CONNECT Announces Finalists for 2018 Most Innovative New Product Awards
Twenty-three San Diego companies selected as finalists for 31st annual awards
SAN DIEGO (September 6, 2018) – Today, CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, announced the 23 finalists for the 31st annual Most Innovative New Product Awards. The prestigious awards ceremony is a CONNECT signature event, held annually, that honors San Diego’s stars of innovation along with their newly launched, groundbreaking products.
“We are very excited to be celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship in San Diego through the 31st annual Most Innovative New Product Awards,” said Greg McKee, President & CEO of CONNECT. “All of the MIP finalists are advancing industries and elevating our quality of life, and at the same time, expanding our innovation ecosystem in San Diego.”
The submissions for this year’s Most Innovative New Product Awards were evaluated by a series of industry experts in late August. 23 products across seven categories have been selected as finalists.
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Boxton – Boxton. Global freight is complex and costly, especially when you don’t have access to expensive enterprise class software. Boxton’s cloud platform enables anyone, whether in a small startup or large enterprise, to manage on demand freight with the ease of booking a hotel. Welcome to a better way to manage logistics.
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Citadel Defense Company – Citadel Titan. Citadel Defense Counter-drone (C-UAS) technology detects and classifies Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s or “drones”) threatening combat troops. The system uses AI-based search and classify methods as well as Electronic Counter Measures to detect and interdict UAV-Controller communications, causing the UAV to leave the field. Currently deployed with US troops.
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. – MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). MQ-9B SkyGuardian is the next generation of GA-ASI’s multi-mission Predator® B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) fleet. A company-funded effort, MQ-9B is a “type-certifiable” aircraft designed to meet the stringent airworthiness requirements of various U.S. and international military and civil authorities, resulting in unrestricted operations in all classes of civil airspace.
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Robolink – Linky. Using programming and spearhead technology, Linky is bridging the gap between schools and today’s big tech industries. Students will be able to test autonomous driving in a controlled environment. With an optional “smart city,” students can see their code come to life, driving to avoid pedestrians and obeying traffic laws.
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Primo Wind – EnergiPlant. The patented EnergiPlant provides data collection and security using an LTE or 4G camera for direct streaming of data and video capture. The camera includes a noise detector that deciphers gunshot alerts. The EnergiPlant includes: 800W wind generator, 200W solar panels, camera with data and security, noise detector, two-way calling, WiFi hot spot, LED lighting, 6 USB ports, energy controller, and AGM batteries.
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soFC2 Inc. – soFC2. soFC2 is a device for converting excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into methane (natural gas).
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Cubic – Cubic M3x Product Family. The M3X is a series of modules designed to provide Internet Protocol communications for customers. It utilizes a weather hardened casing, modular rails that allows interconnection vertically or horizontally, and a custom designed raised angle connector allows each module to pass ethernet and power between modules with no external cables.
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Formalloy – L-Series 3D Printer. Formalloy’s L-series metal 3D printer is the first system to utilize a blue laser for additive manufacturing applications. The L-series can build 2 to100x faster than competing technologies, and can process the most comprehensive range of metal alloys on the market. The L-series is scalable for prototyping to production.
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Gryphon Online Safety, Inc. – GRYPHON. Secure mesh WiFi system powered by machine learning to keep the connected home safe.
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Seacoast Science, Inc. – Bulk Particle Collector SC-V10. The SC-V10 is a portable, hand-held particle-collector, for First Responders, to improve safety and efficiency during powder evidence collection. It includes a reusable vacuum-handle and replaceable, one-time-use evidence traps. The traps are self-contained, filter-systems that collect particles into resealable vials, thus providing easy sample handling while protecting the evidence chain.
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Cubic – Cubic Gateless Gateline. A revolutionary product to reduce public transit passenger congestion by verifying the validity and ticketing status of individual passengers within a transit station via facial recognition, mobile NFC payments or barcodes, and RFID ticketing.
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Qubitekk – Quantum Transceiver. Qubitekk has developed an advanced cybersecurity encryption and authentication technology for defense and energy applications. This new technology, called Quantum Key Distribution (or QKD), uses physics, not algorithms, to guarantee the integrity of communication channels. The Qubitekk QKD Transceiver is the product which transmits and receives QKD.
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Rosey – Rosey. Rosey is an online platform that reads students handwritten assessments and uses artificial intelligence to automatically grade their answers. We then provide students with detailed personalized feedback based on their responses, to help them learn better and faster.
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Banyan Biomarkers – Banyan BTI. The Banyan BTI™ the first in vitro diagnostic blood test developed to aid in the evaluation of patients with suspected mild traumatic brain injury, also known as concussion. On February 14, 2018, The U.S. FDA granted the expedited De Novo request for the commercialization of the Banyan BTI™ (Brain Trauma Indicator).
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CureMatch – PreciGene. A CureMatch Precigene analysis ranks and scores more than 4.5 million treatment options for cancer patients and identifies the best treatment based on their molecular profile.
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ThinkingNode, Inc. – ThinkingNode. ThinkingNode™ brings a breakthrough AI technology using Reasoning Computing vs Machine Learning to create and run cause-effect models of complex systems such as metabolic pathways and immune checkpoints. With causal models, therapeutic and diagnostic research can be accelerated by enabling scientists to know where and how to influence targeted system outcomes.
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Biological Dynamics – Omniverita. OmniVerita is a benchtop platform for genomic analysis of cancer biomarkers directly from blood without needing to pre-process samples. OmniVerita’s approach takes as little as thirty minutes, instead of hours or days required by conventional diagnostics. It is being developed for use in real-time treatment response monitoring for cancer patients.
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Greenwich Biosciences – Epidiolex. EPIDIOLEX®, the first prescription, plant-derived cannabinoid medicine in the United States and the first in a new class of anti-epileptic medications, is a pharmaceutical formulation of pure cannabidiol (CBD) now FDA-approved for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age or older.
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Neurocrine Biosciences – INGREZZA (valbenazine). INGREZZA® (valbenazine), a selective VMAT2 inhibitor, is the first prescription medicine indicated for the treatment of adults with tardive dyskinesia (TD), a condition characterized by uncontrollable, abnormal and repetitive movements in the trunk, extremities and/or face.
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Digital Proteomics – Alicanto. Survivors of diseases, such as influenza, Ebola, HIV, and cancer, harbor potent antibodies that enabled them to overcome their illness. Digital Proteomics developed Alicanto, a platform to discover novel antibody therapeutics from survivors.
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QT Medical – QT ECG. QT Medical focuses on cloud-based, AI-powered electrocardiogram (ECG) products and services. Our first product, QT ECG, is the first hospital-quality 12-lead ECG for millions of patients to use at home.
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StemoniX – microBrain 3D Assay Ready Plate. microBrain® 3D Assay Ready Plates are a human neural spheroid screening platform. Each plate contains 384 functioning spheroids comprised of neural cells that fire spontaneously. Delivered to customers under ambient conditions, the plates are easily implemented as a reliable high throughput screening platform for drug discovery and neurotoxicology.
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Tear Film Innovations, Inc. – iLux Dry Eye Treatment System. The iLux® Dry Eye Treatment System is an FDA-cleared, handheld device that enables eye care professionals to treat the most common form of dry eye in less than ten minutes. The device melts blockages in lipid-producing glands in the eyelids, restoring their normal function and creating a healthy tear film.
The winners will be announced on the evening of November 29. The event will include an innovation showcase followed by the awards dinner at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, 3777 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.
For further information contact Jana Wallis at jwallis@connect.org or 858.964.1300.
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ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
For more information on CONNECT’s Most Innovative New Product Awards, please visit connect.org.