Enterprise Center Company News

The Enterprise Center of Johnson County announces George Hansen as new President & CEO
LENEXA, Kan – (June 17, 2013) – The Enterprise Center of Johnson County (ECJC), a venture development organization and early stage company incubator in the Kansas City Metro, today announced the appointment of George Hansen as President & CEO. Mr. Hansen joins ECJC as a next step in his distinguished career of building and financing companies across multiple industries in Kansas City and throughout the world.

In his new role, Mr. Hansen will lead ECJC’s efforts to fuel new venture development and facilitate the associated rapid growth in employment opportunities in Johnson County and the surrounding metropolitan region. George replaces Joel Wiggins, who recently accepted the position as President of his alma mater, Crown College in Minnesota.

“George Hansen’s leadership will provide a tremendous boost to a new era of venture acceleration in Johnson County and the Greater Kansas City area,” said Jim Dodd, Chairman of the ECJC.

“I am delighted to be joining ECJC and look forward to working with its board to advance venture development efforts in a new era,” said Hansen. “ECJC has been a pioneer as a local incubator, and is well-positioned to take on new challenges as the landscape changes. Johnson County is fertile ground for building great companies."

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The ECJC begins 2nd year of its entrepreneurial internship program with support from Fry-Wagner

After a successful program in 2012, The Enterprise Center of Johnson County (ECJC) is pleased to announce the launch of its second year of the entrepreneurial internship program. In an effort to give students a unique perspective into the early-stage company environment, ECJC designed a summer-long internship working with ECJC companies, the Mid-America Angel network & participation in networking opportunities in Kansas City.

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EyeVerify featured in Consumer Reports Money Minute

McCaskill, KC businesswomen talk small business financing
From the Kansas City Business Journal - by Autumn Morning Sky

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill discussed financing and entrepreneurship with Kansas City businesswomen at the Women's Employment Network offices on Friday.

"As a woman and an elected official, I've had to get over this feeling that it's impolite to talk about money — much less ask for it," she said."As a candidate, it's something I've had to get comfortable with: calling and asking perfect strangers to write me a check with a comma. But my ability to close and raise that money is essential to my success, and the same is true for women business owners."

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ECJC Graduate, Data Locker, named a Top 10 Small Business by the KC Chamber
Data Locker; Overland Park, Kan.
Manufactures data encryption solutions for governments, military, and businesses around the world. http://www.datalocker.com

More than 100 companies from across the Kansas City region have submitted applications for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s 27^th annual Small Business Celebration, and the judges have narrowed the candidates down to the Top 10.

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ECJC's Joel Wiggins Wins International Award
ATHENS, Ohio – The National Business Incubation Association awarded Joel Wiggins with the 2013 President’s Award during NBIA’s International Conference on Business Incubation in Boston. This award recognizes a longtime NBIA member for lifetime achievement in support of business incubation.

A 16-year veteran incubation professional, frequent presenter at NBIA conferences, and former NBIA board member and chairman, Wiggins is leaving his post as president & CEO of the Enterprise Center of Johnson County in Lenexa, Kan., to become president of Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn., in June. Wiggins studied history at Crown, a Christian school where all students have a dual major: their chosen discipline and Christian Studies

The National Business Incubation Association is the world's leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. Each year, the NBIA Incubation Awards honor the business incubation programs, graduates and client companies that exemplify the best of the industry.

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App-ril 4 in KC: Netpage builds bridge between print, digital

Bridging the gap between print and online has proved a struggle for many magazines and newspapers. Today’s dose of App-ril showcases an app that was developed in Lenexa that helps close the gap for smartphone-wielding readers of Esquire and Marie Claire magazines. Read more below on how the app works.

App-ril is a daily series during the month of April featuring Web and mobile applications that Kansas Citians use.

ECJC & Johnson County among community economic gardening engagements awarded from NetWork Kansas
NetWork Kansas has awarded Johnson County, the city of Parsons, and the city of Wichita with community-level economic gardening engagements through the statewide Kansas Economic Gardening Network. These community applications will support at least 16 economic gardening engagements worth more than $56,000 with second-stage businesses.

To date, three community applications have been approved: the city of Parsons, the city of Wichita (via the Wichita Technology Corporation), and Johnson County (via Enterprise Center of Johnson County). The Johnson County partnership includes businesses in the city of Overland Park and the city of Shawnee.

Read the full article at: www.kansascommerce.com/civicalerts.aspx?AID=815

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ECJC Client, Links-It named among Top 10 Impressive Pet Products from Global Pet Expo
by Stacy Mantle

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. That is the case with the Links-It product. You know those annoying metal rings that attach tags to your pets collar? These clips are designed to replace them.

The hard plastic rings are super secure, incredibly easy to operate, and are virtually silent - no more annoying metal jingles. They come in a variety of colors and are very inexpensive. Check out their site for more information. They also make an excellent key ring!

Read the full article at petsweekly.com

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EyeVerify Announces Beta Program for iOS and Android Smartphones Ushering in New Era in Mobile Security

Exclusive EyePrint Beta Program Features Full Technical and Engineering Support

EyeVerify today announced a public beta of the industry's first EyePrint Verification System. Eyeprints are a simple safe replacement for entering passwords on smartphones. The beta program is designed to support EyeVerify beta participants seeking to integrate, test and deploy the next generation mobile authenticator. This beta program opens the next phase of adoption of the industry's first eyeprint solution. 

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EyeVerify Announces Eyeprint Validation Results from the Biomentric Standards, Performance, and Assurance Laboratory
Test Results Indicate That Eyeprints Are More Accurate Than Facial Recognition and as Good as, or Better Than Fingerprints; EyeVerify's Eyeprint Technology Awarded Second Patent 

The Biometric Standards, Performance and Assurance (BSPA) administered data collection of Eyeprints across 250 subjects. Initial results show a false acceptance rate of 0.013% (a false acceptance rate is the measure of the likelihood that the biometric security system will incorrectly accept an access attempt by an unauthorized user).

According to Dr. Stephen Elliot, Director of BSPA Labs, "Biometric authentication on mobile devices is a very active space right now. Leveraging existing hardware which has been mass deployed is a key element for wide scale adoption." 

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SparkLabKC Accepting Applications for New Business Accelerator
Only 10 Startup Companies Will Be Chosen for 90-Day Mentor-Driven Program That Provides Up to $18,000 in Seed Capital, Business Advisory Services and Free Workspace SparkLabKC℠ application at www.SparkLabKC.com

SparkLabKC is now taking applications for its new business accelerator program which will run for 90 days this summer at 215 West Pershing Road, across the street from Union Station, in Kansas City, Mo. Applications are being taken at www.SparkLabKC.com through March 31.

Gov. Nixon, Corporate Leaders to help UMKC Launch ‘Digital Sandbox’
Attend the launch event for new 'Digital Sandbox' support center for high tech startups:

Friday, February 1, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.
Extreme Screen Theater, B level, Union Station
30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO

Gov. Jay Nixon will join top executives from Kansas City corporate icons Hallmark, Sprint, UMB Bank, Cerner, VML, RareWire and more to help the University of Missouri-Kansas City Innovation Center launch the new Digital Sandbox KC, a proof-of-concept and mentoring center for high-tech start-ups. 

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ECJC Graduate Company Innovadex is acquired by Underwriters Laboratories
ECJC Board Chair, Jim Dodd transitions to a co-managing director role in new entity, UL Innovadex

"Underwriters Laboratories acquires Overland Park's Innovadex" - Alyson Raletz, Kansas City Business Journal.

The company known as Underwriters Laboratories has acquired Innovadex LLC, a growing Overland-Park based search engine firm aimed at the food and life sciences industries.

UL LLC, which reported $1.2 billion in 2011 revenue and has more than 10,000 employees, announced the deal Monday but declined to disclose terms.

The purchase of Innovadex, whose former CEO calls it “Google for chemists,” closed on Dec. 31.

Read the full article at bizjournals.com/kansascity

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Women's Business Center announces Brande Stitt as new Program Director

ECJC Graduate Company Data Locker honored among 25 Under 25® Class of 2013
ECJC Graduate company Data Locker was selected as a finalist for the annual 25 under 25 Dinner & Gala to be held on February 23, 2013. The awards honor companies who:

• Employ fewer than 25 full-time employees (or full-time equivalents)
• Operate a for-profit business for three or more years
• Are located within the Greater Kansas City area

The final 25 honorees are selected according to financial stability, Ability to overcome obstacles/adversity/challenges, community involvement/service, distinguishing or defining characteristics/qualities, and company vision.

More information about the awards can be found at: www.ithinkbigger.com/25-under-25r-awards

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Netpage's Digital Twin could be a boost for printed magazines

David Ward - PrintWeek
Lenexa, Kansas-based Netpage has unveiled an augmented reality app that lets readers clip, save and share content from printed pages to their mobile device.

Read the full article at: www.printweek.com

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Lenexa named one of the “Best Places to Raise Kids 2013”
from the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce
Lenexa, Kan. – Bloomberg BusinessWeek has named the City of Lenexa as one of its “Best Places to Raise Kids 2013.” Bloomberg identified one community in each state, and Lenexa is proud to learn of this recognition as the “Best Place to Raise Kids” in Kansas. Lenexa is also the only community in the Kansas City metro area to be named on this list.

“We have always known Lenexa is a great place to live and raise a family,” said Mayor Mike Boehm. “Inclusion on this prestigious list is an independent validation of this fact.”

Read more: Bloomberg Businessweek

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Six Years in, Mid-America Angels continue regional funding mission [from SPN]
by Annie Sorensen - Silicon Prairie News

Creating one of the first organized angel investment groups in the Kansas City area was the motivation behind the founding of Mid-America Angels Investments (MAA), a program inside the Enterprise Center of Johnson County.

Joel Wiggins, the co-founder and executive director of MAA, moved to the Kansas City area in 2005 from Austin, Texas, where he was the director of the Austin Technology Incubator. Impressed with the area's entrepreneurial community, Wiggins felt there were great success stories coming out of the area and that the community "was about to pop," he said during a phone interview.

Read the full article: www.siliconprairienews.com/2012/11/six-years-in-mid-america-angels-continue-regional-funding-mission

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Esquire To Make Print Magazine Interactive Through ECJC Company's Netpage App

Wall Street Journal Blog - Digits, By Keach Hagey

Magazines’ future might be digital, but — Newsweek-style forced marches aside — that future is also years away. In the interim, magazines must figure out how to exist as print objects in an increasingly digital world.

To that end, Esquire, always game to try the latest digital gimmickry to spice up its 80-year old print title, has teamed up with a new app called Netpage that lets readers clip, save and share content from the print magazine on social media.

This week’s launch is the result of two years of collaboration between the staffs of Esquire and Netpage, a Lenexa, Kan.-based startup spun off from Australia’s Silverbrook Research last year. Netpage’s ultimate goal, according to CEO Paul Morris, is to become the app for interactive print reading across the industry.

Read the full article at:blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/11/12/esquire-to-make-print-magazine-interactive-through-netpage-app/

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ECJC company, SkillSniper, discusses the benefits of contract workers for startup companies

"More Kansas City startups turn to temporary workers to manage early-stage costs"
Kansas City Business Journal - Brenna Hawley

A 2011 Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation study of Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed new businesses opened with 7.5 jobs, on average, in the 1990s. Now, startups offer 4.9 jobs initially. Census data reflected slightly higher numbers but a similar trend — 10.8 employees during the peak in 2002, falling to 7.8 in 2009.

Although some companies will split stock among big players in the business, many others start with one or two people full time and hire out the rest of the work initially.

Read the full article in the October 19, 2012 print edition of the Kansas City Business Journal or online here: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/print-edition/2012/10/19/more-kansas-city-startups-turn-to.html

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ECJC CEO, Dr. Joel Wiggins honored for Excellence in Business and Entrepreneurship at the Johnson County Library Foundation Pinnacle Awards

Every year, the Johnson County Library Foundation gives the Pinnacle Award to local figures who demonstrate excellence in their professional fields or philanthropic pursuits in their community. Dr. Joel Wiggins, CEO & President of the ECJC was a 2012 honoree for Excellence n Business and Entrepreneurship. The award is presented to a business person who has demonstrated innovation, an exceptional entrepreneurial talent and spirit, and contributed dynamic growth and economic well-being to our community.

Read more about the 2012 Pinnacle Awards here: www.jocolibraryfoundation.org

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[ECJC Company] Kansas City market gets plugged into electric car-charging stations
Kansas City Business Journal - Brenna Hawley

Larry Kinder had to rely on cold calls when he started LilyPad EV, knocking on prospective customers’ doors and teaching them about the company’s electric car chargers.

Even though he had heard predictions that “piles” of electric cars soon would start hitting the Kansas City market, not many people understood what he was selling.

“Now the market is much different,” Kinder said.

Read the full article in the October 12, 2012 print edition of the Kansas City Business Journal or online at: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/print-edition/2012/10/12/kansas-city-market-gets-plugged-into.html

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Demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Fuels LilyPad EV’s Growth
LilyPad EV Now Sells, Installs, and Maintains Electric Vehicle Charging Stations across U.S.

LENEXA, Kansas –LilyPad EV, a provider of electric vehicle charging station products and services, has recently increased its geographic reach to serve customers across the U.S. LilyPad EV’s recent growth stems from a robust electric vehicle market and the need for reliable and convenient charging options.

LilyPad EV is a current ECJC company. Read more here >

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Sherry Turner, executive director of the Women's Business Center featured as "Newsmaker" in KC Business Journal
Kansas City Business Journal - James Dornbrook

Sherry Turner effect on Kansas City-area business can be seen through the lives of the hundreds of businesswomen each year whom she helps find jobs, start businesses, get financing or invest in other businesses. Turner is executive director of the Women’s Business Center, founder of OneKC For Women, president of the Women’s Employment Network and founder of the Women’s Capital Connection. She also is leading the fundraising effort for the new KC Regional Micro Loan Program.

Read the full "Up Close" interview in the September 7th print edition or online at www.bizjournals.com/kansascity

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Former ECJC tenant, Pollenware, raises $9.1 million round
Silicon Prairie News -  by Michael Stacy
Pollenware (C2FO), a Mission Woods, Kan. company that calls itself the "global market for working capital," on Wednesday announced it has raised a $9.1 million round of funding led by Union Square Ventures of New York.

Pollenware has created a web-based marketplace where a company and its suppliers can gather for live "collaborative cash flow optimization" (C2FO) events. During these events, a company's suppliers offer percentage discounts on shipments of product in exchange for early payment on those shipments.

Pollenware was a tenant of the ECJC in 2008 .

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Former ECJC companies, Rhythm Engineering and Sweet Spot Marketing make Inc. 500 list

Rhythm Engineering, a graduate company of the ECJC founded in 2005, appeared on the list at #456 and #31 among companies in the government services industry. This is the second consecutive year Rhythm Engineering has made the Inc. 500 list. The company has had a 3-year growth rate of 832% with $7.8 million of revenue in 2011. In the past three years, the company has added 27 new jobs.

Sweet Spot Marketing, a former ECJC incubator tenant founded in 2007, was listed at #493 and #56 among companies in the advertising & marketing industry. The SEO/web development company experienced a 3-year growth rate of 773% with $2 million in revenue for 2011. The company is now located in Merriam, KS with ten employees.

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The Enterprise Center of Johnson County celebrates success of the Entrepreneurial Internship Program

WSJ: ECJC entrepreneur Jeff Pfaff discusses Google Fiber connection benefits for his business, Caregiv

ECJC Graduate Client, Rhythm Engineering Announced as Winner of the 2012 Outstanding Incubator Graduate at the 26th International Conference on Business Incubation
Rhythm Engineering, a former client of the Enterprise Center of Johnson County (ECJC) was honored on May 8, 2012 as the 2012 Outstanding Incubator Graduate company at the National Business Incubation Association’s (NBIA) 26^th International Conference. The recognition is part of the annual NBIA Incubation Awards honoring the industry’s best business incubators, client companies and graduates. The NBIA organization has more than 1,900 members in over 60 countries.
 

The Enterprise Center of Johnson County announces launch of new internship program and introduces Fry-Wagner as first sponsor
The Enterprise Center of Johnson County (ECJC) has launched a new internship program to help area undergraduate and graduate students develop entrepreneurial skills and work with innovative startup companies in the region. In an effort to help students gain valuable work experience before entering the workforce, ECJC is partnering with the University of Kansas & Rockhurst University MBA programs to recruit students.

The ECJC is also pleased to announce Fry-Wagner, a Lenexa moving and storage company, as the first sponsor of the program. “Kansas City has been very good to Fry Wagner and we see this as an opportunity to give back to the community in a manner that promotes the growth of new entrepreneurs along with the development of local college students,” said president Larry Fry.


Joel Wiggins discusses proposed elimination of angel investor tax credit
Kansas City Business Journal - by David Twiddy
"Brownback's budget would end key Kansas angel investor credit"

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposed 2013 budget would eliminate almost two dozen tax credit programs, including one that has attracted millions of dollars of investment into technology startups.

“It attracts companies to Kansas that might not otherwise come here, both in life sciences and in the technology marketplaces,” said Joel Wiggins, CEO of the Enterprise Center of Johnson County. Enterprise Center of Johnson County and head of the Mid-America Angel Network. “We never encourage (people) to invest because of tax credits, but all things being equal, a company that has a tax credit will get the investment while a company that doesn’t won’t.”

Read the full article online at the Kansas City Business Journal website >

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Former ECJC Chairman named Kansas Citian of the Year
November 23, 2011
Kansas City Star - by Diane Stafford

Bob Regnier, former Chair of the ECJC Board of Directors in 2005, was named Kansas Citian of the Year at the Greater Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner November 22, 2011.  Mr. Regnier served on the ECJC board for 7 years.  “Bob and his wife Anne were among the first to befriend Kathy and me when we arrived in the region in 2005,” says Joel Wiggins, ECJC President and CEO.  “I count it a privilege to have Bob as a supporter of ECJC and a true friend of entrepreneurs across the region.” 

Read the full article at: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/22/3281577/regional-focus-celebrated-at-chamber.html



Joel Wiggins discusses KCnext - The Technology Council of Greater KC
November 21, 2011
Silicon Prairie News - by Michael Stacy



Choosing and Hatching the Good Eggs
By Rick Vaughn for Thinking Bigger Business Media

A look at how client selection and graduation works in business incubators.

The success of incubators, such as the Enterprise Center of Johnson County (ECJC), depends on the ability to find high-return, growth companies to work with and then help them to reduce their market, management and financial risks and graduate from the incubator program. How do incubators find and select client companies for their programs?
 
Rush Tracking Systems gets new name after merger: TotalTrax Inc.
October 5, 2011
Alyson Raletz - Kansas City Business Journal

Rush Tracking Systems, formerly based in Lenexa, has a new name after a summer merger with a Delaware company, though the brand will continue.

The 15-employee Rush Tracking is keeping its name as a brand, but the July union with Sky-Trax Inc.    .Sky-Trax Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Rush Tracking Systems merges with Sky-Trax Follow this company ., a location-based data tracking company, prompted executives to rename the joint entity TotalTrax Inc.

TotalTrax is based in New Castle, Del., but it now has regional offices in the Kansas City metro area and in Graham, Texas.

TotalTrax announced Wednesday that it had acquired the equipment-monitoring product line of ShockWatch Inc. for an undisclosed amount. ShockWatch is a Dallas-based manufacturer of damage-prevention products.

ECJC Client Company, Echogen, looking to hire Office Manager

Echogen, Inc. is seeking an office manager with experience in office administration, human resources, purchasing, resource planning, customer service, shipping & receiving, and regulatory. The position will be responsible for representing the company with outside vendors and customers and for maintaining basic organizational workflows and processes.

Download the full job description
KBA Makes $600,000 Equity Invst. in former ECJC co. Novita Therapeutics
September 15, 2011
Media Release from Novita Therapeutics

Novita Therapeutics, LLC (Novita) announced today that the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) has made a $600,000 equity investment in Novita.

"During the past year we have made tremendous progress and are rapidly advancing the development of our first product," said F. Nicholas Franano, M.D., President and CEO of Novita. "This financing will allow us to continue to move forward without interruption."

Ed Kuklenski joins the ECJC as newest Entrepreneur-In-Residence
September 7, 2011

The Enterprise Center of Johnson County welcomes Mr. Ed Kuklenski as its second Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR). After nearly 5 years as the President and CEO of Suture Express, Mr. Kuklenski resigned from his position on May 31, 2011 and will now work with new ventures and entrepreneurs. He will remain involved with Suture Express as Chairman of their Board of Directors.

Ed Kuklenski has over 31 years of experience in the healthcare industry. From 1989 to 2006, Ed was Senior Vice President of Shareholder Services for Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA). Prior to CHCA, he spent nine years with American Hospital Supply Corporation and Baxter, Inc in various finance, operations and sales management positions.

Brakke Consulting discusses maturity of animal health industry
September 2, 2011
"Expert: Economy stagggers animal health industry"
David Twiddy - Kansas City Business Journal

Ron Brakke, founder of Dallas-based research firm Brakke Consulting (also offices in ECJC), gave a midyear report on the stat e of the industry at the Animanl Health Investment Forum on August 30th. "Our view is that we'll escape into 2012 with very little market growth in 2011"

The animal health industry, which Kansas City has become a major player in, is listing through a lackluster year brought on by the difficult economy, a lack of investment by the sector's leaders and a decline in veterinarian office visits.

The full article can be found in the Sept. 2 print edition of the Kansas City Business Journal, or online here.



ECJC Graduate Company, Rhythm Engineering ranked 64th on Inc. 500
September 2011
Inc. Magazine

Rhythm Engineering, which was founded in 2005, makes the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 list for the first time at #64. Rhythm develops and sells technology that enables traffic signals to respond to traffic demand in real time. The company has experienced growth of 3389% in the last 3 years and currently has 35 employees. Revenues grew from $227,489 in 2007 to $7.8 Million in 2010.

The 2011 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2007 through 2010. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2007. Additionally, they had to be based in the United States, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2010.
 
Digital Sports Ventures Puts the Game Online
August 2011
"Former ECJC company, Digital Sports Ventures (formerly AthletixNation), is the key player for college football and basketball video on the Web"
Kate Leibsle - Thinking Bigger Business Media

Daveyon Ross knew there was a way to combine hsi love of sports with his technology expertise & desire to be an entrepreneur. AthletixNation, a social networking site for student-athletes, coaches, recruiters was born.

Ross knew there was more that could be done with sports video clips, so in 2008, he started transitioning the company tos yndicate college sports video highlights to websites and mobile devices.

Today the company works with seven of the NCAA's premium conferences, and offers a variety of packages for customers.IT's a way for companies that don't have the money or ability to be in a relationship with NCAA to be associated with college sports.

Read the full article at: http://www.ithinkbigger.com/august-2011/item/2909-digital-sports-ventures-puts-the-game-online
 
Echogen to commercialize MAP technology from University of Kansas

ECJC client, Echogen - an early-stage, Kansas-based biotechnology company, is commercializing the Metal Abstraction Petpite technology invented by Dr. Jennifer Laurence, a faculty member in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department at the University of Kansas.

Download the full news announcement
ECJC Graduate Rush Tracking Systems Announces Merger with Sky-Trax, Inc.
July 19, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Kans. and NEW CASTLE, Del.
Press Release from Rush Tracking Systems

Rush Tracking Systems (www.rushtrackingsystems.com) and Sky-Trax, Inc. (www.sky-trax.com) announce they have merged to form a vertically integrated provider of smart truck tracking solutions for manufacturing and warehousing environments, solidifying the combined companies’ market leadership. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In conjunction with the merger, private equity firm Pharos Capital Group, LLC (Pharos) and its affiliates, owners of Rush Tracking Systems, committed additional capital to the combined company to accelerate growth and increase penetration into international markets.  “Sky-Trax is a natural fit with Rush Tracking Systems, given the companies’ synergistic product offerings, engineering, business and industry expertise,” said Anna Kovalkova, Vice President of Pharos Capital Group.

Read the full press release: http://www.rushtrackingsystems.com/rush-tracking-systems-and-sky-trax-inc-announce-merger.html


ECJC Client, MTB Mobile, discusses impact of Sprint/iPhone partnership
July 15, 2011
"Sprint, iPhone nuptials? Local techies say union holds promise for carrier and Apple"
Alyson Raletz - Kansas City Business Journal

Rumors of Sprint getting the next iPhone hav picked up steam, especially with Vierizon Wireless' exit from unlimited datea plans on July 7.

Lenexa-based MTB Mobile Corp. has been a Sprint vendor for technology and product strategy consulting since 2005. MTB Mobile's CEO, Jeff Pfaff, believes Sprint's technology could be the clincher for Apple. Verizon and Sprint use the same CDMA digital technology for their wireless networks, elimiting extensive testing and staff efforts for a Sprint iPhone launch. AT&T and T-Mobile use incompatible GSM technology for their networks. Sprint's network strength is in its capacity, which could attract business customers who use large amounts of data.

Read the full article online: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/print-edition/2011/07/15/sprint-nextel-iphone-relationship.html
Bioscience businesses in area offer great promise, carry great risk
featuring ECJC client company, Echogen
July 11, 2011
The Kansas City Star - Scott Cannon

The fledgling biosciences businesses dotting the Kansas City area share some things in common. They are more flush with promise than with profits, less about what they’ve sold than what they still hope to make.

Echogen is developing what it thinks is a better delivery system for a drug that, by binding metals and proteins, can circulate through the bloodstream and strike only at dangerous cells. Currently the company is looking for investors and partners.
Cracking the code: QR codes help create connections
Toby Rush, of ECJC graduate company Rush Tracking Systems, discusses how they use QR codes in a unique marketing effort

July 1, 2011
Kansas City Business Journal - Alyson Raletz

With the quick scan of a smartphone camera, many QR codes send customers to basic company contact information or a Web page. The often 1-inch-by-1-inch black-and-white squares allow businesses to interact with customers and solicit business in a nontraditional format.
Read more at: www.bizjournals.com/kansascity
 

Study Identifies Large Concentration of CROs in KC Region

Leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies outsource more than $1 billion in drug development research to area organizations

Chicago, IL - Media Release from Kansas Bioscience Authority, KansasBio Organization, KCALSI & KCADC

According to a new study released today at the annual meeting of the Drug Information Association in Chicago, the greater Kansas City region is home to a significant cluster of contract research organizations (CROs) and contract service providers (CSPs), with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. 

ECJC company, Spinal Simplicity to sell implantable device in Europe
June 13, 2011
Kansas City Business Journal - David Twiddy

Lenexa-based Spinal Simplicity LLC will begin selling its first product, an implatable spinal device, this summer in Eruope, another big step to entering the U.S. market.

Jonathan Hess, the medical device startup's vice president, said the company has received a CE Marking approval, symbolizing it has met the health, safety and environmental standards of the European Unio, and International Organization of Standardization certification, a management system required for medical device companies.

Read the full article at: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/blog/2011/06/spinal-simplicity-sell-europe.html?ed=2011-06-13&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Former ECJC Company, Novita Theraputics Raises $3M in Financing
Announces Open Prairie Ventures as New Investor and Partner
May 31, 2011
Kansas City, KS - Media Release

Novita Therapeutics, LLC ("Novita") announced today it has raised $3 million in a new financing from Open Prairie Ventures ("Open Prairie"), increasing the capital raised to date to $5 million. "We are so pleased to have Open Prairie as a partner and look forward to working closely with them on the execution of our business plan going forward," said Dr. Nicholas Franano, Novita President & CEO. In connection with the financing, Novita added Open Prairie Partner Michael Peck to its Board of Advisors. "Dr. Franano and the Novita team are proven and accomplished entrepreneurs and a great representation of our investment strategy. My partners and I look forward to helping the team build high growth life science companies."

ECJC CEO questions how KTEC programs will be affected within Commerce
May 27, 2011
Kansas City, Business Journal - Alyson Raletz

The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. will vanish when the ink dries on Gov. Sam Brownback's signature in the summer.

The Legislature voted in May to dissolve state-owned KTEC, in existence since 1987, and move many of its programs to Commerce Department and Kansas Board of Regents. That kicked into motion a transition sequence that so far has yielded few answers for affiliated agencies and businesses affected by the change.

Read the full article, "Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp.'s death gives birth to host of questions" in the May 27 - June 2, 2011 edition of the Business Journal or online at: www.bizjournals.com/kansascity