CHAPEL HILL, NC, January 8, 2010—New participants in Carolina Launch Pad will move into office space within the next few weeks as the pre-commercial incubator located at RENCI begins its second year.

Carolina Launch Pad, funded by RENCI through the UNC Office of the Provost, targets faculty, staff and students at UNC Chapel Hill who want to turn their technological inventions and ideas into viable businesses and have not yet developed their ideas into funded start-ups. The program is a partnership involving RENCI, the UNC Chapel Hill Office of Technology Development (OTD) and UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Launch Pad began in January 2009 with a group of five entrepreneurs who were given office space at RENCI’s headquarters in the Europa Center office building in Chapel Hill, laptop computers, phones, Internet access and storage space. Those participants will end their one-year stay at RENCI by the end of January and will continue to work on development plans for their businesses. One inaugural Launch Pad venture, Dyzen, recently received a $50,000 NC IDEA commercialization grant.

The Launch Pad Selection Advisory Committee chose a new batch of pre-commercial ventures for the program in December. In addition to the office space and equipment, Launch Pad participants have the chance to work with RENCI technical staff and are coached and mentored by professionals with the OTD, the business school and from the Triangle area IT community.

The 2010 participants are:

• Inferential, Inc., led by Jeff Terrell, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the UNC computer science department.  Inferential is developing an application to make it easier for data network service providers to effectively manage the performance of their network-based applications.
• Blinkness, headed by Zaid Farooqui, an undergraduate in communication studies who has already launched another startup. Farooqui plans to develop Blinkness into the de facto online destination for college students purchasing goods or services in their college communities.
• Heel Vision, created by Nikul Patel, a senior psychology major; Bhushan Desai, a senior chemistry major; and Divesh Gidwani, a senior in applied sciences. Heel Vision is developing an integrated, interactive virtual environment to enhance athletic ability. The firm was a finalist in last year’s Carolina Challenge competition.
• Freedom Media Solutions, led by recent UNC MBA graduate and serial entrepreneur Kemp Qiu. The firm is developing a Web-based platform for sharing digital content from online media sources on TV screens using a custom-built remote control.

“The first year of Carolina Launch Pad was a great success and we look forward an even better 2010,” said David Knowles, RENCI’s director of economic development and engagement. “The entrepreneurs love being in close proximity to the staff and the technical resources at RENCI. The interactions they have and the people they meet through the program will help them fine-tune their ideas and get a good start on creating profitable small businesses.”

For more information, see the Carolina Launch Pad website.

About RENCI

RENCI (the Renaissance Computing Institute) applies advanced technology resources and expertise to problems identified by the state of North Carolina and to university research initiatives. Its research contributes to the development of the next generation of technology infrastructure and cyber tools. Founded in 2004 as a major collaboration involving UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University, RENCI is a statewide virtual organization with facilities at campuses across North Carolina.   
For more see http://www.renci.org.

RENCI Contact: Karen Green, 919.445.9648 (office), 919.619.8213 (mobile), kgreen@renci.org

A new pre-commercial business accelerator, Carolina Launch Pad—or Launch Pad for short—is aimed at aspiring IT entrepreneurs who are part of the UNC community and who have not yet developed their business ideas into funded start-ups. The program is a partnership between the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), the UNC Chapel Hill Office of Technology Development (OTD) and UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Launch Pad aims to work with up to five entrepreneurs each year beginning in November. Those chosen to participate in the program will be housed in professional office space at RENCI headquarters in the Europa Center office building, 100 Europa Drive, Chapel Hill, where they will have the chance to interact with RENCI’s world-class technology experts, learn about its technology resources and attend lectures and other events. In addition, professionals with OTD, the business school and from the Triangle IT community will coach and mentor the entrepreneurs.

Each Launch Pad participant will receive a small office equipped with a desk, laptop computer, and phone and storage space. The common work area will offer a printer and fax machine and a conference table. Parking for a limited number of team members will be available at no charge. Launch Pad participants will have access to a RENCI Web server to host a basic website during their one-year stay. Access to RENCI’s technological resources, such as high performance computers, the Innovations Lab and the Visualization Lab, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“We are targeting talented faculty, students and staff who have great ideas for a technology start-up or an experimental IT prototype, but who haven’t had the chance to explore commercialization possibilities at any great depth,” said David Knowles, RENCI’s director of economic development. “By providing these emerging entrepreneurs with a creative atmosphere, a supportive workspace, and targeted mentorship programs, this facility will be a key addition to technology commercialization efforts at Carolina.”

”Carolina Launch Pad will bring together Carolina’s IT and media venturing communities to provide a common ground to help develop innovative companies, leveraging the considerable assets of RENCI, OTD and Kenan-Flagler,” added Ted Zoller, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Kenan-Flagler Business School. “This will be a very powerful complementary asset to our successful Launching the Venture program, which provides a rigorous framework for entrepreneurs in the planning phase.”

Cathy Innes, director of the Office of Technology Development said, “OTD is excited about this new opportunity for emerging technology entrepreneurs to explore the viability of their ideas in a dynamic environment. The partnership between RENCI, OTD and Kenan-Flagler will provide a unique environment and tremendous resources to enhance the success rate of new companies and entrepreneurs.”

To apply for the program, teams or individuals must complete the Carolina Launch Pad application form at www.carolinalaunchpad.org by September 30. A limited number of applicants will be selected to interview with the Selection Advisory Committee in early October. The project admission date is November 1.

Knowles, Zoller and Innes will serve on the Selection Advisory Committee along with Timothy L. Quigg, associate chair for administration and finance in the computer science department, and Paul Jones, director of ibiblio.org and a faculty member who teaches in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the School of Library and Information Science. Carolina Launch Pad is supported by RENCI through funding from the Office of the Provost.

For more information, see the Carolina Launch Pad website at www.carolinalaunchpad.org.

RENCI…Catalyst for Innovation
The Renaissance Computing Institute brings together teams of talented researchers, engineers, technologists and leaders in government, business, the arts and humanities to attack major research questions and community issues in ways that accelerate discovery and drive innovation. RENCI has nationally significant expertise and capabilities in high performance computing, visualization, collaborative tools, networking, device prototyping, and data systems as well as engagement sites across the state. Founded in 2004 as a major collaborative venture of Duke University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina, RENCI is a statewide virtual organization. For more, see www.renci.org.

Knowles currently works as business development manager for Georgia Tech’s Southeastern Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, a division of the university’s Economic Development Institute that provides technical expertise and funding to trade-impacted manufacturers in eight states, including North Carolina. At RENCI, Knowles will develop programs and partnerships that leverage technological resources and expertise to help North Carolina businesses compete and prosper in the knowledge-age economy. He begins his tenure on July 31.

“Global communications have created a truly global economy, and that means North Carolina companies compete not only with companies in Virginia or the Midwest, but with those in China, Korea, and India,” said Reed. “David understands the needs of our region and the realities of the new global marketplace, and he is very aware of the role of emerging technologies and innovation in maintaining global competitiveness. He will be an important ingredient in our efforts to revitalize North Carolina’s business sector and workforce through innovative partnerships.”

At the Economic Development Institute, Knowles’ main focus has been on creating new outreach efforts through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Center and on establishing relationships with trade associations, economic development authorities and chambers of commerce. Before his work at Georgia Tech, Knowles was vice president of operations for Interra International, Inc., an international food trading company, where he managed international logistics, export documentation, and service contract negotiations and monitored U.S. and international regulatory issues. He was also chief operating officer of International Trade Management, Inc., an Atlanta area firm that develops transactional software for Fortune 500 food producers. His sales, operations, and business development work have taken him around the world, including Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, the Caribbean and Asia.

“RENCI is a great opportunity for me to combine my practical business experience and my knowledge of emerging technologies and their important role in maintaining a competitive advantage,” said Knowles. “I look forward to creating some truly innovative partnerships between the North Carolina academic research community and the state’s large and small businesses.”