ITEN News

The Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) has announced that the next round of available funding for early stage ventures, under the IDEA Funds program will begin January 2. Companies applying that are affiliated with ITEN should make that fact known in their application for a number of reasons, one of which is that the MTC has determined that affiliation with ITEN qualifies as an educational affiliation which is important to the application.

Also be advised that the aim of the IDEA Fund is to attract private investments, and companies should very clearly understand the parameters of the timing elements of the program to make sure their outside investments will qualify for matching IDEA funds. For more information and links to the applications, please see http://www.missouritechnology.com/commercialization-programs.

Please join us in congratulating the 2011 Olin Cup Finalists: Three of them have joined ITEN to get help from our mentoring and other programs.They are Edthena, Freiezo and HomeNav. Congratulations to all of them.

· Edthena, delivering better coaching to teachers by meshing social networking with learning management to create a new kind of collaborative experience;

· Eyelten Therapeutics, a St. Louis-based biotechnology firm engaged in the development of new therapies to treat age-related macular degeneration;

· Freiezo, dedicated to the creation of an American-made and -powered wind energy system;

· HomeNav by Sustaining Spaces, a patent-pending interactive homeowners manual and resource guide;

· Inclusion Sports, a sport game uniquely and simply designed to be amazingly fun, extremely competitive, and have a tremendous amount of therapeutic value for the disabled;

· Loadmaster Toolkit, an affordable, rugged, pocket computer with custom software to streamline tasks for the crew member who plans, loads, and manages cargo on military airlifters;

· NewMode Apps, which is developing and marketing a suite of Apple and Android tablet computer software designed to re-purpose consumers' outdated tablets;

· SoMoLend, a web- and mobile-based Peer-to-Peer lending company using patent-pending lending technology executed within a hyper-localized geographic scope

Now the teams will write their business plans and prepare to make final oral presentations to judges in January. Save the date of Wednesday, February 1 to plan to attend and see who will win the Olin Cup this year! In the meantime, read more about the ideas at www.ideabounce.com/olincup11.

October 4th, 2011 FinServe and ITEN Director were featured in the St. Louis Business Journal on September 30th. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/print-edition/2011/09/30/welborn-teams-with-brasunas-goede-on.html

Start-Up Connection is a unique and energetic networking event where owners of start-up technology companies present their ideas and products to the community in a trade show format. On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, from 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m., start-up company founders, senior leaders, investors and members of the St. Louis regional entrepreneurial community will converge at Edward Jones for the Fall version of this event. Registration is now open to attend Start-Up Connection. Go to www.startupconnection.org for more information and to register as a presenting company or as a member of the attending. Start Up Connection is free for both companies and the attending public.

VentureBounce is an elevator pitch competition that will take place during Start Up Connection. Jeremy Nulik of the Small Business Monthly will be the master of ceremonies and the competition will be judged by a small team of local investors. The top three winners of the elevator pitch competition will receive backstage passes to the Concert for Kathmandu Kids featuring world music and fusion jazz artists Farshid Etniko and Todd Ferris Mosby on October 22. The three winners will also be invited to give their elevator pitches at an upcoming meeting of the St. Louis Arch Angels Network, an angel investment group that invests in start-ups in the St. Louis region. Companies registering to present at Start Up Connection can enter to compete in the VentureBounce as a part of the online registration process.

"Past events have helped start-up businesses in multiple ways. "We have now attended two Start-Up Connection events and both times we met several contacts that have helped us move our business forward," said Joe Seibel, CFO and VP of Strategic Development for
Hexagrid Computing, Inc., "Whether attending to meet other interesting start-ups, possible investors, or new possible customers, Start-Up Connection is a great place to network and grow your business contacts."

All innovative early-stage technology companies are encouraged to participate in Start Up Connection. "It's the place to be and be seen, to meet and mingle if you're an entrepreneur or aspire to be one."

Concert for Kathmandu Kids is a benefit for the Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children, a not for profit organization that helps disadvantaged children in Nepal. The concert is October 22 at 7 p.m. at Maryville University. Information about Mitrata and the benefit concert can be found at www.mitrata.org.

More information about the St. Louis Arch Angel investment group is found at www.stlouisarchangels.com.