Acoustic Cytometry Systems, Santa Fe, NM
Apjet, Santa Fe NM
Doxcelerate, Santa Fe, NM
Energy Matter Conversion Corporation, Santa Fe, NM
Knowledge Reef Systems, Santa Fe, NM
RetrieverTech, Santa Fe, NM
Sportartist.com, Chama, NM
Strategic Analytics, Santa Fe, NM
Acoustic Cytometry Systems, Santa Fe, NM
John Elling was a Visiting Entrepreneur at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) when he met Greg Kaduchak and Mike Ward at the National Flow Cytometry Resource Center. Flow cytometry counts and examines microscopic particles, such as cells, which are suspended in a stream of fluid. At LANL, Kaduchak, Ward and other researchers developed a flow cytometer that uses acoustic waves instead of traditional fluid handling systems. The result is a portable, less expensive device that can reach and help more people. For example, the acoustic flow cytometer is suited for AIDS diagnostic fieldwork in Africa, while conventional cytometers are not.
Acoustic Cytometry Systems (ACS) was founded to take this new technology to market. Northern New Mexico Connect’s Venture Acceleration Fund invested $100,000 to support ACS’ first prototype, which enabled the company to mature its technology and secure critical seed funding from investors. Within only eighteen months, ACS was acquired by biotech giant Invitrogen Corporation of San Diego.
“While we learned a lot during the process, our experience with commercialization and acquisition was close to perfect,” explains Elling. Today, Kaduchak and Ward are employed by Invitrogen in Eugene OR, where they are developing the first products using the acoustic focusing technology. John Elling is a serial entrepreneur who remains in Santa Fe working on new ventures.
back to top >>
Apjet, Santa Fe NM
Gary Selwyn first used plasma technology for textile finishing applications while employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Today, as Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Apjet, he is revolutionizing the textile industry. Apjet’s technology can treat fabric with atmospheric-pressure plasma so that it becomes “dual-functional,” repelling oil and water on the outside, while retaining its original qualities and comfort on the inside. This is ideal for outdoor sports apparel, Apjet’s target market. And unlike traditional wet processing of fabrics, the plasma process is green in that it produces no waste and uses little energy.
After launching Apjet, Gary received a $100,000 Venture Acceleration Fund award from Northern New Mexico Connect. The funding helped him complete the design and engineering of a commercial-scale production unit. “The prototype is very important,” explains Selwyn, “because it reduces the risk for investors and partners. It makes the project viable.” For Apjet, the full-scale prototype attracted new private equity financing and two strategic partnerships: one with a production and equipment services company, and another with North Carolina State College of Textiles, which provides Apjet with a showcase and limited testing facility.
Today, Selwyn is expanding his production capacity in North Carolina and making plans to spin-off his current work on textiles. But don’t be surprised if a new application for Apjet’s technology emerges within the next year or two. Apjet stands for “Affiliated Plasma Jet Technologies,” indicating an intention to spin-off other affiliates in the near future.
back to top >>
Doxcelerate, Santa Fe, NM
What do you need when you are seeking comments on federal regulations from up to 20,000 parties?
Doxcelerate has the answer. Doxcelerate produces RevCom, a collaborative, web-based application that manages the review and comment process for federal agencies and the companies they regulate.
After several years of research and development, the technology behind Doxcelerate was initially spun out from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Doxcelerate was one of the first to participate in Springboard, a Northern New Mexico Connect program which allows companies facing a strategic decision to be coached by experts in the industry. “Springboard immediately told us we needed to tighten our message,” says McDonald. “And it also allowed us to look to the future.” The Springboard panelists were very interested in the commercial applications of RevCom, a market that Doxcelerate is not yet targeting, but may consider in the future.
Based in Santa Fe, Doxcelerate has seven employees and branch offices in Atlanta GA and Oak Ridge TN. Federal agencies such as the Department of Energy are its mainstays, and Doxcelerate expects to grow its client base significantly within the next year due to the nation’s renewed focus on business compliance and government transparency.
back to top >>
Energy Matter Conversion Corporation, Santa Fe, NM
EMC2 in Santa Fe is continuing decades-old research on fusion power which, if proven, would make fossil fuels a thing of the past. “Fusion power,” explains Michael Wray, a physicist at EMC2, “is the opposite of fission, the method through which nuclear energy is generated today.” Fusion is a clean form of nuclear energy found naturally in the sun. It creates energy by pushing (fusing) light nuclei together in a plasma state, rather than splitting heavy nuclei apart and leaving the products as radioactive waste. EMC2 ‘s work focuses on the polywell reactor, one of several fusion power technologies currently in research & development.
When EMC2 reached an impasse in the design process, the New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program (NMSBA) provided the expertise of a LANL scientist, Dr. Glen Wurden, to study the issue. Wurden used light monitors, a spectrometer and cameras to record what was occurring at much higher frame rates than cameras available to EMC2. NMSBA’s assistance not only allowed the company to overcome its technical challenge, but to keep its technology development on schedule.
back to top >>
Knowledge Reef Systems, Santa Fe, NM
Where do you go when your research arrives at a dead end with Google or other search engines? One answer to this question is the work of Dr. Marko Rodriguez, a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist who presented his research on discovering and routing information at a Springboard event. Gary Ebersole, an experienced early-stage start up executive from Silicon Valley, was an expert on the Springboard panel. “Marko’s concept had the most general applicability,” explains Ebersole, “and was also the most compelling. It pushed us to think about what we do after Google.”
In less than six months, Ebersole and Rodriguez formed the start-up Knowledge Reef Systems and began to develop a research tool for the scientific community. Knowledge Reef later received an award from Northern New Mexico Connect’s Venture Acceleration Fund which was instrumental in securing venture capital, developing an engineering team, and delivering an early prototype.
Today, kReef is an online service that accelerates and enhances the research process. It replaces the trial-and-error information discovery process by mining information from a large-scale database of scholarly resources. The basic service is free, while an annual fee is charged for premium service. As they create a footprint in the scientific community, Ebersole and Rodriguez are also looking ahead to new markets. The question becomes “how does Knowledge Reef apply this technology to a broader market?” Stay tuned for the answer to yet another compelling question.
back to top >>
RetrieverTech, Santa Fe, NM
Have you ever wondered how scientists view microscopic images in dark laboratories? Santa Fe’s own RetrieverTech develops sophisticated, high-speed cameras for such low-light settings. Retriever’s cameras are unique in that they are very affordable, extremely small and increasingly require minimal power to operate.
RetrieverTech received $25,000 from Northern New Mexico Connect’s Venture Acceleration Fund (VAF) to help market its line of low-light imaging cameras based on EMCCD (Electron Multiplied Charge Coupled Device) technology. The VAF award funded a demonstration package for site visits and trade shows. “We are very happy about how well VAF worked for us,” says Andy Bartlett, Principal. “While the grant was small, it helped us to leverage other funding and enabled initial sales.” Today, Retriever’s customers for EMCCD cameras include General Electric Global Research and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Retriever has also engaged Market Intelligence to hone its marketing strategy, identify potential manufacturing partners, and access databases and marketing reports.
Retriever’s latest accomplishment is receiving Phase I SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) funding to explore other applications for RaveGrid software, a LANL technology designed for rapid image analysis and adapted by Retriever for seismograph image interpretation. Through this project, Retriever is expanding its unique ability to integrate imaging hardware, software and services to meet the needs of broad scientific and commercial markets.
back to top >>
“Find a need and meet it.” That’s Jolene Jessie’s life philosophy, and the mantra that has made her successful in business. Back in 1987, Jessie worked as a free-lance portrait artist in San Francisco, and was asked to paint San Francisco Giants players on baseballs. “The Giants were my first clients,” she recalls. “They bought dozens of those baseballs.” That’s where Jessie’s work in custom sports memorabilia began.
Today, Jessie operates sportartist.com from her home in Chama, NM. Her custom portraits are painted on jerseys, baseballs, bats, footballs and other collectibles. Jessie used Northern New Mexico Connect’s LINK program to become part of Northern New Mexico’s entrepreneurial network. “The network made me feel at home the first day, connected me to vital people and resources, and introduced me to other programs to assist my business,” says Jessie. Jessie recently participated in Connect’s Market Intelligence Program to learn more about her competition and potential markets.
Through LINK and Market Intelligence, Jessie is increasing her visibility and considering new market opportunities, including a web store, an agent and gallery representation. She also maintains a successful business relationship for high-end signed memorabilia with Upper Deck, the world’s largest baseball card company. And through LINK, she serves as a resource for other local small businesses in Chama and Northern New Mexico.
back to top >>
Strategic Analytics, Santa Fe, NM
David Franklin, co-founder of Strategic Analytics, participated in a Northern New Mexico Connect Springboard event to assess entry into a new market, using the company’s existing platform. But the Springboard panelists urged Franklin to stay close to his roots in financial services. They identified barriers in uptake and commercialization in the new market, and recognized that Strategic Analytics had ample room to further penetrate and build brand in its core banking and finance markets.
Today, the financial industry has changed dramatically due to the financial crisis of 2008. Strategic Analytics' LookAhead software was one the few predictors of the crisis in that it recognized that new mortgage originations were deteriorating industry-wide in 2005, and predicted a huge collapse in the mortgage market in 2006 and 2007. “We started the company to address important issues in consumer lending,” explains Franklin. “2008 proved that stress-testing and modeling must be integrated into the day-to-day decisions and workings of financial institutions to really make a difference.”
back to top >>