CTC Member News

AT&T Unveils First AT&T Experience Store Locations in Connecticut

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.

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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.

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 June.

Another Patent

Dr. Morton L Wallach of PEL Associates has been awarded a United States patent (US 7,345,596 B2) “Smart Polymeric Multilayer Sensors” on technology to detect submarines with specially designed smart micro sensor systems. The patented concept employs submarine turbulence activation of sensors which undergo a buoyancy change of state and rise to the surface.

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.

DOE Grant to Avalence

Avalence LLC recently announced it has been awarded a Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its proprietary process for the direct electrolytic production of ultra-high-pressure hydrogen gas. According to Avalence, it will team with representatives from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and John Deere to conduct the project's first phase, which comprises the assessment and documentation of the energy savings afforded by generating hydrogen gas at storage pressure, thereby eliminating the energy associated with mechanical compression.

Brightegg Launches Private Label Content 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.

Center for entrepreneurship celebrates a year of success

by Michael Kirk - January 28, 2008

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. Full Story..

Kodak Buying Design2Launch

March 10, 2008 - 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.

Portfolio Company News

March 10, 2008 - 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

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

February 15, 2008 - 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.

Affordable Platform for Website Design

January 2008 - 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.
Click here to read more.

VBrick Sells to Temple University

January 2008 - 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 Sundstand Makes Renewable Energy Deal

January 2008 - 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.

Stamp of Approval for WeRecycle

January 2008 - 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

January 2008 - 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

January 2008 - 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.

Another Acquisition

January 2008 - 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.

FuelCell Energy secures State Loan

January 2008 - 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.