The New Ideas for a New Carolina statewide business idea contest announced the winners of the 2008 competition yesterday at ThinkTEC.
The event’s Grand Prize of $5,000 seed money, a scholarship to FastTrac entrepreneurial training programs and access to a Dream Team of Mentors went to Dr. Ron Fulbright from Spartanburg. His idea is Scentinel, a rapid-deploy, all-weather, nanosensor system used to detect the presence of thousands of elements and chemical compounds in the environment such as levels of greenhouse gasses, atmospheric conditions, water conditions or toxic agents.
In addition to the Grand Prize Winner, four other award winners plus honorable mentions were named. Big news for us is that two of this year’s winners were FastTrac TechVenture graduates from the upstate! We’re especially proud of Ron Fulbright and Joe Milam! Go team!
Engineering
- Winner: Mount1 – Shaun Abraham and Anand Deekaram (Richland County); a robotic arm mount for flat screen televisions that can automatically adjust the position of the television using any universal remote control.
- Honorable Mention: Electromagnetic Enhancement of Crude Oil Recovery – Charles Stowers (Beaufort County); a method of electromagnetic stimulation used in heavy oil reservoirs, tar sand reservoirs, shale oil and secondary oil recovery to increase production rates.
Software/Information Technology
- Winner: BigLeapGPS – Joe Milam (Anderson County); a family protection company that utilizes the world’s smallest GPS device coupled with a 24/7 support network dedicated to locating and recovering lost, kidnapped, or injured family members, pets or assets anywhere in the world.
- Honorable Mention: oneZone Solutions – Jeff Beck (Charleston County); a home/business automation system that can control the temperature, lighting, security, irrigation and other home systems from any web-enabled device in the world.
Bio-Science
- Winner: Z Box – Jay Hughes (Charleston County); a compact CPAP medical device that creates a positive air pressure in the esophagus and sinus cavities for those suffering from mild to severe sleep apnea.
- Honorable Mention: Sleeve-On – Ron Norris (Richland County); a device for individuals with breast cancer who suffer from lymph edema and/or circulatory disorders to help them pull on their compression sleeve(s) using one hand.
Environmental Sustainability
- Honorable Mention: Palmetto Solar – Andrew Epting (Richland County); implementation of the creation, installation and maintenance of solar photovoltaic systems for manufacturing, warehousing and retail industries, government and institutions of higher education and the small business and residential sectors.
Wild Card category
- Winner: Azula – Julie McWherter (Spartanburg County); a pliable and fashionably-designed mat for women to sit on at the edge of the pool to protect their bathing suits from snagging.
- Honorable Mention: Charleston Fish and Chip – Andrew Smith (Charleston County); a facility where customers can either work on their golf game on a driving range and nine hole course or practice their cast in a stocked fishing hole.
Congratulations to all, and let this be a reminder to other budding entrepreneurs that 40% of this year’s winners graduated from the FastTrac entrepreneurial training BEFORE they entered!
