a newspaper editor, reporter and columnist in Washington, D.C. He is also an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University.

Z-Medica Helps in Haiti
Z-Medica Corp has donated $140,000 of emergency dressings and gauze it makes to AmeriCares for use in Haiti and other disaster relief efforts. The items donated to AmeriCares are Z-Medica’s QuikClot Emergency Dressing and QuikClot Combat Gauze.  The items will be used on the injured in Haiti, as well as in future disaster relief that AmeriCares assists.

FuelCell Energy in Hydrogen Fueling Effort
FuelCell Energy has won a $2.1 million subcontract from Allentown, Pa.-based Air Products & Chemicals Inc. to incorporate its Direct FuelCell-H2 technology into a hydrogen fueling station at the Orange County Sanitation District’s wastewater treatment facility in Fountain Valley, Calif. The system will be fueled with biogas from wastewater treat¬ment operations and produce 300 kilowatts of electrical power and up

to 300 pounds of hydrogen per day.

February 2010

frevvo Expands Alliances
frevvo has announced a partnership with FatWire Software to integrate frevvo's Live Forms™ software into FatWire's Web Experience Management (WEM) framework. This will allow FatWire’s customers to build easy-to-use, business capable Web forms that are a key aspect of providing customers with a seamless, integrated experience.

Wiggin and Dana Attorney Selected
David Fein, Partner and Co-Chair of Wiggin and Dana's White Collar Defense, Investigations and Corporate Compliance practice, and a former member of the firm's Executive Committee, has been nominated by President Obama for the position of United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Maybe One in Connecticut?
AT&T Inc. will establish AT&T Innovation Centers to drive development of next-generation devices, applications and equipment that expand the capabilities of mobile and wired broadband. AT&T’s plans call for AT&T Innovation Centers to be opened in at least three locations later this year, including two locations in the U.S. and one internationally. The centers will be designed to enable AT&T scientists and engineers to

work directly with device makers, application developers and network equipment providers to expedite development of an ecosystem of mobile and wired broadband services and capabilities for consumers and business users.

A Name Change for New Haven’s Continuity Engine
Continuity Engine, the creator of an on-demand, Web-based software foundation for financial institution controls that automates the regulatory compliance process for community banks and credit unions throughout the United States, has announced that it has changed the company name as well as its flagship product name to Continuity Control™.

Optherion, Inc. and Sequenom, Inc. Announce Deal
Sequenom, Inc. has announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Optherion, Inc. Under the agreement, Sequenom’s CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, has obtained the rights to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests to predict genetic predisposition to late stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Proton Energy and Italian Company in Pact
Claind, a 30-year old Italian manufacturer of gas generators, and Proton Energy have signed a commercial and technological partnership and exchange agreement that joins Claind’s many years of experience and world’s leading position in the generation of hydrogen, nitrogen and zero air products with Proton Energy’s expertise in the development and manufacturing of on-site hydrogen generation systems that utilize

Proton’s PEM technology.

January 2010

Skymira Announces Expansion of its Electronic Forms Service
Skymira LLC, a leading provider of state-of-the-art satellite and cellular technology solutions for the seamless management of remote operations, has announced that it has expanded its popular Electronic Forms service, delivering significant value through several new industry applications. The expanded Electronic Forms service addresses specific applications across several markets including maritime, oil and gas and construction.

Intelligent Motion Systems (IMS) is now "Schneider Electric Motion USA"
As of January 2010, IMS has changed its name to Schneider Electric Motion USA. Former President &

CEO David Coutu has left to pursue other opportunities.

PEL Associates Spins Out Smart Coating Systems, Launches Website
PEL Associates has officially launched Smart Coating Systems (SCS). The launch coincides with a website, www.smartcoatingsystems.com presenting SCS’s technology and applications including ship anti-fouling, corrosion & contamination removal, and sonar dome anti-fouling. SCS will focus on small scale manufacturing of ship hull coatings, with initial market focus on marinas, marine supply stores and OEMs. “This new patented product will offer a cleaner environment and savings of fuel with reduced carbon footprint”.

Tangoe Appoints New CTO
Tangoe has hired Steve Shwartz as its chief technology officer. Shwartz will be responsible for overseeing the continued development of the company’s existing technology assets as well as spearheading continued innovation of additional TEM solutions. Shwartz brings nearly twenty years of technology and management experience to Tangoe, most recently serving as Global CTO for a $1.5B technology-based financial services company. In addition, Shwartz co-founded two companies in the artificial intelligence area, Cognitive Systems and Intelligent Business Systems, and served as CTO for four startup organizations, helping those companies develop technology via outsourcing as well as building in-house development teams.

Covidien Gets OK for New Device
Health care products maker Covidien which has a surgical-devices manufacturing plant in North Haven and administrative office in New Haven, has announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its sealant for healing spine-surgery wounds. The DuraSeal spine sealant was approved for use in the United States. This is the first product that has been approved specifically as an adjunct to suturing for intra-operative dural sealing in spine procedures.

TopCoder Cryptographers Test World War II Secret Code Machine
TopCoder has announced the winning algorithm in a coding competition challenging competitors to crack the famous World War II Enigma encryption machine. Building on some of the ideas of his predecessors, TopCoder member Po-Ru Loh, a Ph.D. student in Mathematics at MIT, was able to partially defeat the machine consistently. While Loh’s winning algorithm was unable to crack the complex code every time, he did successfully solve about 40% of the cases. The competition challenged TopCoder members to quickly reproduce a mathematical feat accomplished by thousands of allied mathematicians and code-breakers at the famous Bletchley Park encrypted intelligence headquarters of World War II.

Proton Energy to Award Scholarships
Proton Energy Systems announced in December that it is launching a $1 million multiyear scholarship program. The award will go toward high school seniors nationwide who demonstrate excellence in science or technology and plan to pursue higher education in those fields. The Proton Energy Scholarship program will award four-year undergraduate scholarship prizes of up to $100,000 each. The company intends to award one $100,000 scholarship a year, said Mark Schiller, vice president of business development. Applicants who receive honorable mentions, dubbed Proton Energy Achievers, will win $500. It is the first time the company has launched a scholarship program which is funded by Tom Sullivan, owner of Proton Energy.

Goldwasser to Continuity Engine
Mickey Goldwasser has been hired as the Senior Vice President for Marketing at Continuity Engine. More recently, Goldwasser held marketing posts at Premise/Eclipsys Corporation and at Open Solutions Inc.

Geezeo.com Signs Third Credit Union
Geezeo has signed a deal to license its personal finance management software to Chicago-based Alliant Credit Union, the seventh largest credit union in the United States. Alliant, which has 250,000 members and over $6.7 billion in assets, agreed to purchase the licensing rights of Geezeo’s software. Company management see this move as giving the company legitimacy within the industry, while also allowing it to double its staff in the coming months. During 2009, the Tolland company also inked deals with California-based Stanford Federal Credit Union, which has over 47,000 members and $1 billion in assets, as well as Virginia-based 1st Advantage Federal Credit Union, which has $500 million in assets and 60,000 members.

In Case you Missed This Appointment
TranSwitch (NASDAQ: TXCC), announced in November of 2009 that Dr. M. Ali Khatibzadeh has been appointed as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Dr. Santanu Das. Dr. Khatibzadeh’s appointment became effective on December 1, 2009. Dr. Das, who is a founder of the Company and its CEO since its inception, retired after twenty years of service.

Old News: 2009

Stanford Federal Credit Union Partners with Geezeo
Geezeo announced that Stanford Federal Credit Union, serving over 47,000 members with over $1 billion in assets, has signed on as the company's charter CreditUnion HQ client. CreditUnion HQ is a white label personal finance management (PFM) suite that combines account aggregation, budgeting, goal setting/tracking, closed community forums, a targeted cross-marketing platform, and categorized educational content.

Almost at the Top
For the fourth year in a row, the Hartford Business Journal has recognized Comcast, the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications, as one of Connecticut's best employers. The company bested its number three ranking from the past two years and number five ranking from 2006 to win the second highest spot on this year’s list of the Top Places to Work in Connecticut.

WeRecycle! And Nike Collaborate on Old Sneakers
WeRecycle!, in partnership with the National Recycling Coalition and Nike, is sponsoring Nike Reuse A Shoe collections for their customers and the residents in their communities. WeRecycle!'s collection program runs April 1st through June 30th. This is part of a national recycling program aimed at collecting old, worn out athletic shoes of all brands and recycling them into new playground and athletic surfaces.

Alexion Expands in to Japan
Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced it has filed an application to begin treating Japanese patients with its patented drug Soliris to counter a rare disorder that destroys red blood cells. Treatment on Japanese patients would begin in 2010.

The Deal is Done
Germany's Munich Reinsurance Group has deepened its North American presence, completing its $739 million cash buyout of Hartford-based HSB Group Inc. from AIG, HSB and Munich Re said today. The deal was completed last month CTC Board Member Bill Rucci is the CIO at Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. HSB will be managed with Munich Re America as a standalone business, Munich Re has indicated.

2008 Tech Top 40 Winner Purchased
JAOtech Limited, a UK-based leading manufacturer of all-in-one touch screen computers for the medical, retail and industrial markets has announced that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire outright Pelham Sloane Incorporated of Fairfield. Pelham Sloane was the fastest growing advanced manufacturer in the 2008 Tech Top 40 competition.

Computer Wrist Watch from Glacier
Glacier Computer has launched the Ridgeline W200, a 10-ounce computer that is worn around the wrist. The New Milford-based firm recently entered into an agreement with Eurotech, its Udine, Italy-based designer, to distribute the unit, which allows for Internet access and a keyboard on its 3.5-inch screen, according to its CEO Ron Da’Ambrosio.

SyferLock Cited
Paul Sitar, the CEO of SyferLock has informed us that the company’s latest release of GridGuard, an enhanced authentication system for remote access allowing users to leverage existing traditional passwords, was recognized at the recent RSA conference in San Francisco. The new release allows individual UI customization and patented security modifiers.

Another Round of Financing
VBrick has closed an $11.9 million venture round with Menlo Ventures, Morgan Stanley and RedShift Ventures. The investors are betting the Wallingford firm will continue to be a leader in the network video space.

Boehringer Ingelheim Plans to Launch U.S. Stroke Prevention Registry
Boehringer Ingelheim recently announced plans to launch a U.S. based registry to evaluate patterns in the practice of anticoagulation in 2,500 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF).  AF, the most common abnormal rhythm of the heart affects more than 2.2 million in the U.S. and can lead to serious complications such as stroke.  Studies suggest that less than half of eligible patients currently receive anticoagulant therapy, which is highly effective in stroke prevention.

Governor Makes Appointment

Governor Rell has named Laura Grondin as chair of the Connecticut Development Authority.  Ms Grondin is President & CEO of Virginia Industries, a Rocky Hill manufacturer.  The CDA is a quasi-public corporation that provides financing and loan guarantees for Connecticut businesses. It was established 36 years ago and was capitalized with
$116 million in state funds. Its loan portfolio stands today at $110 million, roughly two-thirds of its total assets.

Proton Lands South Korean Contract
Proton Energy Systems has been awarded a contract from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction of South Korea to supply Hogen hydrogen generators for a power plant that provides electricity to Qatalum, the world's largest aluminum-smelting plant located in Qatar. Proton will provide Hogen generators and the engineering support needed to install, startup, and operate the hydrogen generation facility, along with the high-pressure hydrogen compressors and storage vessels.

Boehringer Ingelheim Plans to Launch U.S. Stroke Prevention Registry
Boehringer Ingelheim recently announced plans to launch a U.S. based registry to evaluate patterns in the practice of anticoagulation in 2,500 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). AF, the most common abnormal rhythm of the heart affects more than 2.2 million in the U.S. and can lead to serious complications such as stroke. Studies suggest that less than half of eligible patients currently receive anticoagulant therapy, which is highly effective in stroke prevention.

Apache Stone Records Album at Sonalysts Studio
Apache Stone, the rock group, recently finished recording their debut album at Sonalysts' Power Station, due to be released this coming April 2009. Along with the release of the album, Apache Stone will be featured in numerous episodes on the upcoming fifth season of Rescue Me.

Soliris Now Available Down Under
Cheshire-based Alexion Pharmaceutical Inc. has announced that its drug Soliris has been approved for treating all patients in Australia who suffer from the rare, debilitating and potentially fatal blood disorder paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH. The ok was granted by the Australian government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Xerox is Voted # 1
Xerox Corporation is the world’s most admired company in the computer industry as ranked in Fortune Magazine’s annual reputation survey released in February. Xerox jumped to number one from last year’s industry ranking of number four. The survey, compiled by the management consulting firm Hay Group, asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate 1,400 companies on criteria such as innovation, investment value and global competitiveness. Xerox ranked No. 1 in its category for key reputation attributes including use of corporate assets, quality of management and social responsibility.

WeRecycle! Gets Contract
WeRecycle! has secured a contract with the State of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation to provide residents with free, convenient, and responsible recycling of used electronics. Just one month into its partnership, WeRecycle! Inc. has already diverted almost 100,000 pounds of electronics from the solid waste stream, the company reported.

PEL Associates Wins U.S. Patent on Port Security
PEL Associates has been awarded a United States patent (US 7,495,572) “Smart Sensor Systems-Swimmer Detection” for technology to protect ports. The concept employs specially designed sensors which will mark the swimmer/diver and enhance acoustic detection. Applications include protection of port assets including military bases, power plants, chemical plants, marinas, and other shore-based facilities.

Old News: 2008

MysticMD Receives Grant

MysticMD has received a $50,000 grant award from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. through the Connecticut Small Business Incubator Program. MysticMD is developing new technology that can significantly reduce the weight and cost of materials in lithium ion batteries. The grant money will be used to acquire and install battery fabrication and test equipment to demonstrate the feasibility of this new technology to customers for their specific devices and applications.

Another Contract for Sonalysts
Sonalysts will receive a $10M contract for developing training for Air Force satellite operators that will simulate what workers experience on the job. Funding was provided by a Small Business Research contract in its third phase through the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles.

Alexion Making Asian InRoads

Alexion Pharmaceuticals' drug Soliris has been declared an orphan drug by Japanese officials, a designation that will help speed the process of getting it approved for patients in the Pacific nation. Soliris, a drug based on an anti-inflammatory antibody called eculizumab, is Alexion’s only commercial product. It is used in the United States and Europe to treat patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH, a rare and potentially fatal genetic blood disorder.

CTC’s 2008 Innovation Excellence Winner Receives Grant
FuelCell Energy, a manufacturer of clean power plants using a variety of fuels, has announced that it has been awarded a contract worth $21 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. The total program cost is $30.2 million of which $21 million will be funded by DOE. "The federal government is committed to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and dramatically increasing our development of alternative energy sources," said Christopher Bentley, Executive Vice President of government operations, in announcing the grant.

Tangoe Makes Another Acquisition
InterNoded, a provider of mobile device management software, has been acquired by Tangoe. All current Tangoe and InterNoded locations will remain in full operation in support of the combined company’s nearly 400 customers, according to an announcement.

Strategic Deal for frevvo
frevvo has announced a strategic agreement with Docubase Systems. It will offer frevvo’s Live Forms together with their existing Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Enterprise Document Management (EDM), Workflow and Business Process Management (BPM) products to provide customers with complete solutions including the ability to easily create web forms that work with these products.

Mitchell Moves Up at OSI Inc.

Open Solutions has promoted David Mitchell to senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Mitchell joined Open Solutions in 2000.

Premise is Sold to Atlanta Company
Eclipsys Corporation® (NASDAQ: ECLP), The Outcomes Company®, has completed its acquisition of Premise Corporation. The purchase price was $38.5 million cash, subject to certain holdback escrow provisions and working capital adjustments.

CYA Purchased
Software company CYA Technologies has been acquired by enChoice, a Chandler, Arizona company that sells software for securing and managing content in organizations. The companies did not reveal the terms of the merger, but indicated the Shelton office will remain open. Wayne Crandall, CYA’s CEO, will remain in his job.

New CIO
Mohegan Sun has hired Carol Pride as it new CIO, replacing Dan Garrow. Pride arrives from Pinnacle Entertainment Inc, the large Californian hotel and motel operator.

Women of Innovation Speaker Selected
Dr. Gina O’Connor will be this year’s Women of Innovation keynote speaker on January 29, 2009. Dr. O’Connor is an Associate Professor in the Lally School of Management and Technology. She recently published Grabbing Lightning, Building a Capacity for Breakthrough Innovation.

Penwest and Otsuka Pharmaceutical in Second R&D Agreement
Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co., (Nasdaq:PPCO), has announced a second research and development agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Japan to develop a formulation of an undisclosed Otsuka compound utilizing Penwest's TIMERx(r) drug delivery technology. Under the terms of the
agreement, Penwest will receive undisclosed fees and payments.

Comcast Manager and Women of Innovation Finalist Honored
Pamela Mackenzie, vice president of Comcast’s Hartford-Springfield Area, was recognized with the Career Achievement Award by Women in Cable Telecommunications New England at the Fourth Annual WICT New England Awards Ceremony. The Career Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has had a milestone decade, has significantly impacted the cable industry and is a visionary leader that is highly regarded by her employees and peers.

July 2008

MysticMD Receives Grant

MysticMD has received a $50,000 grant award from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. through the Connecticut Small Business Incubator Program. MysticMD is developing new technology that can significantly reduce the weight and cost of materials in lithium ion batteries. The grant money will be used to acquire and install battery fabrication and test equipment to demonstrate the feasibility of this new technology to customers for their specific devices and applications.

Glacier Goes Linux

Glacier Computer, a leading designer, developer, and supplier of rugged industrial PC-compatible devices, is now shipping its Everest industrial computer with two Linux operating system options. Glacier will be offering customers in the warehouse, freight, distribution, and field service markets the Everest computer with Linux options from either IGel or Fedora.

 

June 2008

Memry Corporation Sold

SAES Getters S.p.A., Italian Group, a world leader in a variety of scientific and industrial applications where stringent vacuum conditions or ultra-pure gases are required, and Memry Corporation (AMEX: MRY have agreed on a merger plan, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The transaction is valued at approximately $77.7 million.

PEL Associates - Recent Coating Patent
PEL Associates has announced that it has been awarded a broad United States patent (U.S. 7,390,560) “Smart Coating Systems” for technology that cleanses a surface on command. The concept employs specially designed coating arrays which will release a layer via triggers of electrical, acoustic or microwave energy. Applications involve defouling of ships, drug delivery, and electric circuit modification technology.

 

May 2008

Big Bus Deal

South Windsor-based UTC Power has won what it is calling “the largest ever U.S. order” of fuel cell equipment to power hybrid transit buses in the San Francisco Bay area. No value was placed on the deal, but based on past business the contract should be worth at least $50 million. The contract from AC Transit of Oakland includes a minimum of eight 120 kilowatt “PureMotion Model 120” fuel cell systems from UTC Power, with options for an additional 13.Deliveries are scheduled for 2009 and 2010.

Z-Medica Gets Approval from Feds

Z-Medica Corporation has announced that the United States Department of Defense has selected the company’s newest hemostatic product, QuikClot® Combat Gauze™ brand, for all military services as the first-line hemostatic treatment for life-threatening hemorrhage that is not amenable to tourniquet placement. The Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) made the decision to recommend QuikClot® Combat Gauze™ after reviewing test reports on a number of hemostatic products.

Member is Sold

Identity Systems, an Old Greenwich-based provider of data search and matching technology, has been sold by its parent Nokia to Redwood City-based Informatica for about $85 million in cash. Identity Systems offers a set of "fuzzy" algorithms, with built-in support for more than 60 languages, to support identity search and matching, across extremely large volumes of data. The company was founded in 1986 and became an independent division of Nokia in 2006. It has offices in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

TPT Wins Honor, Announces Acquisition

Triple Point Technology has won the SAP® Pinnacle Award in the category Showcase Leadership for Software Solution Partners. SAP Pinnacle Awards are granted to leading SAP partners that have excelled in enhancing the customer experience by teaming with SAP to help customers address critical issues such as accelerating innovation and improving return on investment.

Triple Point Announced last month that it has acquired Investment Support Systems Inc. (INSSINC), a Parsippany-based provider of treasury management and regulatory compliance software. Triple Point said that the acquisition of INSSINC gives it the ability to "immediately and comprehensively address the increasingly important corporate governance and regulatory compliance requirements of organizations in Triple Point’s core markets, including oil and gas, metals and mining, agriculture, utilities and consumer packaged goods." All 45 INSSINC employees have joined Triple Point, and INSSINC founder and CEO, Elie Zabal, has been named Triple Point senior vice president of Treasury Management and Regulatory Compliance Solutions.

TranSwitch Board Appointment

TranSwitch has elected Gerald F. Montry as chairman of its board of directors. Since 1998, Montry has been the managing partner of Mont Reuil & Co., a private investment firm.

April 2008

AT & T Unveils First AT & T Experience Stores in CT

AT&T Inc. today announced two AT&T Experience Store(SM) openings, one at Westfarms Mall in Farmington and one in Branford. These stores, which are the first in Connecticut and among only 16 in the country, give customers a new way to experience and shop for an array of communications and entertainment services.  Click here to read more.

Battery Sales Booming

Electro Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: EEEI), a leading provider of advanced battery technologies and associated systems, has received their first commercial battery order for their 18650BX rechargeable Lithium-Ion cells. EEEI has spent the past twelve months setting up their Gainesville, FL manufacturing facility to produce 18650 size lithium batteries. The Gainesville plant is the largest manufacturing facility for 18650 type cells outside Asia and has the capacity to produce over 30 million cells per year. During the past several months, a large quantity of cells was produced at this facility and these cells have successfully passed internal qualification testing.

Foster Founds New Company

Foster Corporation has announced the introduction of Foster Pharmaceutical, the new pharmaceutical branch of its current biomedical materials manufacturing business. Larry has appointed Tony Listro as Managing Director of the pharmaceutical group. Previously, Listro served as the Director of Applications Development Engineering at Foster Corporation.

 

From Computers to Sneakers

WeRecycle! will be a regional collection facility once again this year, for schools, municipalities, and other organizations in the area that would like to recycle old shoes! Nike accepts any brand of sneakers, and recycles them into surfaces such as tracks, basketball courts, and playgrounds.

College Transactions Just Got Easier

Higher One, the New Haven-based, financial services and payment company focused on higher education, has agreed to acquire the assets of EduCard, an affiliate of software developer Evisions. EduCard uses the Evisions Intellecheck technology to provide colleges and universities with paperless payment services through a stored value card. Financial terms of the acquisition agreement were not disclosed.

A Done Deal

Cronus Partners LLC announced this month that it acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Resolute TAP Services, LLC in its sale of substantially all of its assets to Vision Point of Sale, Inc. ResTAP Services, formerly headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, provided information technology support services consisting of maintenance, installation, and related services to the self-service technology sector, including kiosks and other consumer-facing technology in a retail or other self-service environment.

Brightegg Launches Private Label Contact Management System (CMS)

Brightegg has launched its Private Label offering. It is built specifically for interactive design firms as well as other media companies that want to sell a web-based, 100% brandable CMS solution, giving their clients the ability to manage and market their own website and online business. With Brightegg PL, interactive design firms can offer a full-service solution for their clients, including hosting and email.

March 2008

Portfolio Company News

• Perimeter Acquires Seccas
• Nufern Acquired by ROFIN-SINAR
• IBM Honors CYA Technologies
• LegiTime Makes a Splash at DEMO 08
• EES to Demonstrate Solucorp Technology
• Premise Wins AHA Endorsement 

Alexion Clinical Trials in Japan
Alexion Pharmaceuticals has enrolled 29 people in an advanced study of its drug Soliris in Japanese patients suffering from a potentially fatal blood disease. The company will treat patients suffering from paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH, with Soliris at clinical sites throughout Japan in June.

High Ranking

Cantor Colburn LLP has been recognized as a Go-To Law Firm® for Leading Technology Companies by American Lawyer Media (ALM) and has been ranked the #19 Top Patent Firm, out of more than 350, in the US by Intellectual Property Today magazine. The dual honors signal the consistent growth and strength of Cantor Colburn’s practice. Cantor Colburn recently moved to downtown Hartford from Bloomfield.

Kodak Buying Design2Launch

Eastman Kodak has announced it will acquire Design2Launch Inc. The deal is expected to close in about a month. Alison Malloy, its current CEO will become general manager of its Corporate Solutions Group, the unit Design2Launch is being merged into, and Design2Launch will become a Kodak product name.

February 2008

Skillproof Quoted in Washington Post, CNN Money, and IDG Network World

As part of an article about projects of IBM's Academic Initiative with universities in the United States, SkillPROOF was quoted yesterday about current trends in the IT job market:

"According to Connecticut-based labor demand research company Skillproof, the number of job openings for IT professionals in the United States increased by 45.2% from 2004 to end of year 2007, with open-standards and Web 2.0 development skills topping the list of job openings. Even as the number of IT jobs has declined from mid-2007 through early 2008, open-computing skills remain proportionately hot." CNNMoney.

January 2008

Connecticut Innovations Makes $500k Seed Investment in Frevvo Inc.

Frevvo's Live Forms product is an innovative Internet application for creating multi-functional, Ajax forms using just a web browser. Developers - you should look at this for form building...
Click here to read more.

 

Center for Entrepreneurship Celebrates A Year of Success

A year ago this month, UConn's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) opened for business in Connecticut and on Jan. 23, it officially moved into its new space in the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology offices in East Hartford. An event held last week to recognize both milestones was attended by University President Michael J. Hogan; Lt.-Gov. Michael Fedele; State Senate President Donald Williams; the commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Economic and Community Development, Joan McDonald; state legislators; faculty; students; and business owners.

VBrick Sells to Temple University

Temple University is the latest of more than 1,000 educational institutions that have selected VBrick Systems Inc. to provide digital video. Temple's Tech Center is now using VBrick to stream cable television stations to student laptops and building PCs, providing access to 12 cable channel streams including CNN, ESPN and MTV, as well as CBS, ABC, FOX and other affiliates. Temple chose VBrick's digital video solution platform to record, steam and manage digital video across Internet Protocol networks.

Hamilton Sundstrand Makes Renewable Energy Deal

Hamilton Sundstrand Corp. has teamed up with a private equity firm to provide electric power to utilities using a new technology. Hamilton has entered a long-term, exclusive deal with US Renewables Group to supply equipment for converting solar energy to electric power through a process involving molten salt. A US Renewables company, SolarReserve, intends to sell the power systems to utilities.

Fuel Cell Energy Secures State Loan

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced last month that the state will provide a $4 million loan to FuelCell Energy Inc. to expand its Torrington plant. The $10 million project is expected to add 100 jobs.

Another Acquisition

In its 11th acquisition in the past four years, Perimeter eSecurity has announced that it has acquired a New York City-based firm that specializes in e-mail archiving. Financial terms of the deal, in which Perimeter acquired Secure Electronic Communication Compliance Archival System, were not disclosed. The New York City firm specializes in e-mail archiving for compliance-oriented industries.

Stamp of Approval for WeRecycle

WeRecycle!, Inc., an industry leading provider of IT asset recovery and recycling services, is now ISO 14001:2004 certified. The certification addresses WeRecycle!'s Environmental Management System and assures that it complies with the rigorous performance standards set forth by the International Standards Organization (ISO), a group that sets quality and environmental management standards for businesses.

Danbury Member Secures More Federal Research Dollars

The U.S. Department of Energy budget is providing $1 million in FY 2008 towards the development of Danbury-based Electro Energy's patented battery technology. The funding will help pay for Electro's continued development of its batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and other vehicle applications. The aim is commercialization of a new generation of smaller, lighter, and safer batteries with increased energy, reduced cost and higher power capability.

War Games

The Department of the Navy has awarded an $11.4 million contract to Sonalysts Inc. to develop computer software that can be customized to tutor individual sailors. The new "embedded training" software can be used in a classroom setting to teach the men and women who conduct submarine and surface warfare using aircraft to be air traffic controllers. The computer programs help students to master techniques and knowledge at their own speed.

Affordable Web Design

Digiwize has just launched an exciting new product for web site creation.The new effort is called Brightegg. It is a powerful web platform that enables businesses to build, manage and market a feature-rich, highly professional website at a cost-effective price. Brightegg targets organizations that want to grow online without spending thousands of dollars or hiring a full-time programmer, web designer and marketing expert.

December 2007

CuraGen names Cassidy CFO
Branford-based CuraGen Corp., a biopharmaceutical company, has named Sean Cassidy vice president and chief financial officer. Click here to read more.

 

Electric Boat awarded $11M contract
The U.S. Navy awarded an $11.4 million contract modification to Electric Boat, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, to manage and support nuclear-maintenance work for submarines at the sub base in Groton. Click here to read more.

 

German company acquires Nufern
An East Granby fiber manufacturing company has been acquired by Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc., a company with headquarters in Michigan and Germany. Click here to read more.

 

Netkey Buys Georgia Company

Netkey Inc. recently expanded its presence in the rapidly growing digital signage industry by acquiring Alpharetta, GA-based Webpavement, one of the largest providers of software used for the operation and management of networks of digital signs.

 

Good Deal for the Smaller Companies

Comcast Corporation and Microsoft Corp have launched a new Internet-based communications product for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), giving SMBs access to services that have traditionally only been available to larger companies with IT staffs. Comcast’s SMB customers will be the first in the country to receive Microsoft Communication Services from Comcast, which will provide them with corporate-class e-mail, calendaring and document sharing. The product is Internet-based, so no additional server capacity will be required available and the services will be available at no additional cost with Comcast’s broadband services.

 

Donating Now Made More Easy

WeRecycle! Inc has become a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR).  WeRecycle! can now install Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Office XP on computers that are donated by businesses to eligible recipients. Becoming a MAR allows WeRecycle!'s customers to donate to their communities by providing reusable computers to those in need.  WeRecycle! and their clients can cost effectively install Microsoft operating systems on recycled computers which are then given to schools, nonprofits, and low income families. 

 

Medical Device Coating News

MysticMD Inc. has announce that California based Nanōmix Inc. has licensed its proprietary conductive coating technology for use in glucose detection.  This agreement is the culmination of a close relationship with Nanōmix that began a few years ago with a joint collaboration agreement between the two companies. This deal brings commercial opportunity in the multi billion dollar blood glucose monitoring market.

 

Open Solutions’ Hernandez Grabs More Honors

Open Solutions Inc. has announced that Open Solutions Chairman and CEO Louis Hernandez, Jr. was selected by Bank Technology News as one of “The Innovators 2007,” an annual ranking of the 25 most advanced people, companies and technologies in the financial industry. Hernandez was also one of the first 10 inductees into The Innovators’ Hall of Fame. Hernandez was recognized for his aggressive and innovative approach to open-architecture core processing technology strategies.

 

Applause for CI and another Life Sciences Investment

Connecticut Innovations Inc. has received a 2007 Excellence in TBED Award from the State Science & Technology Institute. The award, given in six categories, recognizes the best state and regional approaches to TBED - or technology-based economic development. The CII award highlights the organization's Eli Whitney Fund, through which CII has invested more than $100 million in over 60 emerging, Connecticut-based technology companies since 1995. Technology and bioscience seed funds have been established with a portion of the investment returns.

 

In other CI investment news, CI has invested $680,000 in Ipsogen, a life science company focused on the development and commercialization of molecular diagnostic tests that help oncologists determine the effectiveness of cancer treatments and guide therapeutic options. The money from CI will be used to help the company expand its operations in Connecticut. Ipsogen recently established its North American corporate headquarters in New Haven. The parent company is based in Marseille, France. The company's test kits are sold to clinical laboratories and hospitals worldwide.

 

Buy it at Cabella’s

QuikClot Sport is now being sold by sporting goods stores. The consumer version of what was a military medical tool until recently will now be available to hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts. QuikClot is made of an inert mineral material that almost instantly stops high-volume bleeding from open wounds outside an operating room setting. Z-Medica had not intended to develop a consumer-type version of QuikClot, but at the urging of Cabella’s brought the product to market. So now you can go to East Hartford to buy a bag.

 

A Roof with a Dip

You may have read back in August that The Connecticut Science Center roof was found to be off slightly. The Science Center's special construction inspector determined that it may not have been erected in exactly the right position. After extensive surveys and other analysis, the project team confirmed that the cantilevered portions of the Magic Carpet Roof were slightly out of position and began to work on a plan to correct them. The correction plan required a large crane to lower the east side cantilever in two sections and place it on the plaza level of the construction site for analysis and correction. The connections of the major roof sections will be revised, reconnected on the ground and surveyed for accuracy, then detached, raised, and re-assembled in their position 183 feet above. Engineers will then survey the work yet again to assure that it is correct.

 

Tangoe Wins Award

Tangoe, Inc. has received a 2007 “Product of the Year” award from Technology Marketing Corporation’s (TMC) Customer Interaction Solutions magazine. The prestigious award was given for Tangoe’s CommCare managed services solution offering, a suite of services for managing all processes associated with fixed, mobile, and converged communications.

 

 

First biodiesel station opens in Connecticut

Berkshire Country Store in West Cornwall. The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology has launched a Small Business Incubator Program for biofuels and will offer up to $5 million in grants to biodiesel producers for equipment, storage and distribution. The incentives will include 30 cents a gallon for the first 5 million gallons produced, 20 cents a gallon for the next 5 million gallons, and 10 cents a gallon for the next 5 million gallons.

 

Connecticut earns energy gold star 
Connecticut is a leader in promoting clean energy. In a new report from Environment America , the Nutmeg State is among six others leading the nation in its policy initiatives to increase renewable energy, save energy and require more clean and efficient cars.

 

CTC has added nine new members in the last month.
They include: Prescients, LLC of Westport www.prescients.com, Imaging Solutions of Wallingford www.imagingsolutions.com, the Advanced Marketing & Media Group of Stamford www.theammgroup.com, Reality Interactive of Middletown www.realityi.com and DsignDigital of Hartford www.dsigndigital.com. Also joining are 568 Systems of Berlin, www.568systems.com, Nadicent Technologies of Glastonbury, www.nadicent.com, Trabertec of Hartford www.trabgertec.com, Materials Technology Corporation of Monroe, www.aboutmtc.com, Computer Aided Engineering of Middlebury, www.caeai.com and Huettinger Electronic of Farmington, www.huettinger.com.

 

Connecticut Innovations Appoints New President
The Connecticut Innovations’ (CI) board of directors has appointed Peter V. Longo President and Executive Director. Longo was serving as deputy director of CI and serving as the organization’s acting executive director. Longo has been with CI since 1995 when he joined as investment accounting director.

And This Open is Not About Golf

TopCoder®, Inc., will expand its annual programming competition this year (2008 TopCoder Open, May 11th to 15th, 2008 at The Mirage Las Vegas). This year's event is bigger and better, and will expand  the finalist pool by 50 percent by flying in 120 of the world's top software developers from around the world to match skills in a variety of competitions, from traditional algorithm, development and design tracks, to the newer TopCoder Studio for graphic design.

Electro Energy is Charged Up
Electro Energy Inc. has awarded by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency a competitive contract for the manufacture and delivery of batteries for the U.S. Army Kiowa Helicopter. The batteries will be made in Electro Energy’s Colorado Springs, Colo., facility, which has also made batteries for the B-1 bomber, the B-2 stealth bomber, the B-52 heavy bomber, and the Apache and Cobra attack helicopters. 

College Innovation Competition Fostered by Competitive Technologies
Competitive Technologies has announced a competition for the spring of 2008 which encourages collegians at the undergraduate and undergraduate levels to submit their innovation ideas. The competition, which actually begins this fall, will award a top prize of $25,000. For more information contact Robert Taggert at 203.368.6044 or rtaggert@competitvetech.net 

Price Sells Two
This is old news, but in case you did not see this: Elaine Price has sold her two Shelton-based companies, Phoenix Systems Integration and Platform Dynamics US to Crown Partner in Ohio. Price will continue on as a senior member of the Crown Partners executive Team.  

UTRC Appointment
David Parekh has become director of the United Technologies Research Center and the company's vice president for research. 

It All Adds UP
ADNET Technologies Inc. in Windsor has bought Rocky Hill-based  Vested Technologies Inc. Connecticut Attorney's Title Insurance Co. created Vested Technologies more than a decade ago to provide information technology services to legal and mortgage real estate businesses in Connecticut. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 

Investment Banking Deal
Cronus Partners LLC (“Cronus Partners”) handled the leveraged recapitalization of Resolute Partners LLC (“Resolute”) in a transaction enabling the current management of Resolute to acquire a controlling interest in the business. Cronus Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Resolute. The recapitalization was structured with a Senior Secured Credit Facility from Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company. Headquartered in Southington, Resolute has been providing internet connectivity and computer-based recreation services to U.S. military personnel and their dependents worldwide for more than a decade, including combat areas in the Middle East and Iraq.   

Top Flight Terra
Terra Technology (www.terratechnology.com), a provider of demand sensing and inventory optimization solutions for consumer products companies, has been recognized as one of Managing Automation’s Companies to Watch in 2008. Managing Automation’s Companies to Watch is a list of ten technology companies that provide an innovative solution manufacturers can adopt to gain a competitive advantage. 

CAPS is Growing
CAPS Business Recovery Services (CAPS), a leading provider of alternate sites for business continuity and disaster recovery in the Northeast (as well as planning services and related software), has completed agreements and plans for expansion of new sites in the Tri-state area (Northeast) and Southeastern United States. The new sites are located in Shelton, CT and Duluth, GA, with others also under consideration. The Atlanta area facility will be open in Q4 of this year, and Shelton in Q1 2008. 

Wipe the Hard Drive Too
WeRecycle!, Inc., an industry leading provider of environmentally sound electronics recycling and IT asset recovery, has selected Blancco’s LAN Server for digital data erasure services.  WeRecycle! Will now be able to offer clients the greatest array of physical and digital data destruction options.

Good Tech Policy
The Technology CEO Council, a Washington, D.C.-based policy advocacy group, has called on the federal government to strengthen research funding, open global markets and promote tax policies that encourage technology entrepreneurism. Called "The Great Nation," the report is meant to raise technology-related issues in advance of the 2008 presidential election. Members of the group include the heads of Hewlett-Packard, Dell, EMC, Intel and Motorola.

 

Hartford Member Sold
AutomationSolutions has been purchased by The Riverside Company. The company, which develops and distributes highly engineered automation solutions for original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") in the Northeastern United States, is Riverside's 17th acquisition overall for 2007 and represents the 16th investment by the firm's Micro-Cap Fund ("RMCF"), focused on companies with EBITDA of $3 million or less.

 

Google Competitor
Xerox Corp. has introduced a "smart" search engine it says will help users perform more relevant Internet searches. Called FactSpotter, the software capitalizes on an increasingly popular field known as semantic searches that improves Internet research by analyzing the meaning of a question and a document to match the two for the best answer. The new tool was developed in part at the Xerox Research Center Europe in Grenoble, France.

 

VBrick and Industry Leader Polycom
Sign Deal
VBrick Systems, Inc has signed an agreement to join Polycom's ARENA partner program to deliver an interoperable, combined ecosystem for education, government, and corporate customers. Polycom, a leader in unified collaboration communications, initiated the ARENA program to allow software application providers, hardware device manufacturers, and conferencing solution providers to integrate their products with Polycom's platform.

 

Soliris approved in Europe
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received approval from the European Commission top market its Soliris drug for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a disabling and life-threatening blood disorder. Soliris, which has already been approved in the U. S., is the first therapy approved in Europe to treat the disease, the symptoms of which include severe anemia, disabling fatigue and recurrent pain. Alexion will begin reimbursement discussions with healthcare providers in major European countries immediately, and expects to introduce the drug in at least one country by the end of the year.

In "You likely Missed this Appointment" Category
EDGAR® Online, Inc. (NASDAQ: EDGR) announced in April that Philip Moyer will assume the position of President.

Summer Reading List

Dr. Morton L. Wallach, President and CEO of PEL Associates has published a fifth book in a series on "Advances In Polymer Technology And Applications.

2006 Archives

 

2005 Archives