Cincinnati Innovation Contest

Founding Sponsor: CincyTech drives capital into high-tech, high-growth potential companies. A nonprofit with a for-profit seed fund, CincyTech combines market discipline with public purpose -- growing jobs in the region while working for a strong return on investment. In addition to the seed-capital investments, CincyTech provides management assistance and connections to partners who share our mission. It is a regional technology initiative supported by the State of Ohio's Third Frontier Project. For more information on how we can assist you, please visit www.cincytechusa.com.

Founding Sponsor: At Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, delivering outstanding legal performance to help clients succeed is what drives and motivates its more than 375 attorneys and legal professionals every day. Taft is a full-service law firm with offices throughout Ohio as well as in Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona and Beijing. The firm represents a broad range of clients including entrepreneurs, start-ups and emerging growth companies; Fortune 1000 companies; and venture capital and other private investment firms. Taft's Emerging Companies Practice Group helps start-up and emerging growth companies to form, finance and grow their businesses. The firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group helps clients protect and commercialize their inventions and other intellectual property. For more information please visit www.taftlaw.com.

Founding Sponsor: The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation is a private family foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for residents in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. We recognize that a key factor driving new economic growth is the generation of new ideas and the ability to turn those ideas into reality. The Foundation is proud to support efforts that strengthen our region's culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. For more information visit www.haileusb.org.

Enquirer Media is committed to delivering the best news, information and services in the region. Owned by Gannett Co. Inc., Enquirer Media is a multimedia provider with more than 50 distinct local print, online and mobile news and information brands, including The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Kentucky Enquirer, The Community Press and Recorder weekly newspapers, the Cincinnati.Com network, NKY.Com, Metromix Cincinnati and Our Town magazine. No other local media organization can match Enquirer Media's ability to reach and engage people throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. For more information visit EnquirerMedia.com.

LPK is an international design agency where remarkable people Build Leadership Brands. By integrating strategy, design and innovation, LPK leverages relevant consumer, shopper and market insights to create value, sustain leadership and transform businesses. LPK's independent spirit champions a vibrant creative culture, recognized by The Wall Street Journal as a "Winning Workplace" and described by HOW Magazine as "one of the largest and most influential branding agencies on the planet." For more information visit lpk.com.

About Northern Kentucky Tri-ED Founded in 1987, the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (Northern Kentucky Tri-ED) serves as the primary economic development marketing agency for Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky. Since 1987, 480 companies have located or expanded in Northern Kentucky accounting for 46,815 new primary jobs and $4.6Billion in capital investment. Northern Kentucky Tri-ED is a key partner in Vision 2015, a 10-year strategic plan for growth in the region. For more information visit www.NorthernKentuckyUSA.com.

Vision 2015 is a non-profit, community development organization with the purpose being to implement a shared public agenda outlined in a 10-year strategic blueprint for Northern Kentucky. This plan identifies strategies for achieving a competitive economy, education excellence, livable communities, urban renaissance, effective governance, and cultivating regional stewardship. All goals and initiatives are designed to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the people of Northern Kentucky.

The Northern Kentucky E-Zone has assisted hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped them obtain over $75M in grants, forgivable loans and other capital assistance. Launched in 2001, the ezone is a division of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED. For more information visit www.nkyezone.org.

CoStrategix was started three years ago with goal of providing a blend of technology solutions and business strategy to mid-market enterprises, startups, etc. CoStrategix provides media marketing solutions, web applications/platforms, ecommerce solutions, social media solutions, content management solutions, mobile applications, SEO/SEM, etc. Our team has significant enterprise class computing experience in software architecture, design & development, product/project management methodologies and agile software methodologies. For more information visit www.CoStrategix.com.

Cincinnati Children's hospital is one of the top Children's hospitals and research centers in the country. The Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) manages innovation commercialization for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation. The CTC works with the Cincinnati Children's faculty and staff to identify research discoveries to promote and facilitate the clinical and commercial use of discoveries, and in collaboration with commercial partners, focuses on bringing these new discoveries for improved health to the pediatric patient population. For more information visit www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/ipvd/default.htm .

At Cooney Faulkner & Stevens we are passionate about what we do. This passion was the premise for why we founded our firm ten years ago. As entrepreneurs we have unique insight to understanding our clients. By being a true advocate and advisor we implement action steps that drive clients to even greater success. We listen to our clients so that we can learn and understand their business and goals. Through our resourcefulness, creativity and passion, we are dedicated to making a positive and meaningful contribution to our clients so they can attain their personal and professional aspirations. CFS will continue to be imaginative in tackling the tough challenges and finding unique solutions that will promote overall growth, yet we stand on unimpeachable ethics and integrity. For more information visit www.cfscpa.com.

Greater Cincinnati Venture Association is a forum for bringing together people that share a vested interest in building a strong entrepreneurial community. The GCVA hosts 9 monthly events that feature a keynote speaker of interest to the entrepreneurial world and at least 2 business plan pitches to the investor community for startup businesses. Recent keynotes have been Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com and Pete Blackshaw, entrepreneur/author/social media wizard! Members include venture capital firms, angel investors and groups,universities, entrepreneurs and service providers that support the entrepreneurial community. For more information visit www.newgcva.com.

Queen City Angels is an organized group of 26 individuals who invest in startup businesses that have exceptionally high growth potential. Queen City Angels is assisted by C-Cap, Cincinnati's angel capital hub, which presents educational and training events to prepare entrepreneurs for investment and success. Over the past three years Queen City Angels has been one of the five most active angel investor groups in the United States. For more information visit www.qca.com and www.c-cap.net.

HYPE, which stands for Harnessing Young Professional Energy, is a movement to create Cincinnati USA as a top destination for young people to live and work. How do we do that? By connecting smart, innovative, creative individuals, like yourselves, to one another, to resources, to companies and to information. Check out more than 60 young professional organizations, jump into any number of discussions, or start creating content to tell others what it's in Cincinnati USA by visiting www.getintothehype.com..

Soapbox tells the new Cincinnati story - a narrative of creative people and businesses, new development, cool places to live, and the best places to work and play. For entrepreneurs and innovators, Soapbox is a source for news on innovation and start-ups, as well as an outlet for getting the word out about exciting new products and businesses making their debut in Cincinnati. The web site and weekly e-zine are published Tuesdays. For more information visit www.soapboxmedia.com/.

Fort Washington Capital Partners Group (FW Capital), based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the institutional private equity division of Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc. (Fort Washington). FW Capital manages and/or advises on approximately $1.9 billion in commitments for various institutional clients utilizing private equity funds of funds, direct co-investment funds and custom investment programs. FW Capital has a rigorous and differentiated investment strategy, a history of successful private equity investments, and a deeply experienced team. FW Capital is committed to developing deep, longstanding relationships with its limited partners and providing access to world-class funds.

Hamilton County Business Center, Inc. (HCBC) is an entrepreneurial assistance hub serving technology oriented ventures in Southwest Ohio. By offering Business Incubation, Outreach, SoundingBoard, Morning Mentoring, and Regional Entrepreneurs Forum, HCBC offers a variety of programming focused on assisting startup and early stage, innovative businesses. HCBC intends to work with entrepreneurs, early stage growth businesses, inventors, researchers, landing parties, spin-offs from large corporations, and start-ups, and will serve the Southwest Ohio region. For more information visit www.hcdc.com/incubation.

The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati is an independent foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of the Cincinnati region. We award grants to nonprofit and governmental organizations for selected health programs and activities in Cincinnati and 20 surrounding counties in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. We also work to improve local health data and build the skills and knowledge in nonprofit organizations. Since our inception in 1996, the Health Foundation has invested over $110 million to support local programs that address the objectives of our four focus areas-community primary care, school-aged children's healthcare, substance use disorders, and severe mental illness-and general community health. For more information visit www.healthfoundation.org.

Northern Kentucky is a vibrant region with great job opportunities, exciting visitor attractions and an exceptional quality of life. The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is a nationally ranked Five Star Chamber and the largest business organization in our region. Our members are actively involved in every aspect of our community.

The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber is the nation's fifth largest Chamber, representing the interests of nearly 6,000 member businesses. An award-winning membership organization, the Chamber has been recognized as national Chamber of the Year twice in the past decade. It supports members and the Cincinnati USA region in pursuit of success in today's global economy.

The Inventor's Council of Cincinnati is a non-profit organization, dedicated to helping people express their creativity through the development and marketing of new products. For more information visit www.inventcinci.org.

BIOSTART, Life Science Catalyst and Community, empowers life science companies with a proven mix of business and scientific know-how, effective business assistance services and cutting edge laboratory facilities, and engages clients and partners in a stimulating, supportive entrepreneurial environment. Over the last 11 years, we've assisted130 companies raise $185 million. For more information visit www.biostart.org and www.dialedin.org.

Based in Covington, KY bioLOGIC is a Life-Sciences Accelerator offering office/lab space and management/ investment services expediting commercialization of life science ideas. bioLOGIC cultivates select early-stage ideas and firms with strong technologies in the areas of: Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Instrumentation.

Planet Eureka! is an international network of innovation marketplaces where business opportunities can be found, understood and valued in two minutes or less. All inventions - from simple pet items to innovations in quantum physics - are presented with easy to understand product/service concepts and market research driven professional sales forecasts. Similarly, innovation needs & wishes are presented in simple language with direct email links to the person with the need. All Cincinnati Innovates participants are encouraged to attend the Planet Eureka! Workshop on August 7!