COLUMBIA, Md. (May 11, 2011) – The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) hosted today the organization’s first ICE Awards. Held at the National Electronics Museum in Linthicum Heights, Md., the event recognized three of the most outstanding businesses and individuals from TEDCO’s diverse portfolio of more than 300 seed and early-stage companies. Winners were selected from among 14 finalists in the areas of Innovation, Corporate Excellence and Entrepreneur (ICE). Approximately 180 representatives from TEDCO’s portfolio companies attended the event. Over the course of TEDCO’s 13- year history, the organization has provided more than $13 million in funding to Maryland businesses, from its Maryland Technology Transfer and Commercialization Fund (MTTCF) through its funding programs.
“Maryland is home to many growing and innovative companies that are working at the cutting edge of 21st century possibility,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “We sit at the national epicenter of science, security, health and healing, and I’d like to congratulate today’s honorees for demonstrating an ability to harness the power of innovation and discovery.”
The winners are:
Innovation: PrivateEye and Chameleon Security Software by Oculis Labs, Inc. Selected for creating a new technology that greatly improves or changes current products or processes and gained follow-on funding. Oculus Labs’ suite of software products, PrivateEye and Chameleon products, addresses the unique security challenge of protecting sensitive and classified materials being displayed on computer screens. Oculis Labs, Inc. is based in Hunt Valley, Md.
Company: Integrated BioTherapeutics, Inc. (IBT). Recognized as TEDCO’s leading company for its outstanding growth. IBT is a research-based company dedicated to the development of vaccines and the discovery of small molecules targeting emerging infectious agents. The company has grown from one employee to 31, and has attracted more than $30 million in government funding, primarily from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They are a graduate of the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) incubator and were a Maryland Incubator of the Year Winner in 2008, as well as the Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) Emerging Company of the Year Awardee in 2009. It is based in Gaithersburg, Md.
Entrepreneur: Dr. Chuck Daitch, CEO, Akonni Biosystems, Inc. Selected for outstanding leadership by a company founder. Dr. Daitch founded Akonni in 2003, starting in the Frederick Innovation Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI). Today, the organization has moved to a 20,000-square-foot office and biotech lab space. Akonni has been instrumental in the growth of molecular diagnostics and develops, manufactures and markets integrated molecular diagnostic systems. The company has more than 20 patents, 13 pending patents, 34 employees, and is backed by significant investment funding. Akkoni customers include NIH, NIJ, NSF, and over 50 commercial clients. It is based in Frederick, Md.
“TEDCO has a rich history of funding seed and early-stage companies, and we wanted to celebrate businesses and entrepreneurs that have really blossomed under our wing,” said Rob Rosenbaum, president and executive director of TEDCO. “The ICE Awards are a chance for TEDCO to not only reflect on past accomplishments, but look ahead to the future and the promise of Maryland’s thriving technology industry.”
During the event, 18 TEDCO companies demonstrated technologies and prototypes in the fields of biomedicine, communication, cyber security, defense and virtual reality. A highlight of the awards program was keynote speaker Peter Corbett, founder and CEO of iStrategyLabs. Corbett, a regional trailblazer in entrepreneurship, presented "Building Entrepreneurial Communities – How Your Startup is Much More than Just You,” in which he addressed growing and connecting technology communities on a local and global level to lead to better startups.