VCs & Cos salivating for new tech watch ATCO win kudos, often previous winners fare well after awards.
Dec. 11 will mark the 15th anniversary of the UCSD CONNECT Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Awards. The event is a tribute to San Diego's innovative spirit. Simply put, it's the biggest high-tech event showcasing the best, new high-tech and biotech products developed and sold by San Diego companies.
The first MIP Awards was in 1988, and while that may not seem like a long time ago, high-tech was still a teenager. Less than 15% of homes in the United States had a PC in 1988, and there were no home Internet connections. By 2001, 56.5% had at least one PC, and 50.5% had an Internet connection.
All three MIP winners of 15 years ago fared well. Athens was acquired by Integrated Process Equipment, Cymer Laser Technologies is still in business, and Mycogen was acquired by Dow in 1998. Other winners over the last fifteen years -- to name only a few -- include HNC, Qualcomm, SAIC, SDG&E, Agouron, Orincon, and many startups.
The inventor of MIP is Cub Parker, executive vice president of DHR International and a CONNECT management fellow. "I never realized when I started MIP how important rewards and recognition were and that the amount of enthusiasm for the event over the years would reach the crescendo it is today," said Parker. "It has helped to focus the San Diego community on the growth in technology and innovation but more importantly on starting successful businesses based on innovation."
This year seven products will receive MIP Awards, out of 21 finalists culled from 129 applications (an MIP record). The categories include Hardware, Software, Telecommunications, Life Sciences, General Technology, and the new categories of Biotechnology R&D and Technology R&D. Finalists for Biotech R&D are Diversa, MitoKor, and Perlan Therapeutics. Technology R&D finalists are Maxima, Qalert, and UCSD's Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry. For more information on all finalists and their nominated products, visit www.connect.org/newsletter/FinalistPressRelease.doc.
The Master of Ceremonies for the 15th MIP Awards Luncheon is Marc Bailey, anchor for Fox 6 News in the morning. Bailey uses a cell phone, PCs, and a host of technologies at the all-digital Fox 6 News studio, but readily admits to being an "end user" of technology products.
"I'm fascinated by innovation because I don't know how to do it," says Bailey. "I don't fully understand the thought process. We've all sat around and had these conversations where we said to ourselves, 'I should invent something.' Somebody has to have the chutzpah to say, 'I'm going to tackle this problem,' and then they have to see it through. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a blast."
Join the CONNECT team, Marc Bailey, and 21 MIP finalists at the 15th anniversary of the Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Awards. The ceremony takes place Dec. 11 at the Marriott Hotel & Marina downtown from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with an exhibit hall showcasing the finalists’ products open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (closed during the awards ceremony itself).
Tickets are $75 per individual for CONNECT members and new member applicants, $85 for non-members, and $700 for a table of 10. All attendees MUST REGISTER ONLINE no later than Dec. 6 because of the expected size of this year's event. There will be no walk-in registration. Rachel Barley, program coordinator, says seats are moving fast -- reserve yours early. Register online at www.connect.org/programs/mip.
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UC San Diego CONNECT Announces Most Innovative New Product -- MIP -- Award Winners
Wednesday December 11, 5:00 pm ET
Winning Products Illustrate San Diego's Continued Innovation and Success in the Technology and Life Science Industries
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2002-- San Diego's technology and life science industries continue to produce highly innovative new products, as demonstrated by the seven winners of UCSD CONNECT's 15th annual Most Innovative New Product Awards, announced today.
The seven winners were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges from a field of more than 130 companies. The categories included: hardware, software, telecommunications, life sciences, general technology, technology research and development, and the new category of biotechnology research and development, recognizing the important discoveries that are occurring in San Diego's biotech/life sciences community.
The 2002 MIP Award winners are:
Hardware:
AERONEX Inc. -- Micro INFINITY Gas Purification System -- A system that removes gaseous contaminants such as moisture, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide from process gases.
Software:
Akonix Systems Inc. -- Akonix L7 -- A perimeter security gateway that detects and controls rogue protocols at the network edge.
Telecommunications:
Ethertronics -- DualNet MPCI Internal Antenna Module -- Designed for mini-PCI cards, the DualNet antenna module leaves the PC Card expansion slot vacant for other applications.
Life Science:
Gen-Probe Inc. -- Procleix HIV-1/HCV Assay -- An amplified nucleic acid test used by blood banks to achieve earlier detection of both HIV and hepatitis C in one test.
General Technology:
American Technology Corp. -- HyperSonic Sound® (HSS®) -- A proprietary, ultrasonic-to-audio, parametric loudspeaker.
Biotechnology R&D:
Perlan Therapeutics Inc. -- ColdSol -- A bioengineered antibody fusion protein to be used as a nasal spray for prevention and treatment of the common cold.
Technology R&D:
Maxima Corp. -- Long Wave Infra-Red Free Space Optics (LWIR FSO) -- An optical wireless communication system that offers much lower atmospheric losses in fog and other atmospheric obscurants, and is cost-efficient and practical to apply in commercial communications systems.
In addition, each year, CONNECT presents the Bill Otterson Award to honor a San Diego-based company whose product has demonstrated a significant positive impact on society or our quality of life. This year, IDEC Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of targeted immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases receives the honor for its product Rituxan, which was the company's first product to be approved. Rituxan® (Rituximab) is the first monoclonal antibody found to be effective and safe for the treatment of certain types of B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer in the United States.
The Gray Cary Award for Technology Innovation went to the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance. This award is given to the individual(s) in San Diego who, through business activities and community involvement, have encouraged innovation and diversity of thought, supporting the advancement of San Diego entrepreneurs. The SDRTA is a private non-profit corporation that promotes sustainable technology growth in the region by providing direct business assistance to entrepreneurs and high-tech and biotech companies, programs to bridge the digital divide, and research and education to help shape public policy and forge effective collaborations.
The winners were announced at the MIP Awards Luncheon held Wednesday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. The luncheon drew a sell-out crowd of more than 850 participants.
"I'm quite impressed with the record number of participating entries and the caliber of the winning companies for this year's awards. It just goes to show that in spite of challenging economic times, innovation and success in technology and life sciences are still going strong here in San Diego," said Dr. Fred Cutler, executive director of CONNECT.
Since 1988, the CONNECT MIP Awards program has served as a benchmark for predicting the region's most successful emerging technologies. From early stage biotechnology companies to the first products generated by the region's telecommunications boom, the awards program has been an indicator of the industries and technologies that have fueled the San Diego economy.
Winners were selected based on their ability to demonstrate the technology's innovation, technological advancement, and its potential for commercial success. The distinguished judges for this year's awards included:
Nicholas B. Binkley, partner, Forrest Binkley & Brown
Howard Birndorf, executive chairman, Nanogen
Dr. Sanford Ehrlich, executive director, SDSU Enterpreneurial
Management Center
Anne Evans, president, Evans Hotels
Sanjay Jha, senior VP & general manager, Qualcomm Technologies & Ventures
Robert Kibble, managing partner, Mission Ventures
Dr. Jeffrey Kirsch, executive director, Fleet Science Center
Jessie Knight, Jr., president & CEO, Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce
Rick LeFaivre, executive director, von Liebig Center, Jacobs School of Engineering, UCSD
Dr. Gail Naughton, dean, College of Business Administration, SDSU
Joseph D. Panetta, president & CEO, BIOCOM/San Diego
Cub Parker, executive vice-president, DHR
Dr. John Reed, president & CEO, The Burnham Institute
Duane Roth, chairman & CEO, Alliance Pharmaceutical
Dr. Ivor Royston, managing partner, Forward Ventures
Marco Thompson, president, San Diego Telecom Council
Dr. Mary L. Walshok, associate vice chancellor, UCSD
Julie Meier Wright, president & CEO, San Diego Regional EDC
About CONNECT
UCSD CONNECT is the globally recognized, university-based non-profit organization fostering entrepreneurship in the San Diego region by catalyzing, accelerating, and supporting the growth of the most promising technology and life sciences businesses. Focused on assisting growth companies in the San Diego region, CONNECT has been directly involved with over 900 companies since its inception in 1985, helping them raise more than $11B in capital. Part of the University of California, San Diego, CONNECT has a dual role in accelerating growth: it assists growth companies in the San Diego region and promotes the commercialization of technology from university-based research. CONNECT's programs also help business service providers, attorneys, accountants, bankers, investors and marketing professionals with the knowledge about emerging technologies and access to new business opportunities. CONNECT is entirely self-supporting and receives no funding from the University or the State of California. It is supported by membership dues, course fees and corporate underwriting for specific programs. For more information, visit connect.org.
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Contact:
UCSD CONNECT
Theresa Cervantes de Torres, 858/964-1317
tcervantes@ucsd.edu
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Connie Roloff, 619/237-7718
roloffc@fleishman.com |
