Weekly iG Spotlight 4/26/11

Good afternoon everyone! 

Last week there was so much news last week - let's review!

The University Of Florida Celebration Of Innovation Showcase

The event featured 14 Gainesville IT and healthcare technology companies, giving them the chance to learn from experienced entrepreneurs and present their companies to about 320 attendees, including about 50 investors.  Read about it at: http://www.gainesvillechamber.com/Celebration_of_Innovation.aspx.  At the event, announcement was made of two new buildings that will be constructed, supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem on campus and in the community. 

Here's the recap http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110419/ARTICLES/110419457 and check out the new Infusion Technology Center at  http://www.trimarkproperties.com/commercial_rentals_gainesville/inn.... 

The tree-topping ceremony for the Innovation Hub was held late last week and some companies got an inside look at the first building in Innovation Square - http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110423/ARTICLES/110429791/-1/a....  

University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration
Patients come to UF from all over the world for deep brain stimulation therapy to treat such conditions as Parkinson's disease, tremors and dystonia.  Last week marked the opening of the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration, bringing clinical services, research and education into movement disorders under one roof.  Instead of trying to go out and recruit people in every potential discipline who could contribute to a comprehensive movement disorders center, the program took advantage of the third-largest public university in the United States and brought together a team from all over campus.  Ten different departments across the campus are now joined in a clinical database that is among the largest in the world devoted to movement disorders.  Read the whole story at http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110415/ARTICLES/110419646.

SFC Among Top Community Colleges in the U.S.

A national institute announced Monday the start of a competition to award $1 million to recognize community colleges that help students achieve their goals of higher education. Santa Fe College was named as one of 120 colleges competing for the Aspen Prize for Community College...http://innovationgainesville.com/santa-fe-college-among-top-communi....

Panel Discussion – "How I Sold my Tech Company..."

Former Execs of NovaMin, WiPower and MindSolve participated in a panel discussion last week on the process they each experienced in having their companies acquired.  In each case, the companies had reached a critical juncture from their humble beginnings and were wrestling with how to take their businesses to the next level — read about it at http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110422/ARTICLES/110429813/-1/a....

Gainesville is one of America's Greenest Cities

The Big Apple, Vegas, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Albuquerque, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore....and GAINESVILLE, Florida? 

Gainesville makes news with another ranking last week, coming in #7 on the list of "Greenest Cities in the U.S."...the ranking captured citizen behavior across five categories, each weighted equally, with the final ranking determined by a comparison of each city’s performance compared to the average for each category,” including average trips on public transportation each weekday, percentage of homes using solar energy for heating and the percentage of residents who make conscious efforts to recycle - see the slide show at http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-04-24/americas-....

Early Bird Pricing Ends 4/30 for Cade Prize Night

Cade Prize Night is May 12 at Santa Fe College's Fine Arts Hall.   The "Final Four" includes a seizure detection device, an indoor air purification system, a biodegradable plastic, and an exoskeleton for leg and knee rehabilitation.    One of these teams will walk away with $50,000 and a year at GTEC, courtesy of the Council for Economic Outreach.  Each of the runners up will receive $5,000.   During the cocktail hour you will have an opportunity to meet the "Sweet 16" finalists, whose entries ranged from affordable post-disaster housing to a high-tech running shoe.  Dr. Richard Lister, Chief of the UF Neurosurgical Service, will be our keynote speaker on the subject of creativity.    All in all, it will be lots of fun and a great way to celebrate the innovators in our community.    The early-bird discount ends on April 30 and last year's event was a sellout, so I encourage you to order your tickets soon at  http://innovationgainesville.com/get-early-bird-pricing-for-cade-pr....

Enjoy the rest of your week! 

ANN

Ann Collett

Vice-President – Innovation Gainesville

Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce/Council for Economic Outreach

ann@gceo.com

www.innovationgainesville.com