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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Research Park

    Nora Lozar

    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Congratulations to Innovation Celebration Winners!

    Congratulations to all the winners and finalists from Innovation Celebration, especially those with Research Park ties. The event, held on Feb. 27 at the NCSA building, was standing room only. The wiinners are listed in bold: Innovation Transfer Award – University of Illinois Dr. Stephen Boppart: winner, founder of I-Start company PhotonicareDr. Stephen SligarDr. Scott White Innovation in Engagement Award – Parkland College Kerris Lee – formerly with Lost Points and Cazoodle, Kerris has spent a lot of time at EnterpriseWorks. Entrepreneurial Excellence: Social Venture Award[co] [lab]PilotDr. Fouad Abd-El-Khalick & the EnLIST Team – University of Illinois Entrepreneurial Excellence: Student Startup AwardKantWaitServabo – I-Start client at EnterpriseWorks. Congrats TIm and Nishana!Miss Possible Entrepreneurial Excellence: New Venture AwardPhi OpticsVeriflowElectroninks – EnterpriseWorks tenant and I-Start client. Congrats Brett and the team! Entrepreneurial Excellence: Advocacy AwardRay Price – iFoundryJed Taylor – U of I Technology Entrepreneur CenterDennis Beard – Serra Ventures. Dennis is a member of our Entrepreneur-in-Residence team; Serra’s offices are in Research Park.  Innovation: Economic Development Impact AwardFox AtkinsCarlos Nieto – Nieto EnterprisesWalter Lohmann Entrepreneurial Excellence: Management AwardDan Cermak – VolitionMike Folk – HDF GroupBill Cope – Common Ground Publishing Innovation: Longevity AwardAcoustic MedSystemsProminic.NETPavlov Media Here is a detailed wrap-up of the event from Don Dodson of the News-Gazette. 

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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions Research Park

    Yahoo Breaks Ground For New Facility In Champaign

    Today, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility that will serve as an important expansion of its Champaign, IL technology hub. Leaders from Yahoo, State of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and City of Champaign announced plans for the new building and expanded workforce. Champaign is the home of several Yahoo engineering teams working on critical technologies for the company. Yahoo currently occupies 24,000 sq.ft. of office space and is the largest full-time employer in the University of Illinois Research Park. The new 40,000 sq. ft. building will be solely constructed for Yahoo. Plans include recruitment of engineers over the next 12-24 months. Yahoo’s SVP of Advertising Technology, Scott Burke, attended the groundbreaking and said, “I’m thrilled to announce our expansion in Champaign. Yahoo has benefited from the world-class engineering talent at Research Park that contributes to our advertising and data systems. We look forward to growing our team and continuing to be a valued member of the local community.” Champaign-Urbana is the home of the University of Illinois and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The top-ranked engineering college is a hallmark of Illinois. Chancellor Phyllis Wise said, “Yahoo is an important presence in our Research Park and in our local community. Our students and our faculty have seen great new opportunities through our relationship with Yahoo, and this expansion will open even more of them for all of us.” “The presence of Yahoo at the U of I is an incredible resource for the technology industry in Illinois,” Governor Pat Quinn said. “Illinois is a technology leader and we are actively working to grow our economy, create jobs and keep our state a center for innovation worldwide. Places like Research Park at the University of Illinois are essential in making Illinois even more competitive.” “On behalf of the City of Champaign, we are pleased that performance-based employment incentives were able to contribute the positive decision by Yahoo to expand in our community. Yahoo’s growth is a strong example of the thriving high-technology sector in Champaign,” said Mayor Don Gerard. About Yahoo Yahoo is focused on making the world’s daily habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company’s blog (yahoo.tumblr.com). About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Since its founding in 1867, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has earned a reputation as a world-class leader in research, teaching, and public engagement. Located on campus, the Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a technology hub for startup companies and corporate research and development operations. Within the Research Park there are more than 90 companies employing students and full-time technology professionals. For more visit www.illinois.edu and https://researchpark.illinois.edu/ Contact at Yahoo: Cathy Singer, Senior Director, cats@yahoo-inc.com Contact at the University of Illinois: Laura Frerichs, Research Park Director, (217) 333-8323 **** News Coverage: News Gazette article: Yahoo to add 80 jobs at Research Park site The Southern Illinoisan: New Yahoo building at the University of Illinois AZoBuild.com: Yahoo Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Facility in Champaign

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Oracle Biosciences Awarded $1 Million for Cancer Research

    A Carle physician has received a $1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study a diagnostic test that could help identify the often deadly triple negative breast cancer earlier. Dr. Partha Ray, a Carle surgical oncologist, will focus on the FOXC1 gene, a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for basal-like breast cancer, a particularly deadly form of triple negative breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute awarded the grant to Oracle Biosciences LLC, Dr. Partha Ray’s biotech company, which has laboratory facilities at EnterpriseWorks incubator at the Research Park. 

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    Events News

    Mobile Day 2014: Registration is Open

    The Research Park is excited to announce that registration is open for the third annual Mobile Development Day, to take place on January 31, 2014 at the iHotel and Conference Center in Champaign. With an expected attendance of over 200 participants and 25 speakers, Mobile Development Day provides an opportunity for attendees to share information and network with peers about mobile development taking place in the entrepreneurial, corporate, and educational milieus in the University of Illinois, the Champaign-Urbana region, and beyond. Topics include, but are not limited to: mobile technical development; mobile design; mobile entrepreneurship; coroporate, academic, or community mobile development; business of mobile app development; Android vs. iOS; mobile development education and careers; apps vs. websites. Thank you to John Deere for its generous sponsorship of this event.

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    EnterpriseWorks News

    Imaging Startup Phi Optics Closes Seed Funding Round

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Phi Optics, Inc., a company that develops imaging solutions for life sciences and bio-pharma researchers, has secured $250,000 in seed funding from venture capital funds. The seed series was led by Champaign-based Serra Ventures and includes New Jersey-based Newport Holdings LP and Champaign-based Illinois Ventures LLC. The funding will support development of optical microscopes designed for faster and more sensitive imaging of live cells and tissues using Phi Optics patented technology, Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI). Phi Optics also has received a Phase 1 SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The SBIR funds were used toward a feasibility study for translating QPI technology from university lab to commercial product. Phi Optics also has developed strategic partnerships with Agilent Technologies and Carl Zeiss Microscopy. “Phi Optics products empower bio-pharma and life sciences academia researchers to explore deeper, discover more, and ultimately cure better,” said Dr. Gabriel Popescu, Co-Founder and CEO of Phi Optics, Inc. About Phi Optics: Phi Optics designs and manufactures devices based on Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI), a label free and quantitative imaging technology with nanoscale sensitivity. QPI-enabled devices have applications in life sciences, diagnostic pathology, and nanotechnology markets. Founded by Drs. Gabriel Popescu and Catalin Chiritescu, Phi Optics is commercializing technology initially developed in Prof. Popescu’s laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The company is a graduate of the NSF Innovation Corps program (March 2012 cohort) and is located in the EnterpriseWorks incubator in the University of Illinois Research Park. For more information visit the Phi Optics website. About University of Illinois Research Park: The Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with faculty and students to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research. Located on campus, the Research Park is home to more than 90 companies, employing 1,400 people in high-technology careers. Major corporate operations in the Research Park include: ADM, Abbott Laboratories, Anheuser Busch InBev, Caterpillar, Citrix, Deere & Company, Dow, Littelfuse, Neustar, Raytheon, Riverbed, Sony, State Farm, and Yahoo. The Research Park is also home to 30+ startup companies that are commercializing technology. For more information, visit the Research Park website.

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    News Partnerships & Acquisitions

    First University of Illinois I-Corps Site Cohort Starts Aug. 29

    The Daily Illini splashed news about the University of Illinois’ first NSF I-Corps Site program cohort across its front page on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The program launches on August 29 with six teams in place, who will meet four times in eight weeks. Research Park director Laura Frerichs described the program as a “bootcamp process” for aspiring entrepreneurs. Teams for the second cohort, which starts in October, are already being recruited. For more information visit our NSF I-Corps Site information page. 

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    Investments News Research Park

    Fourth Street Extension Opens Opportunities For Research Park Expansion

    The Fourth Street Extension road project opened to traffic on Thursday, Aug. 22, just in time for move-in day at the University of Illinois, extending Fourth Street from St. Mary’s Road to Windsor Road. A traffic light at Windsor and Fourth is now operational. From the News-Gazette article: “Research Park Director Laura Frerichs said the new roads will provide access to 30 to 40 years’ worth of developable land. The park has had about one new building per year since it opened in 2001. ‘We want to continue that progress,’ Frerichs said. The project includes the extension of Hazelwood and Gerty drives to the east to meet the new Fourth Street. Everything should be open by Sept. 6, according to the city of Champaign.

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    News Recognition & Awards Research Park

    Research Park Honors Most Outstanding Interns of 2013

    Five outstanding interns working for companies in the Research Park, all students at the University of Illinois, were honored Aug 1. More than 400 highly-skilled student interns work for Research Park tenants, gaining valuable experience while making real contributions to internal corporate research and development programs. The 2013 winners are: Most Advanced Marketing/Business Development Intern: Megan Broom, senior in speech and hearing science, IMO (Intelligent Medical Objects, Inc.) Megan recommended new processes which will be implemented at the corporate level. Best Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup: Yuyan Hua, graduate student in Materials Science and Engineering, Serionix “Diligent and aggressive,” in less than three months Yuyan helped Serionix progress on a project that has resulted in a minimal viable product being ready for customer evaluation. Best Tech Innovation in the Research Park: Josh Eckhardt, senior in Computer Science, Caterpillar Josh’s technical contribution to a web-based optimization tool is now being applied, and in just one manufacturing facility shows an initial cost reduction of $1 to 2 million. Most Valuable Graduate Student in the Research Park: Dan Zhou, doctoral student in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Abbott Dan translated scientific evidence into talking points and other information that can be used to educate policymakers on key Abbott Nutrition health policy issues. Most Valuable Undergraduate Student in the Research Park: Daniel Loeblich, junior in Chemical Engineering, Dioxide Materials Daniel’s work has accelerated company efforts to bring its CO2 sensor to market and made other important contributions to patent-pending fabrications. Finalists in each category are: Most Valuable Graduate Student in the Research Park:Julie Honneger, Agricultural and Biological Engineering graduate student, Waterborne Environmental; Shuai Wang, Educational Psychology graduate student, State Farm Research and Development Center Most Valuable Undergraduate Student in the Research Park: Sam Rappeport, Materials Science and Engineering undergraduate, Serionix; Bryan Plummer, Computer Science undergraduate, State Farm Research and Development Center Best Tech Innovation in the Research Park: Cristina Abad, doctoral student in Computer Science, Yahoo!; Brian Doherty, Computer Science undergraduate, IMO Best Entrepreneurial Leadership in a Startup: Siddhant Morakhia, General Engineering undergraduate, BioAnalytics Most Advanced Marketing/Business Development Intern: Michelle Kwak, Industrial Design undergraduate, John Deere Technology Innovation Center

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    EnterpriseWorks News Recognition & Awards

    EnterpriseWorks Graduate aPriori Secures An Additional $6 Million in Funding

          aPriori, graduate of EnterpriseWorks, raises additional venture capital funding. Important milestones for the company in FY 2013 include: Revenues grew 84% year over year Bookings grew 48% year over year International revenues grew 367% year over year Existing customers renewed at a rate of 90% – for the 5th consecutive year New customers in all geographies drove a 62% expansion of the customer base.      

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    EnterpriseWorks Media Mentions News

    EnterpriseWorks Named a College-Town Incubator to Watch by Inc. Magazine

    An article in the June 2013 issue of Inc. magazine declares EnterpriseWorks, the technology business incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park, as one of three college-town incubators worth watching. The article highlights some of the incubator’s strengths, including entrepreneur counseling and support. It also mentions that EnterpriseWorks clients and graduates have raised more than $550 million in outside capital. The article calls out one of EnterpriseWorks tenants, IntelliWheels, “a company that has created a patent-pending gear system for manual wheelchairs, was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health and has raised more than $500,000 in funding.” The other college town incubators featured are Arizona State University’s Furnace Technology Transfer Accelerator and the USC/Columbia Technology Incubator out of the University of South Carolina. This isn’t the first time that EnterpriseWorks has received recognition from the Inc. “family”. In 2011, Inc.com named EnterpriseWorks one of 10 Start-up Incubators to Watch in the U.S.

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