www.electricshoes.com
 

2008 Colorado Inventor Showcase Recap

Produced by the DaVinci Institute along with some of the finest inventors in the world

A crowd of over 500 people attended the 4th Annual Colorado Inventor Showcase on November 10th at the Cable Center on the DU Campus. The event featured a keynote presentation by Jay Walker, founder of Priceline.com and John Calvert, Senior Examiner, United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO). More than 35 exhibits displaying creative innovations from regional entrepreneurs. Winners in several categories were announced at the event

Winners included the following:

• Inventor of the Year Award: Inventor - Beacon Biotechnology Team; Company - Beacon Biotechnology - Beacon’s BrightSPOT Reader, a hand-held device to provide instant diagnoses of any disease imaginable.
• Consumer Product of the Year Award: Company - re-thought; Inventor, Robert Irwin; BioHAWT - A biomimetic horizontal axis wind turbine designed for power generation.
• Commercial Product of the Year Award: Company - VanDyne SuperTurbo; Inventor - Ed VanDyne; Fuel efficiency device called a SuperTurbocharger, designed to increase fuel efficiency by 25%
• Software Product of the Year Award: Company - Alchemy Grid - Inventor, Elliot Turner - Orchestr8 transforms the way you distribute and consume Internet content.
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Philip Hartman (Age 14); Company - Fiberlight Int'l;
• Honorable Mention Award: Company - Smart Lid; Inventor - Bill Miller; 
• Honorable Mention Award: Company - ET Squared; Inventor - Pete Tovani; Product to mitigate the negative impact of Human Beings on planet Earth.
• Honorable Mention Award: Company - Think Like a Genius; Inventor - Todd Siler, Ph.D.; Three dimentional imagination tool for bringing new ideas to life
• Honorable Mention Young Entrepreneur Award: Company - Kyle Invent; Inventor - Kyle Myhra; Spot Sucker stain remover technology

A special "Champions of Innovation Award" was given to Jay Walker.

Colorado Inventor Showcase - 2008
Take a journey with us to our secret invention laboratory
Meet the modern-day Edisons who are creating our future

They use their hands to fashion the components, their minds to create function and strategy, and their hearts to feed the passion that drives their work forward.

Inventions being unleashed upon the world today are a powerful force. In fact, our future is being created inside the minds of these inventors. They live a life of passion and dreams, driven by a desire to make our world a better place.

These are the dreams that inspire. These are the dreams of hope. 

The Colorado Inventor Showcase is one of those rare opportunities to meet the inventors, feel the intensity of their spirit, touch their creations, and experience the transformation as they step us from the here and now to a better tomorrow.

Join us on this incredible voyage of into the land of invention. Bring your family and friends as this will be an event you will never forget.

Featured Speaker - Jay S. Walker, Founder of Priceline.com. Jay Walker is chairman of Walker Digital, a private R&D laboratory based in Stamford, CT. He founded the lab in 1994 with the guiding vision that new consumer applications for large-scale networks represent the key growth opportunity for many industries. Walker holds around 250 U.S. patents. In total, Walker Digital has invented about 1,000 applications for the Internet, cell phones, credit-card networks, and casino networks, as well as vending machines and lottery and retail networks. The company employs teams of inventors, engineers, designers, and attorneys. Typically, it partners with Fortune 500 firms to bring its inventions to market. Walker is best known as the founder of Priceline.com. He also founded Synapse, which became the world’s largest seller of magazine subscriptions and is now a unit of Time Warner.

Featured Speaker - John Calvert. Supervisory Patent Examiner, USPTO.   Since October 1998, John has been responsible for supervising as many as 21 examiners. As the Acting Director of the Office of Independent Inventor Programs, John is actively involved with educating inventors about invention promotion firms and continues to expand the outreach initiative to the inventor community. Mr. Calvert has received numerous achievement awards, including the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for superior Federal service and the United States Patent and Trademark Office Exceptional Career Award.

USPTO Job Fair: Representatives from the US Patent & Trademark Office will be on hand, recruiting for new Patent Examiners. The USPTO is home to over 6,000 talented engineers, scientists and attorneys. As an employee of the Federal agency responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks in the U.S. Government, you too can have the satisfaction of protecting the intellectual property rights of inventors.  Qualified applicants may be eligible to receive a recruitment incentive of up to $9,900 per year for a maximum of four years. More at USPTO Jobs. 

In addition to a very exciting, information packed day, we have added a few new features and a couple unusual twists to the agenda.  

• Inventor Boot Camp: The Inventor Boot Camp is a pre-showcase event that will start the day at 9:00 am.  This event will feature sessions on "The Business Side of Invention", "Intellectual Property Strategies", "Making Your Invention Successful", and "Finding Funding for Your Invention".  Speakers include Tom Franklin, Patrick MacCarthy, John Calvert, Greg Carlisle, David Wolf, Mike Cote, and Karl Dakin
    
• Celebrity Judges: This year we will have over 60 Celebrity Judges reviewing the entries including TV personalities, VCs, bankers, corporate execs, newspaper editors, etc. (see below)
   
• Museum of Future Inventions: As the DaVinci Institute continues with its plans to develop the world's first Museum of Future Inventions, major things have started to happen.  Join us for a quick overview of the Museum's progress and learn how you can become part of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Colorado Inventor Showcase - 2008

    EVENT:  Colorado Inventor Showcase
    DATE:  Monday, November 10, 2008
    TIMES:  3:30 pm - 8:00 pm
    AGENDA:  See below   

    LOCATION:  The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Boulevard, Denver, C0 80210 - Map
    FOOD & REFRESHMENTS:  Food and refreshments will be served from 5:00 to 7:00 pm
    FUNDRAISER:  Raising funds for the Museum of Future Inventions

    COST TO ATTEND: 

• General Admission - Only $49 - Register here 
• Members of the DaVinci Institute - Only $39 - Register here 
• Family Pack (Up to 4 family members) - Only $69 - Register here 

    COST TO EXHIBIT:   

Six Foot Tabletop for Inventors - SOLD OUT!
10 X 10 Exhibit Space for Inventors - SOLD OUT!

NOTE: The deadline for exhibitors is Wednesday, November 5th. For more information, please contact Deb at 303-666-4133 or deb(at)davinciinstitute(dot)com 

All exhibits will come with piping and draping, and will have power available, upon request, as part of the cost.  Special request items may result in an additional charge.  Exhibitors will receive one exhibitor pass.  Additional attendees will require separate admission.  

 FOR MORE INFORMATION:  DaVinci Institute, PO Box 270315, Louisville, CO 80027 - 
        303-666-4133 or deb(at)davinciinstitute(dot)com 

• 9:00 - 1:30 pm - Pre-Showcase Event - Inventor Boot Camp (Click for details)
   
• 1:00 - 2:30 pm - Exhibitor setup
• 2:30 - Judging begins 
• 3:30 - Inventor Showcase open to the public
• 5:30 - Announcements and introductions  (The Center Theater)
• 6:00 - Featured Speaker - Jay Walker on "The Power of Invention". (The Center Theater)
• 7:00 - Presentation on the Museum of Future Inventions
• 7:30 - Prizes Announced.  Prizes will be awarded in a number of invention categories. (The Center Theater)
• 8:00 - Thank You For Attending - The event will end at approximately 8:00.

Celebrity Judges

A number of key people in the business community, venture capital, and news media are being recruited to help judge the inventions being exhibited.

Gregg Moss 9News Anchor	Mike Cote Editor of ColoradoBiz Magazine	Donna Petrocco President Valley Bank	Nim Patel Venture Capitalist with iSherpa Capital	Donald  Dulchinos Senior Vice President CableLabs	Bert Vermeulen Founder Corp 21 Senior Fellow DaVinci Institute
Rob Reuteman Business Editor Rocky Mountain News	Greg Carlisle Venture Capitalist Gefinor Ventures	Preston Gibson President and CEO of the Jefferson Economic Council	Rob McNealy Host Startup Story Radio	Larry Nelson Host of the W3W3 Media Network	Tom Thompson COO of ThinkVillage
Jim Ball Co-Founder Alpine Access Corporation	Allison Taylor Founder of Paravox and LearnTheBook	Michael Bissonnette Founder and Chairman of Aerogrow	Michael Cushman Senior Fellow DaVinci Institute	Amy Gahran Editor of CONTENTIOUS and co-founder of I, Reporter	Jonathan Manske Author of "Inevitable Success"
Tom Franklin Partner Townsend & Townsend & Crew	Paul Bauer Professor Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Univ of Denver	Susan Grafton Director of Economic Development City of Westminster	Kent McBride Co-Founder of the Make The Difference Network	Joy Milkowski CEO Access Marketing	Bill Cobb Author of Targeted Tactics
Andrew Currie Angel Investor	Steve Baker Author "Pushing Water Uphill with a Rake"	David Wolf Founder Venture Capitalist  Wolf Ventures	Matthew Dombrow Founder of Clixio	Karl Dakin Attorney Dakin LawTec	Mike Taylor Managing Editor ColoradoBiz Magazine
Michael Wash CIO & CTO US Government Printing Office Washington, DC	Greg Gorman Founder and President of Commotion	Mike Moore Czar of the Known Universe	John Eckstein Attorney, Fairfield Woods LLP	Jono Shuster Executive Directory of the Entrepreneurial Standards Forum	Steve Spangler Science Guy 9 News
David Cohen Founder and Executive Director of TechStars	Scott Perlman Co-Founder and COO of Think Like a Genius	Russ Farmer Founder and CEO of PBC inc	Brian Baker  President of Hopscotch Technology	Warren Roh Licensing Specialist and Partner  The Idea Place	Anita Edge Founder  “Denver Internet Mastermind Group”
Al Gebhard Serial Inventor	David Gold Venture Partner at Access Venture Partners	Dave Elchoness Executive Director Association of Virtual Worlds	Dan Montgomery Founder of Blue Opal Strategies	Vandy Van Wagener Chief Marketeer & Product Scout for, Evergreen IP	Jeffrey Samson Founder Samson Design
Mark Crowley Radio Talk Show Host & President of Greenwood Village Chamber	David Wechsler Owner of Bimbamboo Former VP - Steiner & Associates	Kevin Johansen Dir Capital Markets Group Founder of the Business Catapult	Jack Chang Chief Strategy Officer DaVinci Institute	Deb Frey VP and Rennaisance Woman at the DaVinci Institute	Adrian Chernoff Chief Innovation Officer of Ideation Genesis
Brad Feld Founder Foundry Group, Mobius Venture Capital	Lou Delaware "The Home Safety Guru" TV Personality Founder of US Safety Pros	Cate Lawrence Founder and CEO Warrior Solutions	Rick Highsmith Co-Founder of Clixio	Scott Tibbits CEO of Starsys Research Corporation	Chris Meyers National Sales Manager Echostar
Steve Rooney Real Estate Venture Capitalist	Eric Weissmann Managing Director Kachi Partners	Jay Allen Founder and CEO of the CXO Network	Chris Onan Venture Capitalist with Appian Ventures	Rita Crompton Founder of FLeCusa	Casey Whisenhunt VP President Valley Bank

INVENTOR BOOT CAMP SPEAKERS

The Inventor Boot Camp is designed for people who are serious about being an inventor. This may include anyone who either has a patent or is thinking about patenting something. The contents of this workshop will apply to everyone from a first-time inventor to someone who is filing their 27th patent. This is powerful information for those who are serious about their invention. (More detail at Inventor Boot Camp)

Thomas Franklin is an Intellectual Property Attorney with the firm of Townsend & Townsend & Crew, LLP.	Karl Dakin participated in raising over $15 million in angel funding and grants for several small businesses	Greg Carlisle Managing Director of the Prior Fund, a $50 million venture capital fund	Mike Cote Managing Editor ColoradoBiz Magazine
John Calvert. Supervisory Patent Examiner, USPTO.	David Wolf founding General Partner of Wolf Ventures	Casey Whisenhunt VP President Valley Bank

Winner 2007 Inventor of the Year - Jim Turner
Optibike in action. Photo by Adam Clayton

2007 Colorado Inventor Showcase Winners

• Inventor of the Year Award: Jim Turner - Company, Optibike - High performance electric bikes.
• Consumer Product of the Year Award: Company, Lucid Lights - Inventor, John Craig - Hand held, oscillating light device that paints bright images in thin air.
• Commercial Product of the Year Award: Company, Omnilux - Inventor, Enrique Gutierrez - Novel mechanical resonant method for light distribution and power savings.
• Software Product of the Year Award: Company, Txtbus - Inventor, Freidrick Schweitzer - Bus schedules on-demand via free text message
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Parker Semler (Age 14) - Company, Parker's Pesky Pets - Robotic squirrel to exercise pets.
• Honorable Mention Award: Company, Tensegrity Prosthetics - Inventor, Jerome Rifkin - Prosthetic foot designed specifically for the biomechanics of walking
• Honorable Mention Award: Company, Quality Home Living - Inventor, Tim Butler - Motorized storage box that works on wheelchairs
• Honorable Mention Award: Company, Chronicle Graphics - Inventor, Jim Black - Desktop software that takes complex project stories and creates rich timeline animations

USPTO Commissioner of Patents, John Doll.

Consumer Product of the Year Winner, Lucid Lights.
Company founder John Craig shown demonstrating
their floating light images.

Inventor Scott Schroeder helps assistant show off his inline rollerblade suspension system

Judge Bert Vermeulen testing Tensegrity Prothetic's artificial feet

 Steve Katsaros from RevoPower demonstrating their bike wheel with built-in engine

Lynne, Darby, Teresa, and Deb man the registration area at the Inventor Showcase.
Photo by Larry Nelson at the W3W3 Media Network