Arkansas venture forum participants.Company: Agrobotics LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control Presenter: Jeff Burton Jeffery Brian Burton (born June 29, 1967 in South Boston, Virginia) also sometimes referred to as "JB" is a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver. He drives the #31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. , president Year Founded: 2006 Location: Little Rock Industry: Agriculture Investment Sought: $1.2 million Agrobotics looks to reap the benefits of its sole product, the patent-pending AutoProbe. The AutoProbe collects soil sample cores from the ground every 15 linear feet. It can follow a GPS-coordinated track through a field. The machine stores each soil sample in canisters during collection, after which the samples are mailed to a lab for analysis. AutoProbe can cut sampling time by about two-thirds when compared to machine-assisted or hand sampling, but that's secondary to its promise in the science of precision agriculture. Precision agriculture uses technologies, such as GPS and information management tools, to assess variations in soil properties in a field. Once the information is processed, farmers can more accurately apply fertilizers and adjust sowing density for the ultimate payoff: increased crop yields. The first generation, tread-wheeled AutoProbe is pulled behind a Gator or a lawn mower. Agrobotics plans to develop a self-propelled version before finally releasing a fully robotic version in years to come. The current concept machine was built mostly by the hands of Jim Burton. Agrobotics is working on a beta machine that should be in fields this spring, and commercial production is planned for the first quarter of 2008. Company: BioBased Insulation LLC Presenter: Mike Muccio, COO Year Founded: 2006 Location: Rogers Industry: Construction Investment Sought: Unspecified BioBased Insulation is farther along than most participants in the AVF AVF Arteriovenous Fistula AVF All Volunteer Force AVF American Vineyard Foundation AVF Azimuthally Varying Field AVF Ada Validation Facility AVF Augmented Voltage Foot (EKG lead) AVF Average Value Factor . The company expects 2006 sales to reach $7 million. It already has 100 certified dealers nationwide but is working to add more distributors, increase the number of installers and build relation ships with builders. BBI BBI Blockbuster Inc. (stock symbol) BBI Berlin Brandenburg International (Airport) BBI Broadband-Interactive BBI Browser-Based Interface BBI Best Brains Inc. is a manufacturer of soy-based (as opposed to petroleum-based) spray foam insulation and has won a number of awards for its environmentally friendly product. Mike Muccio, chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. , said BBI is adding about three new dealers each month, but with added capital, he hopes to push that to about six dealers each month. Fiberglass insulation captures about 90 percent of the $8 billion insulation market in the U.S. but is only growing by about 5 percent a year. BBI says the spray foam segment is growing by 2030 percent per year. BBI's insulation costs more than fiberglass insulation, but the company claims that its product quickly pays off by saving consumers up to 50 percent on energy bills. Company: Elder Stay At Home Inc. Presenter: W. Steven Carter Year Founded: 2006 Location: Rogers Industry: Health care Investment Sought: Unspecified The goal of Elder Stay At Home is to improve the quality of life for older adults by providing home-centered care. ESAH has three primary products: a certified home caregiver training program, a continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). program for nursing assistants and caregiving skills for families. The programs are led through classroom education, as well as Internet and DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. instruction. The caregiver curriculum was developed at the Schmieding Center for Senior Health & Education in Springdale, a satellite of the Reynolds Center on Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is part of the University of Arkansas System, a state-run university in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The main campus is located in Little Rock. at Little Rock. Caregiving is becoming an important issue, especially with the aging of the baby boom generation. More than 44 million families are already involved with home care, and the 65-and-over population will double in the next 30 years. Providing experience to the company's management team are two UAMS UAMS University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences faculty members. Larry Wright, ESAH chairman, is a geriatrics geriatrics (jĕrēă`trĭks), the branch of medicine concerned with conditions and diseases of the aged. Many disabilities in old age are caused by or related to the deterioration of the circulatory system (see arteriosclerosis), e.g. professor, and Beth Vaughan-Wrobel, vice president, is a nursing professor. ESAH projects financial losses through 2007 but expects to turn a million-dollar profit by the third quarter of 2008 with private investment and debt financing Debt Financing When a firm raises money for working capital or capital expenditures by selling bonds, bills, or notes to individual and/or institutional investors. In return for lending the money, the individuals or institutions become creditors and receive a promise to repay . Company: InterveXion Therapeutics LLC Presenter: Ralph Henry, scientist Year Founded: 2004 Location: Little Rock Industry: Pharmaceuticals Investment Sought: $500,000 immediately, $17.2 million long-term InterveXion Therapeutics plans to combat drug abuse with treatments for addiction to methamphetamine, "ecstasy" and phencyclidine phencyclidine /phen·cy·cli·dine/ (PCP) (fen-si´kli-den) a potent veterinary analgesic and anesthetic, used as a drug of abuse in the form of the hydrochloride salt; its abuse by humans may lead to serious psychological disturbances. (PCP PCP abbr. 1. phencyclidine 2. primary care physician Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) ) with continued funding. InterveXion believes its therapies meet an unfulfilled need in addiction treatment and that the market for them will mirror drug use. In 2004, InterveXion received a $2.8 million Small Business Technology Transfer award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a United States federal-government research institute whose mission is to "lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. for development and clinical trials for its PCP treatment. The research has shown that InterveXion's therapy can treat addiction as well as detoxify de·tox·i·fy v. 1. To counteract or destroy the toxic properties of a substance. 2. To remove the effects of poison from something, such as the blood. 3. patients. InterveXion is now looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. financing for the development of its medication to treat meth meth n. Methamphetamine hydrochloride. and ecstasy addictions. Federal regulations can prove quite a hurdle for pharmaceutical companies, but InterveXion anticipates a relatively short evaluation process by the Food & Drug Administration due to the amount of pre-clinical data the company has amassed during its research. The company would like to position itself for merger or acquisition after Phase II trials, estimated for completion in four to six years. Company: KonaWare Inc. Presenter: Jim DiSanto, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Year Founded: 2001 Location: Menlo Park, Calif. Industry: Transportation Investment Sought: $1.5 million KonaWare Inc. is another budding company with positive revenue. In 2005, KonaWare had revenue of $700,000 and projects $1.7 million this year and $5.7 million in 2007. KonaWare offers visibility in supply chains through advanced technologies. It has developed logistics software that is sold directly to motor freight carriers, third party logistics providers, retailers and manufacturers. CEO Jim DiSanto said his company's products provide necessary visibility in supply chains. The software suites allow customers to track shipments and assets and can improve efficiency by taking advantage of technological advances in wireless networks and mobile computing devices. The software supports the three major mobile software environments: Java, Brew and Windows.NET. Customers can pick and choose various applications, building customized business solutions. "Our solution is very much like a box of Legos," said Jeff Amerine, vice president. KonaWare is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., where the core software development is done. Its second office is in Harrison and a new office recently opened in Fayetteville. There, the transportation and logistics division further develops the software, focuses on customer acquisition, marketing and consulting. The company already has more than 30 customers, including GE, FedEx Freight and Tyson Foods Inc. Company: Mobile Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract LLC Presenter: Lyle Williams, CEO Year Founded: 2004 Location: Little Rock Industry: Health care Investment Sought: $2.5 million While medical technologies have improved patient care across the nation, rural physicians often have difficulty affording the latest high-end technology. This is where Mobile Health Services is stepping in. MHS (1) (Message Handling Service) An earlier messaging system from Novell that supported multiple operating systems and other messaging protocols, including SMTP, SNADS and X.400. It used the SMF-71 messaging format. leases equipment such as ultrasound and bone densitometry bone densitometry (bōnˑ den·si·t devices to clinics that otherwise would not be able to provide such services. MHS has developed a network of 75 physicians in 22 clinics in Arkansas, representing less than 10 percent of the total market. It hopes to continue growing in the state and then move nationwide with help from investors. Using a hub-and-spoke model, MHS has established its center in Little Rock. But within 2007, MHS plans to add three additional units northwest Arkansas, Texarkana/Shreveport and Monroe/Jackson. In 2005, revenue was $979,000. Scaling up its services, MHS projects revenue of $4.3 million in 2008. MHS is owned by Mike Lax, JPMS JPMS John Poole Middle School (Poolesville, MD) JPMS Jackson Park Middle School (Michigan) Cox, the Little Rock accounting firm, and Radiology Associates PA, the Little Rock group of radiologists. Company: Lynguent Inc. Presenter: Alan Mantooth, chief scientist Year Founded: 2001 Location: Fayetteville/Portland, Ore. Industry: Electronics Investment Sought: $1.5 million Lynguent is an analog/mixed-signal (AMS AMS - Andrew Message System ) design engineering company, co-founded by Alan Mantooth, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas strives to be known as a "nationally competitive, student-centered research university serving Arkansas and the world." The school recently completed its "Campaign for the 21st Century," in which the university raised more than $1 billion for the school, used , and CEO Martin Vlach. The company is based in Portland, Ore., but has a research laboratory at the UA Genesis Technology Incubator in Fayetteville. Lynguent's ModLyng product, which is a sort of computer-aided design computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), form of automation that helps designers prepare drawings, specifications, parts lists, and other design-related elements using special graphics- and calculations-intensive software for AMS electronics, can help semiconductor and electronic systems engineers speed up the research and development phases. Using ModLyng, ports, parameters, equations and topologies are easily checked, so engineers know if a system's architecture is sound. Mantooth noted that potential service sectors include consumer electronics, telecommunications, transportation, the medical industry and defense industries. Two semiconductor manufacturers are serving as beta testers for the ModLyng product, and the company expects to charge about $35,000 per user for a one-year license agreement once the product is released. The company received two Phase 1I SBIR SBIR Small Business Innovation Research (program/grant) SBIR Space Based Infra-Red SBIR Speaker-Boundary Interference SBIR Site Backsurface-referenced Ideal Plane/Range (silicon wafers) grants in 2006 to continue research. Mantooth said Lynguent will roll out its first product in 2007. The company was seeking additional angel capital to continue the ModLyng product launch through 2008. Company: Lynndale Systems LLC Presenter: Bob Dodson, president & CEO Year Founded: 1974 Location: Harrison Industry: Agriculture Investment Sought: $1 million Lynndale Systems is an older company that has developed a new product it hopes will revolutionize the agricultural sector. Lynndale manufactures wood heating systems for residential and commercial use, but the company hopes to exploit a niche in heating poultry houses. The company is now working on a biomass furnace that will burn chicken litter to heat poultry houses. The furnace will eliminate the need for growers to spread the litter on fields (a source of consternation to neighbors and groundwater) or to pay to have the litter hauled away. Dodson said the prototype is thermostatically controlled and can sustain a constant temperature with up to 100 percent litter, significantly reducing the need for propane or other fuels. The company claims growers will be able to recoup their costs on the system in two years or at least have immediate positive cash flow with 4- to 5-year leases on equipment. Dodson said the company would take a loss of $535,000 on projected sales for 2007 but projected that revenue could reach $3.3 million by the end of 2008 and $6.9 million by 2009. Lynndale is seeking capital to complete its management team, finalize patents, establish a distributor network and continue development of the product. Company: Nanomaterials & Nanofabrication nan·o·fab·ri·ca·tion n. Any technique used to create objects or mechanisms on the scale of nanotechnology. Laboratories Presenter: David Battaglia, technology manager Year Founded: 2001 Location: Fayetteville Industry: Nanotechnology Investment Sought: $3 million NN Labs synthesizes pure and uniform-sized nanocrystals for various uses in research and production for other universities and companies across the country and in Europe and Asia. Battaglia said uniform nanocrystals are very important, especially in semiconductor testing, because the color of light emitted can vary greatly depending on the size of the crystal. One type of crystal that is 2.5 nanometers will absorb a light and emit green colored light, but if it is 3.5 nanometers, it will emit an orange light. The company sold its first products in 2002, and Battaglia noted several industries where NN Labs might find additional customers, including lighting and biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. applications. NN Labs technology was developed by Xiaogang Peng, professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas. Battaglia said the company currently has about $2 million in research capital available. As of November 2005, it had landed about $4 million in SBIR grants. The company is seeking investment capital to hire a CEO and a marketing director and to ramp up Ramp Up To increase a company's operations in anticipation of increased demand. Notes: A company might 'ramp up' operations if they just signed a contract creating substantially more demand for their product. See also: Demand, Economies of Scale its manufacturing and distribution capabilities. Company: Vegrandis LLC Presenter: Calvin Goforth, interim CEO Year Founded: 2002 Location: Fayetteville Industry: Biochemistry/ Microelectronics Investment Sought: $1 million Vegrandis is pursuing technology that will provide "laboratory-on-a-chip" tests for water pathogens such as Cryptosporidium parvum or Bacillus anthracis Bacillus anthracis Infectious disease A gram-positive organism which causes often fatal infections when its endospores–resistant to heat, drying, UV light, gamma radiation, and many disinfectants–enter the body and cause septicemia Military medicine , the organism responsible for anthrax anthrax (ăn`thrăks), acute infectious disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. It is caused by a bacterium (Bacillus anthracis infections. The company's technology is under exclusive license from the University of Arkansas and was developed by Ingrid Fritsch, a UA professor of chemistry. The company said a wide variety of harmful organisms can be detected with its small, inexpensive and simple-to-use equipment. The company expects its primary market to be point-of-care clinics with secondary markets in blood banks and environmental monitoring. Vegrandis is developing a proprietary hardware chip and proprietary biomarkers to recognize specific substances. It expects to license the chip to third parties so that other biomarkers may be developed and a broader customer base sought. Interim CEO Calvin Goforth said the company has received a total of $3.3 million in SBIR funds and recently obtained $250,000 from two Arkansas capital investment funds, but is seeking more private equity to support further beta testing (programming) beta testing - Testing a pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it available to selected users. This term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the . Vegrandis' first products were released in the third quarter of this year. |
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