| IVCA Feature: The 25 Awardees at the 2019 Chicago Innovation Awards |
IVCA Feature: The 25 Awardees at the 2019 Chicago Innovation AwardsOctober 30, 2019 IVCA Feature: The 25 Awardees at the 2019 Chicago Innovation AwardsOne of the most anticipated celebrations of the entrepreneurial spirit in Chicago – in both a large corporation and smaller start-up sense – is the Chicago Innovation Awards. The 18th edition took place on Monday, October 29th, 2019, at Chicago’s Harris Theater. A variety of award categories were named at the ceremony, and the following is a list of the 25 winners and their innovations. WINNER: Abbott Laboratories CATEGORY: People’s Choice Award PRODUCT: The Piccolo Occluder … the world’s first minimally invasive medical device to treat babies (even premature as little as two pounds) with a hole in their hearts, known as patent ductus arteriosus. WINNER: AbbVie CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Cross-Functional Modeling Forum … innovating biopharmaceuticals by collaborative computer modeling, combining scientific knowledge to create innovative simulation tools. WINNER: Adler Planetarium CATEGORY: Collaboration PRODUCT: Zooniverse, The Aquarius Project … this collaboration between the Adler Planetarium, the University of Minnesota and Oxford University has collected 1.8 registered users throughout the world to assist professional researchers. WINNER: Bounce Children’s Foundation CATEGORY: Social Innovator Award PRODUCT: Bounce Children’s Foundation® … is transforming the lives of chronically ill children and their families, shifting all from surviving to thriving. Through a unique portfolio of effective and totally free programs, Bounce builds the resilience needed to cope with the ongoing and unexpected setbacks that define chronic illness. WINNER: Bunker Labs CATEGORY: Social Innovator Award PRODUCT: Bunker LabsNetwork … a national network of military veteran entrepreneurs dedicated to helping new veteran entrepreneurs start their own business. They are committed to seeing that every entrepreneur in the veteran community has the network, tools, and resources they need to start their own business. WINNER: Cambium Networks CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: PMP 450m with cnMedusa™ … this technology is a first-of-its-kind fixed wireless broadband access platform that provides Massive Multi-User MIMO technology in a commercially available cost-effective solution. WINNER: CarAdvise CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: CarAdvise … the digital solution for a simpler, more affordable way to fix and repair your car. For the first time ever, there is a digital technology for consumers to compare upfront prices at multiple shops, schedule service, approve work and pay all from the convenience of your phone or computer. WINNER: Chicago Foundation for Women CATEGORY: Neighborhood Award PRODUCT: The Englewood Women’s Initiative (EWI) … this initiative serves the Englewood community, on the south side of Chicago. Within five years, these strategies will put 60 female-headed households on a path to sustainable income, defined as more than $40,000 per year. WINNER: Chicago History Museum CATEGORY: Social Innovator Award PRODUCT: Chicago00 … this is a ground-breaking collaboration between the Chicago History Museum and filmmaker Geoffrey Alan Rhodes to produce a series of virtual and augmented reality experiences using the enormous archive of historical photographs at the Chicago History Museum. WINNER: Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI) CATEGORY: Neighborhood Award PRODUCT: Pullman Revitalization … CNI believes that tackling a neighborhood revival project from three different angles at once – housing, retail and new businesses – is the most effective way to help Pullman recover from the exodus of industry in the 1960s and the closing of Ryerson Steel in 2006. WINNER: CityZenith CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Small World Pro … this product has been referred to as a vast 3D Digital Legoland or SIMcity on Steroids by building professionals, a platform that would enable property owners, property managers, and building design professionals to have one, simple, easy-to-use tool to view, manage and optimize with the ever-growing data complexity around their properties. WINNER: Cubii CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Cubii Pro … it’s the first smart compact seated elliptical. It provides Bluetooth-connected, low-impact exercise so that individuals can stay active while sitting. The Cubii Pro’s patented, ergonomic design makes it possible to bring more movement into your life whether you sit on a couch or at a desk. WINNER: Current Media CATEGORY: People’s Choice Award PRODUCT: Current … this is a reward-based streaming ecosystem creating a more equitable model for consumers and advertisers alike in today’s attention economy. Their platform compensates millions of users for their time, data, and attention while consuming media and performing daily tasks. WINNER: Envoy CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Global Immigration Platform … this is the only immigration management platform that makes it seamless for companies to hire and manage an international workforce by combining expert legal representation—for both inbound and non-U.S. immigration—and proprietary technology. WINNER: Fast Radius CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Fast Radius … is the leading provider of digital manufacturing solutions, including application discovery, product design and testing, and production-grade manufacturing. From entirely new products uniquely enabled by additive manufacturing to global supply chain solutions leveraging a virtual warehouse, Fast Radius brings the future of manufacturing and the supply chain to its clients. WINNER: Jiobit CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Jiobit … is the world’s smallest, long-lasting, real-time location tracker–developed with innovations in hardware, cyber security, network operations and consumer software. Jiobit is smaller than an Oreo, weighs less than four quarters, and offers multiple wearing options for personal preference. WINNER: LanzaTech CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Carbon Recycling … this utilizes a proprietary process to convert carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into ethanol, which can then be transformed into sustainable aviation fuel or synthetic fibers and materials that would otherwise come from fossil. WINNER: Lumere CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Category Optimization … helps health systems uncover greater medical device savings opportunities. Its clinically based recommendations and playbook of sourcing strategies combine evidence-based analysis with a health system’s data to enable purchasing decisions aligned around patient outcomes and value – not products or price. WINNER: McDonald’s Corporation CATEGORY: Chicago Innovation Award PRODUCT: Experience of the Future (EOTF) … transformed restaurants feature modernized dining rooms and refreshed exterior designs, enhancing customer experience with digital self-order kiosks. table service, bright/easy-to-read menu boards, new designated parking spots for curbside pick-up through mobile order and pay, as well as McDelivery via Uber Eats and DoorDash. WINNER: Northern Illinois Food Bank CATEGORY: People’s Choice Award PRODUCT: My Pantry Express … an online food pantry that addresses the needs of individuals facing hunger by providing an alternative way to the traditional food pantry foracquiring nutritious food at no cost. The program offers a private, online shopping experience, and convenient/local pickup locations and times – a system that does not currently exist in the nonprofit sector. WINNER: PanaceaNano CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Organic Molecular Vessel (OMV) Technology … OMV structures are edible, porous carbohydrate superstructures synthesized using “green” chemistry. They are extremely porous and can be employed as molecular-carriers for active ingredients in pharmaceuticals or in topical skin delivery. WINNER: SoloInsight CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Cloudgate … this is a modular Physical Identity and Access Management platform designed to manage physical and logical identities and credentials of employees, visitors, vendors, contractors and drivers. WINNER: Streetlight Chicago (SLC) CATEGORY: Collaboration PRODUCT: Streetlight Chicago … created by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless & Young Invincibles, acts as the “311” for housing-insecure youth and providers in Chicago. It is a trusted resource, seamlessly connecting users to the services young people need for their immediate and long-term health, safety, and housing needs. WINNER: Swap Motors CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Swap Motors … this leverages technology and infrastructure to eliminate costly middlemen typical in the used-car selling process, Swap Motors helps sellers sell for more and buyers buy for less. WINNER: Tillable CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Tillable … the first and only true online marketplace for the $32 billion U.S. farmland rental market, optimizing returns for landowners and helping farmers access land to expand operations. Through its Hassle-Free Lease, Tillable helps landowners rent and care for their farms with ease and confidence. WINNER: Winston Privacy CATEGORY: Up-and-Comer Award PRODUCT: Winston Privacy … puts average consumers in control by enabling them to choose what gets tracked. Simply plug Winston in between your modem and router for comprehensive privacy and security on every IoT device in your home. The result is a faster, cleaner, and more secure browsing experience. WINNER: Women’s Business Development Center CATEGORY: Neighborhood Award PRODUCT: ScaleUp … delivers a nine week comprehensive and extensive business development service for stagnant businesses two years old plus, which includes one-on-one advising, financial acumen, resources, and tools to ‘break the cycle,’ building capacity and creating jobs. The next IVCA Education Luncheon is Tuesday, November 5th, 2019, and the topic is “Growth Stage Financings are Creeping Earlier and Earlier: What are the Implications for PE and VC Firms?” Click here for registration information.
|