‘New Ideas’ honored at Innovation Summit
By Shelia Watson , Contributing Writer
A compact machine that treats sleep apnea, a system that controls home lighting and other systems through the Internet and a site where customers can practice golf or fishing were among local winners of the 2008 New Carolinas Business Idea Contest.
Winners were announced Wednesday night at the opening reception of the ninth annual ThinkTEC Innovation Summit at Trident Technical College in North Charleston.
The contest is designed to promote innovation at a grassroots level, encourage entrepreneurship in South Carolina and help entrepreneurs grow their ideas into viable business models by connecting them with venture capitalists, banks and government and education leaders.
Of nearly 100 entries from 22 counties across the state, 10 were chosen, two each — a winner and an honorable mention — from five categories:
Biotech: The winner was Jay Hughes from Z Box in Charleston County for a compact medical device that creates positive air pressure in the esophagus and sinus cavities to treat mild to severe sleep apnea. An honorable mention went to Ron Norris from Sleeve-On in Richland County for a device for breast cancer patients suffering from lymphedema and/or circulatory disorders to help them pull on their compression sleeves using one hand.
Engineering: Shaun Abraham and Anand Deekaram from Mount 1 in Richland County won for a robot arm mount for flat-screen televisions that can automatically adjust the position of the television using any universal remote control. Charles Stowers from Beaufort County received an honorable mention for his idea for electromagnetic enhancement of crude oil recovery to increase production rates.
Environmental sustainability: The winner was Ron Fulbright of Scentinel in Spartanburg County for a rapid-deploy, all-weather nanosensor system used to detect the presence of thousands of elements and chemical compounds in the environment such as levels of greenhouse gases, atmospheric conditions, water conditions or toxic agents. An honorable mention went to Andrew Epting of Palmetto Solar in Richland County for a solar photovoltaic system that can be used in manufacturing, government, education, warehousing and retail industries, as well as in small business and residential settings.
Software/IT: Joe Milam of BigLeapGPS of Anderson County took the prize for the world’s smallest GPS device coupled with a 24/7 support network dedicated to locating and recovering lost, kidnapped or injured family members, pets or assets anywhere in the world. Jeff Beck of onZone Solutions in Charleston County earned an honorable mention for a home/business automation system that can control the temperature, lighting, security, irrigation and other home systems through the Web.
Wildcard: Julie McWherter of Azula in Spartanburg County won for a pliable mat for women to sit on at the edge of the pool to protect their bathing suits from snagging. An honorable mention went to Andrew Smith of Charleston Fish and Chip in Charleston County for a facility where customers can either work on their golf game on a driving range and nine-hole course or practice casting in a stocked fishing hole.
Honorable mention recipients won $1,000. Winners took away $2,500, and the grand prize winner, Ron Fulbright of Scentinel, won $5,000. All received scholarships to the FastTrac program, and Fulbright will have access to a team of mentors to help cultivate his idea.
The competition grew out of an idea by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce to promote the FastTracSC program and is powered by New Carolina — South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness and its partners: FastTracSC, ThinkTEC, SwampFox, NEXT, the Florence Chamber of Commerce and SC Launch!, as well as a number of other state and local organizations.
The contest’s primary sponsor is SC Launch!, an affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority. SCRA’s CEO, Bill Mahoney, said the competition underscores the mission of the SC Launch! program, which is to help create, cultivate and support start-up companies that show potential for the knowledge economy.
George Fletcher, executive director of New Carolina, said that besides giving individuals an opportunity to showcase entrepreneurial talent, the competition is an excellent example of how collaboration is working statewide.
“We want to connect the dots to a lot of organizations like ThinkTEC, like the SCRA,” he said.
The ThinkTEC Innovation Summit, whose theme this year is “Innovation: The Pulse of Charleston,” continues today at the Trident Technical College Complex for Economic Development.
http://incubator.research.sc.edu/
