News

Workers painting lines on resurfaced roads need to wait 40 minutes for the paint to dry before moving on. If they lift the stencils too soon, the paint will smear. RoadPrintz Founder Sam Bell knew there had to be an easier way.

So he decided to develop a special truck equipped with a robotic arm that won’t be scalded by using hot paint that dries in less than a minute. Instead of stencils, it uses GPS measurements guided by a computer.

It typically costs $15,000 per mile for crews to paint road markings. Bell estimates his system can do the same work for only $5,000 per mile, possibly less.

RoadPrintz was an Innovation Fund Northeast Ohio recipient in the 43rd cycle. The startup received the A Award, earning them a total of $25,000. This award allowed them to develop their software and build a robotic connection.

Bell hopes to increase the safety of all road users by making effective visual street markings more affordable and accessible. 

CollaMedix Inc., a biotech startup based in Shaker Heights, has developed new technology in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. This technology offers a promising potential solution to women's pelvic disorders, such as stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

CollaMedix has created a medical device known as CollaSling, which aims to treat stress urinary incontinence in women—urine leakage coinciding with laughing, coughing, sneezing, lifting and exercise—by using proprietary collagen-based materials to provide structural support to human tissue.

“This common condition affects both the young and elderly, yet current treatments are ineffective and unsafe,” said Subba Shankar, the company’s chief technology officer. “Our technology will allow more women to fully engage in all of life’s activities without hesitation, avoiding the withdrawal, isolation and depression that they presently endure.”

Collamedix has recently reached an exclusive licensing agreement with the Case Western Reserve Technology Transfer Office. This will allow the company the chance to secure additional funding. 

Members of local businesses and community members gathered Oct. 3 at Lorain County Community College to see how the Patsie C. and Dolores Jenee Campana Center for Ideation and Invention has expanded to offer a myriad of tools that help bring ideas to life.

The open house also included a presentation by Luke Williams, author of “Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business.”

The Roy and Bobbi Church Visionary Leadership Institute sponsored the event which took place in the Campana Center and the Spitzer Conference Center at LCCC, 1005 Abbe Road in Elyria.

The expansion of the Campana Center added 10,000 feet to the building along with lab and equipment upgrades.

Renovation was made possible through a private/public partnership that included nearly 20 federal, state and philanthropic sponsors of the project, according to a news release from LCCC.

The equipment and labs in the center are for students, business and industry and the community, so they have greater access to tools and resources designed to stimulate new ideas.

“As the community’s college, we focus on preparing individuals for in-demand jobs and filling the talent gaps of employers,” said LCCC President Marcia Ballinger. “In this era of rapid technological change, we need to also play a significant role in helping local companies stay competitive by adopting new technologies for greater productivity and to open up new market opportunities.”

As the finalists of the Youngstown Business Incubator’s inaugural Shark Tank event left the stage May 3, they were happy with what they walked away with: some prize money and access to the expertise of five local investors and the YBI.

But in the months since, the initial prizes – $6,000 to Augment Therapy, $3,000 to PlateMap and $1,000 to FishMySpot, all provided by the event’s sponsor, Medical Mutual of Ohio – were just the beginning for the trio of finalists.

Beyond the first-place prize money, Augment Therapy also gained $50,000 commitments from four of the five sharks at the event. Catherine Mott of BlueTree Capital Group, later upped her firm’s commitment to $150,000, becoming the lead funder.

Augment Therapy is an augmented reality service for pediatric physical therapy, combining telehealth with fun activities child patients can play. For kids, it’s a fun game, but for doctors it can provide valuable information on their health and keep them engaged.

Founder and CEO Lindsay Watson says the startup has secured $375,000 as “a direct result of the Shark Tank.” Part of that number, she adds, is $100,000 from investor Vince Bacon, who attended the event and reached out to Watson afterward. 

And, says YBI’s entrepreneur-in-residence, Jim Cossler, who has been advising some of the Shark Tank finalists, Augment Therapy is nearing the end of its first seed round that will bring in even more to the startup

“We’re very, very confident that with our introductions and our assistance that she will successfully close a $750,000 round,” Cossler says. 

Join us on October 3rd as we celebrate the Campana Center’s most recent expansion, which includes spaces designed to bring a community of ideas to life. A regional hot-spot for makers, inventors and businesses, the Campana Center gives everyone the skills, equipment and confidence needed to turn an idea into an invention. 

October 3, 2019
7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lorain County Community College Campus
Patsie C. and Dolores Jeneé Campana Center for Ideation and Invention

AGENDA

7:30 a.m. – Registration and Breakfast (Spitzer Conference Center, Reaser Grand Room)

8:30 to 11 a.m. – Keynote Lecture by Luke Williams (Spitzer Conference Center, Reaser Grand Room)

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Open House (Campana Center)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Luke Williams joined New York University Stern School of Business in September 2012 as Executive Director of the W.R. Berkley Innovation Lab and Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Professor Williams is also a Fellow at frog design.

Professor Williams is a leading consultant, educator and speaker specializing in disruptive innovation. He is the author of Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business. For more than a decade, he has worked internationally with industry leaders such as American Express, GE, Sony, Crocs, Virgin, Disney and Hewlett-Packard to develop new products, services and brands.

Professor Williams has been invited to speak worldwide, and his views have been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek and Fast Company and on National Public Radio (NPR). 

To register for the event, click here: https://www.lorainccc.edu/campana/opening/