Tech Stars

IDENTIFYING CANCER cells more accurately, managing parking systems and placing take-out restaurant orders from cell phone are among the innovative ways that Indiana companies are using technology to create new opportunities in the state.

A record 79 companies from across the state were nominated

for the annual Mira awards that are named for "the wonderful star," a pulsating red giant whose brightness can change dramatically. The awards are presented by TechPoint, Indiana's technology association of public and private companies, colleges and research universities and local economic development organizations.

"The Mira Awards provide an opportunity to showcase the business breakthroughs and technological innovations that are putting Indiana on the map as an emerging tech center," says TechPoint president and CEO Jim Jay.

Here are the 2008 winners:

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

CS-Keys, Indianapolis

What if you could find the key to identify cancer-specific cells? That's the question that Indianapolis-based CS-Keys is hoping to answer with its new technology that was recognized as the innovation of the year at the 2008 Mira awards.

Co-founder Linda Malkas, who lost her father to cancer, has devoted her professional life to learning how to fight the disease. Following her tenure at universities on the East Coast, she came to Indiana University in 1992 and served as the Vera Bradley Chair for Oncology. Today Malkas is recognized internationally for her research on the molecular biology of breast cancer.

"I became interested in how cells divide," she says, noting that cancer cells maintain the ability to survive the body's natural defenses and reproduce in large numbers. Her work led to the discovery of a new biomarker and has resulted in a patented antibody that the company hopes will allow earlier and more accurate identification of cancerous cells.

CS-Keys was founded in 2006 by Malkas, with fellow doctors and researchers Robert Hickey, Lauren Schnaper and Derek Hoelz. Claire Deselle joined the company as president and CEO, bringing experience in life sciences consulting and management from 14 years at Eli Lilly and Company.

The company's first product is caPCNA Key Stain(TM), an immunohistochemistry stain to be used as an aid to pathologists in examining tissue biopsies where cancer is suspected. In layman's terms, that means the test can help to identify specific cancer cells and make them appear brown instead of blue when viewed under a microscope.

The privately held company, which has raised $7.5 million to date, plans to launch several other diagnostic tests based on its technology and anticipates they will be helpful in identifying breast, ovarian, esophageal, prostate and other types of cancer cells.

As a small company located near the Indianapolis International Airport, Deselle says CS-Keys is a good example of how innovative life sciences ideas can grow in the state. "I think Indiana is really primed for innovation," she says. "This is the time and the place.

Finalists in the Innovation of the Year category included ChaCha, Comfort Motions Technologies, EnterDel and Moerae Matrix.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

T2 Systems, Indianapolis

While most people don't think about technology while they are looking for a parking space, Indianapolis-based T2 Systems has grown to more than 100 employees by understanding the importance of managing the data of parking systems.

Founded in 1994, the company serves more than 300 organizations in the United States and Canada, providing a variety of parking management technologies for towns, universities, hospitals and airports.

"Today's parkers are becoming more sophisticated and want more efficient ways to reserve, pay and manage their parking," explains president and CEO Mike Simmons. "Our customers look for us to incorporate the latest technology - such as e-commerce, credit card payments, and cell phones - into our solutions so they in turn can provide excellent service to their customers."

T2 Systems provides software and hardware allowing online permit sales and event parking management, as well as parking enforcement, collections and processing of tickets and access and revenue control functions.

"We feel very fortunate that our customers work with us to build the industry-changing solutions they need to manage their evolving business," Simmons says. "Being a loyal partner to our customers is the main driver behind T2's growth."

Finalists in the category included ANGEL Learning, Aprimo, and ExactTarget.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GAZELLE COMPANY

Patronpath, Indianapolis

The Gazelle distinction at the Mira awards recognizes technology companies that move quickly, so it seems appropriate that this year's winner was developed to speed the process of ordering from restaurants.

Patronpath chairman and founder Bryan Anderson recalls thinking it was ridiculous when he saw a promotion asking people to fax an order to restaurants, since few people use fax machines and fewer still have restaurant menus sitting around. So he quickly designed an on-line system that provides menus, ordering and payment systems. "We had a white paper written in three weeks and had developers hired within three months," he says. "It's been a lot of fun.

Patronpath's online ordering tool has features like My Favorites, My Order History and patent-pending Invitation Ordering, that makes it easy to place group orders for company meetings and other events. VIP orders and special promotions for cell-phone users are also in the works.

In addition to making the process more efficient, Anderson says the software has been a great marketing tool for restaurant owners, who find that pre-paid orders made online tend to be between 20 and 30 percent larger than those placed by telephone.

Anderson, who also founded Autobase, a national software company offering sales and marketing solutions to auto dealers, says moving quickly and using technology to improve the customer experience are keys to success, especially in industries where technology has been missing. "Restaurants are so operationally intensive that they can't focus on technology," he says. "Good software companies are customer-driven."

Finalists included Chatterspike, Cine-tal Systems and Compendium Blogware.

HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES COMPANY

BioStorageTechnologies, Indianapolis

BioStorage Technologies is a privately held Indianapolis company and a worldwide leader in short-term and long-term biomaterials storage, sample management and cold chain logistics. The company is headquartered near the Indianapolis International Airport and also has operations in Germany.

Using its proprietary Intelligent Specimen Inventory Storage technology has put the company at the forefront of specimen management for clinical researchers and pharmaceutical companies. The three core elements of the BioStorage Technologies are secure, complaint storage, worldwide shipping and logistics and 24/7 tracking and reporting

"We are committed to the growth of our technology capabilities to drive better efficiencies for our clients. It's truly an honor to receive this award," says CEO John F Mills. "It reflects the hard work and dedication that our employees, from top to bottom, have put into helping not only BioStorage, but also Indiana's continued growth and prosperity as a breeding ground for the life science industry"

Finalists included AIT Laboratories, Targanta Therapeutics and Zotec Partners.

HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES GAZELLE COMPANY

BioConvergence, Bloomington

Bloomington-based BioConvergence is wasting no time in ramping up to serve clients in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Organized in 2004, the company built a state-of-the-art lab and climate-controlled storage facility and has al-ready expanded the building to meet the needs of some 90 clients across the country.

"I don't have anything but aggressive timelines, says CEO Alisa Wright. "There are people out there who are waiting for treatments." Wright, who has degrees in pharmacy and engineering from Purdue, founded the company after spending 20 years working in all aspects of the pharmaceutical industry.

She explains that BioConvergence provides contract services for drug product development, supply chain and materials management, toxicology and clinical materials manufacturing and packaging, quality control testing and also consulting. Earlier this year, BioConvergence announced a 10-year agreement with Eli Lilly and Company that is expected to create more than 100 jobs at the facility.

Wright, manages the business with her husband Lance, who serves as Chief Engineering Officer and John Brooks, who is Chief Operating Officer, and expects the company will continue its rapid growth. She notes that increases use of DNA to create specialized medicines will create much smarter therapies, driving demand for the expertise of life science contractors like BioConvergence.

Finalists included Anaclim, The Indiana Health Information Exchange and OrthoPediatrics

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION, TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS

Cloud Blue (formerly Asset Forwarding), Indianapolis

Recognizing that increasingly stricter environmental and privacy laws have impacted the disposal of old computers helped

Cloud Blue become the first electronic recycling company to win a Mira award.

"This is a reflection of how the electronic recycling industry has really become an integral part of the entire IT industry. Technology leaders understand the importance of proper disposal of IT assets, and this award is a tribute to our customers and employees," says founder Mark Vander Kooy.

Cloud Blue, which changed it name from Asset Forwarding last month, also announced plans to expand to seven other cities, including New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, and London.

"We are thrilled about the opportunity to expand and wanted to make sure our name was symbolic of the innovative thinking that we bring to corporate electronic life cycle and recycling services," says Vander Kooy. "It just shows Indiana and the Midwest is a great place to build and grow a company."

Finalists included Cascade Asset Management, EITAC Solutions Group, Griffin Analytical Technologies

CONTRIBUTION TO TECHNOLOGY - K-12 EDUCATION

Sherry Shelton, Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration and Todd Whitlock, North Daviess Community Schools

Each year, the Mira awards recognizes those who make a contribution to technology in education and this year was the first time two winners were recognized for making a contribution to technology in Indiana's K-12 schools.

Sherry Shelton, a consultant with the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration in Indianapolis, was recognized for her work with the non-profit that supports and advances education through videoconferencing and other collaborative technologies.

Sherry has served nationally as an educational consultant in technology integration. As a project manager, she has successfully implemented school and district-wide programs integrating technology seamlessly with academic goals.

Todd Whitlock, the technology coordinator at North Daviess Community Schools, was recognized for his work in bringing new programs to the southern Indiana district that has one elementary and one high school in Elnora.

Whitlock has been at North Daviess Community Schools since 1998 as a business teacher and helped the school system obtain more than $1.3 million in competitive technology grants since 2000. The funding has been used to introduce both students and faculty to new technologies that link the rural school system to a global learning environment.

CONTRIBUTION TO TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM/TEAM

Serious Gaming Team, Purdue University At the post-secondary education level, Purdue University's "Serious Gaming Team" of Gary Bertoline, Chris Hoffmann and Beverly Davenport Sypher was recognized for using various forms of digital media to enhance learning in an increasingly interactive world. Serious games is a term that was coined to describe games developed to persuade or educate, rather than to entertain.

The faculty members work in the Discovery Learning Center, which organized an industry forum on serious games and sponsors a research conference on the subject. The center also launched the Games-to-Teach competition for Purdue faculty who wanted to develop a serious gaming curriculum for existing classes.

Finalists included the Institute for Digital Fabrication at Ball State University, PRISM at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and The Data Capacity or Team of University Information Technology Services, School of Informatics and Pervasive Technology Labs at Indiana University.

CONTRIBUTION TO TECHNOLOGY INDIVIDUAL

Wayne Zage, Ball State University

Dr. Wayne Zage, a professor of computer science at Ball State University, was recognized for his work as director of the Software Engineering Research Center, where research experiences and lessons learned with government and industrial affiliates are transferred to students through university faculty. Such technology transfer is one of the goals of the National Science Foundation's Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers, of which the Ball State center has been a participant for 22 years.

Zage has been doing research on software design metrics since 1986 to help developers better understand the potential problems and stress points when coding and maintaining computer programs. His work in this field has been recognized nationally and has been helped many companies increase their productivity through the use of efficient software design.

Finalists included Professor Geoffrey C. Fox at Indiana University and Dr. Robert Yadon at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences at Ball State University.

2008 BRIDGE BUILDER AWARD

Senator David Ford

The 2008 Bridge Builder award was given in remembrance of Indiana Senator David Ford, who died in office earlier this year after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Ford, had been an early and active proponent of technology in Indiana and pioneered the state's first Senate Technology and Economic Development Committee.

Ford was instrumental in championing numerous legislative initiatives that encouraged high-tech jobs and promoted the use of technology in Indiana's schools. He was also active in many local efforts to help inner-city students have access to computers for the first time through donations of technology to the classroom. Ford was recognized as with the TechPoint Trailblazer award in 2004.

This year's award was accepted on Ford's behalf by his wife and son, who received a standing ovation at the ceremonies and recalled how the senator had always been an early adopter of technology even programming a computer more than 20 years ago to greet his son by name. The TechPoint Foundation presented them with a $1,000 scholarship that was created in his name.

2008 TRAILBLAZER IN TECHNOLOGY

Scott Webber

The annual Trailblazer in Technology award that recognizes those whose careers have made a lasting impact on Indiana was give to Scott Webber for his work over the past 30 years.

As president and CEO of Software Artistry, he led the company to the first successful software IPO in the state and later oversaw its acquisition by Tivoli Systems, an IBM company, for more than $200 million. Webber also spent 10 years at Pansophic Systems, a software company that grew from a $30 million privately held company to a $230 million publicly traded company during his tenure. He currently serves as CEO of Volatus Advisors, providing investment and guidance for young companies.

"Indiana has a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit and culture," he says. "With the appropriate guidance, Indiana entrepreneurs can improve their odds for great success, enhancing the local economy and the quality of life for all."

2008 Mira Award Winners

Innovation of the Year CS-Keys, Indianapolis

Information Technology Company T2 Systems, Indianapolis

Information Technology Gazelle Company Patronpath, Indianapolis

Health and Life Sciences Gazelle Company BioConvergence, Bloomington

Advanced Manufacturing and Distribution, Transportation, Logistics

Cloud Blue (formerly Asset Forwarding), Indianapolis

Contribution to Technology K-12 Education Sherry Shelton, Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration

Todd Whitlock, North Daviess Community Schools

Contribution to Technology - University Department/Program/Team Serious Gaming Team, Purdue University

Contribution to Technology Individual Wayne Zage, Ball State University

2008 Bridge Builder Award Senator David Ford

2008 Trailblazer in Technology Scott Webber