OverDrive distributes one of the world's largest catalogs of e-books, audiobooks and multimedia, with more than 500,000 premium copyrighted titles. Founded in 1986, OverDrive has built a reputation for hosted solutions of digital media, and has gained partnerships with major publishers like Random House, HarperCollins, Penguin, Hachette and McGraw-Hill.

The Cleveland-based company is poised for even more dramatic growth thanks to a major investment from Insight Venture Partners of New York City. Subject to regulatory approval, the investment will provide additional resources and capital to expand OverDrive's presence in the United States and abroad.

Larry Handen, managing director of Insight Venture Partners, noted that its investment announcement coincided with OverDrive's 20th consecutive quarter of profitability.

"Insight values OverDrive's partnerships with leading libraries, educators, publishers and authors," says OverDrive founder and CEO, Steve Potash. OverDrive currently reaches out to 11,000 retailers, libraries, schools and other digital channels around the globe.

The Intergenerational School (TIS) is doing its best to keep its promise of offering academic excellence in Cleveland. For the fourth year in a row, the private, free K-8 school has been named an Ohio School of Promise by the Ohio Department of Education for excellence in reading and math.

"Identifying schools in this way reinforces the fact that all children can learn when given the opportunity in a quality educational setting," says Brooke King, executive director of TIS.

TIS began in 1998 with a three-person staff in a two-room facility. These days, the school occupies a 20,000-square-foot building on the campus of Fairhill Partners, a nonprofit organization focused on successful aging, located in the Buckeye-Larchmere neighborhood of Cleveland. As of this fall, TIS had 29 employees and more than 200 students.

Each classroom at TIS is composed of 16 students of multiple ages. Mentors and community partners work with the students to provide a multigenerational environment.

In addition to the Ohio School of Promise designation, TIS has received a number of awards from organizations dedicated to the elderly. For example, TIS was the recipient of the National MindAlert Award from the American Society on Aging for its mental fitness programs for older adults.


Source: Brooke King
Writer: Diane DiPiero

The Cleveland marketing solutions firm Insivia has solved its most recent challenge: how to accommodate record growth and provide optimum space for creativity and interaction. The result: Insivia's new 5,000-square-foot office on Center Street in The Flats. The rambling, open interiors and plethora of natural light sold the firm on the move from its previous location downtown.

"The ability to be in an exciting and creative space like this provides more value to our clients," says Andy Halko, CEO of Insivia. "We have more room to collaborate, create and envision."

Founded in 2002, Insivia's clients include Cleveland Clinic, Positively Cleveland and Rohrer Corporation. Insivia has experienced steady financial growth and has added several new positions in recent months to bring its total employees to around 20.

Insivia's new location in The Flats will accommodate planned future growth.


Source: Andy Halko
Writer: Diane DiPiero

Cleveland's JumpStart Ventures just reached an important milestone: The early-stage venture company recently invested in its 50th company.

That move consisted of a $250,000 investment commitment in Endotronix, Inc., which is developing a wireless monitoring technology for patients with congestive heart failure. Endotronix's "Anytime, Anywhere" wireless sensing platform technology will allow physicians to remotely monitor a patient's health status and deliver the appropriate medications, thus reducing the likelihood of hospitalizations related to congestive heart failure.

According to Dr. Harry Rowland, co-founder of Endotronix, this innovation "has the potential to not only improve patient care, but also reduce the cost of treating heart failure."

Six years into its existence, JumpStart works to add companies, jobs and residents to Northeast Ohio by offering cash and guidance to promising ventures. While just a number, the big 5-0 is a testament to the number of quality ideas and passion in this region. Many of those ideas will develop into high-growth companies that will prove to be a significant part of this region's economic environment.

But, promise staffers, 50 is just the beginning.

Brian Verne and Mike Eppich graduated from Oberlin and Rollins colleges, respectively, in 2009, and found themselves without job prospects. The two Shaker Heights High School alum decided to take matters into their own hands: They founded CnXn (short for Connection), an apparel company that seeks to unite people through athletics.

This year, CnXn has produced athletic wear for Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Central Catholic high schools, as well as youth football and cheerleading teams.

"The branding strategy involves using an area code logo, beginning with 216, to create a shared element for individuals who reside in the same city or geographic region," explains Verne, who was a starter on the Oberlin baseball team. (Eppich was  a pitcher at Rollins.)

The idea comes from a trend of professional athletes to display their area code somewhere on their equipment or body. (Professional football player Reggie Bush can often be seen with the numbers 619 written into his eye black.)

Verne and Eppich have made giving back a major part of the CnXn business plan. "We take 15 percent of the profit from each sale and donate it back to student-athletes who reside in the area code that is on the apparel," Verne says. "The consumer will constantly be reminded that his purchase can have a positive impact on a young student athlete in his hometown."

Right now, Verne and Eppich are actively looking for additional seed money to produce all of the performance wear in the CnXn collection.


Source: Brian Verne
Writer: Diane DiPiero

It's all child's play, and that's okay. Within the newly opened Kidzibits Family Education Center at the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS), toddlers to preteens can discover fun ways to learn about the history of the region.

"History is fun when offered to children in age-appropriate ways," says Janice Ziegler, vice president for education at WRHS. 

Part of the WRHS complex at University Circle, Kidzibits offers "Backyard of History," which is geared for children ages two to five. Interactive play includes dressing up in historical clothes, shopping at a mini-West Side Market and building Cleveland's Skyline. "Backyard of History" also involves cars in the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum.

The preschool section of Kidzibits was funded by the Hershey Foundation and created in collaboration with the Montessori High School at University Circle.

In 2011, WRHS will open two other sections of Kidzibits, one designed for six-to-nine-year-olds and the other for ten-to-12-year-olds.


Source: Janice Ziegler, WRHS
Writer: Diane DiPiero

Earlier this month, Cleveland-based RSB Spine announced a 229-percent increase for the third quarter of 2010 versus the third quarter of a year earlier. The medical device company also recently completed a $1.5 million private offering to grow its operations in the United States.

RSB Spine's InterPlate C-Ti has become the first inter-body fusion device to be cleared as an anterior cervical plate. The device is implanted during spinal fusion surgery, holding the vertebrae together while increasing stability. The clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means that the C-Ti can function either as an inter-body device or as a cervical plate.

"[The InterPlate C-Ti] has the advantages of both without the drawbacks of either, so this indication is appropriate," says RSB Spine CEO John A. Redmond.

The InterPlate C-Ti is made of titanium and is used in conjunction with grafting material to fuse two vertebral bodies. When the FDA reclassified inter-body fusion devices in 2007, the C-Ti from RSB Spine was the first device to receive clearance under the new guidelines. With this new clearance, the C-Ti shows its versatility in the treatment of degenerative disc disease.

RSB Spine has more than 150 independent distributors in the United States.



Source: John A. Redmond
Writer: Diane DiPiero

You would think that something as vital as a cardiac catheter designed specifically for children would have been on the market years ago. Sad truth is, a lack of financial incentives previously prevented such a device from being produced.

"There aren't many players in the pediatric medical device space because there isn't huge cash-out potential," explains Tim Moran, founder of Cleveland-based nonprofit PediaWorks. The issue, he notes, is simply a matter of market share. Whereas the adult medical device market caters to patients aged 18 to, well, death, the pediatric market stretches only from birth to 18. "And people in that younger age group are, thankfully, relatively healthy."

The out-and-out lack of medical devices designed for young patients often leaves practitioners scrambling for suitable off-label replacements. In fact, there are relatively few devices that are FDA-approved for pediatrics. The associated problems can range from pain and discomfort, as in the case of an ill-fitting airway mask, to matters of life and death, illustrated by the absence of pediatric pacemakers.

Thanks to a new joint venture between PediaWorks and Medikit, a manufacturer of interventional cardiology products headquartered in Japan, Cleveland will serve as new headquarters for PediaCath, the first developer of pediatric catheters.

In addition to the use of its rapid prototyping facilities and top-notch R&D engineers, Medikit is kicking in $500,000 in seed funding. PediaWorks will be providing executive management services and access to a network of pediatric clinical advisors and research partners. The Cleveland Clinic is also involved in the project.

PediaWorks was formed in 2009 as a nonprofit organization to help children through the development of medical devices.

SOURCE: PediaWorks

WRITER: Diane DiPiero

What's a fashion store without a fashionable nest? Cleveland architecture and interior design firm Vocon was tasked by Dots to devise a new Glenwillow-based headquarters facility that reflected the fashion retailer's penchant for innovation.

Vocon's design of the 192,000-square-foot office and distribution center oozes hip femininity and panache. Pink, the company's corporate color, is splashed across the modern lobby and used as an accent everywhere from the conference rooms to the lunchroom. Circular coffee tables, casual chairs and bathroom fixtures playfully reinforce the spherical Dots brand.

Dots' commitment to innovation is also reflected in a slew of modern-office amenities: coffee bars, indoor basketball court, indoor and outdoor walking tracks, and a Nintendo Wii gaming center speak not only to the times, but to the company's appreciation of its employees.

For its efforts, Vocon received an award from the Ohio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The project was singled out for its urban flair and attention to detail.

Vocon's recent projects have included the redesign of 60 KeyBank locations as well as graphics and interior design work for Tri-C's new Center for Creative Arts. Vocon's increase in design work has caused the firm to add new staffers to its team of 60-plus members. Vocon recently was ranked 43 on Interior Design magazine's list of "Top 100 Giants," with $12 million in design fees.

Dots has 400 stores in 26 states and employs more than 300 people in Northeast Ohio.

SOURCES: Vocon, Inc., Dots

WRITER: Diane DiPiero

Now it's cool to think inside the box.

EventWorks, Inc., a Greater Cleveland event-planning and audio-video production company, has become the sole U.S partner for a 3D design technology that has already taken Europe by storm. The technology combines holographic, free-floating images that are displayed with a physical product inside a glass case. The result is a unique and visually stunning way for companies to market their brand or product.

"We jumped into the technology because we thought it was really great," says Joel Solloway, owner of EventWorks. "We do large-scale events in terms of setting and lighting design, and we're always looking for something different." EventWorks formed a strategic partnership with Cleveland-based EDR Media to design custom animation.

As an authorized U.S. partner with Real Fiction, the Copenhagen-based developer of the holographic technology, EventWorks has been able to reach out to potential customers around the country and the globe. While large-scale holographic technology can be expensive, Real Fiction's products are highly affordable, with units ranging from around $6,000 to $15,000.

So far, EventWorks has added a salesperson to promote the technology and may soon add support staff. RubberMaid Commercial will be using the holographic tool for an upcoming trade show, and Coca-Cola has shown interest in using the technology for advertising and marketing.

Clevelanders can catch a glimpse of the holographic technology on November 6 at the SPACES Gallery in Cleveland. As part of the gallery's fundraiser, "App to the Future," EventWorks will be showing samples of work the company has done for Virgin Atlantic, BMW and other clients.


SOURCE: EventWorks, Inc.
WRITER: Diane DiPiero

Power is king. To hear Kevin Goodman repeat that mantra again and again, one might imagine him standing in front a dozen snarling transformers spitting out noise and smoke, sucking up all the juice from here to Katmandu.

Instead, Goodman, director of business development at BlueBridge Networks, is standing in front of a row of four sleek Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) towers in the Cleveland company's electrical staging room. These towers will help BlueBridge ensure that its clients receive safe and effective data storage solutions.

BlueBridge provides disaster recovery and business continuity services for clients like Cleveland Metropolitan Schools, Olympic Steel and Southwest General Hospital. Thanks to its reinvestment efforts, BlueBridge is able to offer clients a broader range of solutions.

The UPS towers are new, and they replace the large, hulking batteries that once filled the now cavernous space. "UPS power is more reliable," Goodman says. "Today we have a more dense amount of power even though we have fewer pieces of equipment."

Efficient, state-of-the-art equipment is just one part of the $4 million reinvestment project that BlueBridge has undertaken to broaden its offerings and increase its bottom line. Goodman says that BlueBridge is experiencing its most successful quarter in its six-year history. And, he adds, "We have no debt."

To keep up with the latest technology, the company has hired several new engineers. BlueBridge is committed to recruiting local talent or bringing former Clevelanders back to the area, according to Goodman.


SOURCE: BlueBridge Networks
WRITER: Diane DiPiero

Greater Cleveland-based MesoCoat, an advanced materials company, has teamed up with NASA Glenn to produce a breakthrough nanotechnology that protects metal parts from wear and corrosion in extreme environments. Potential uses for the high-tech coating includes protecting the nation's water, transportation and energy infrastructures.

MesoCoat is working to incorporate a new reflector design on NASA's 200 kW arc lamp system to produce an extremely hot light that melts stainless steel and other metallic coatings and bonds them to the surface of steel in a fraction of a second. CEO Andrew Sherman says the system is capable of cladding nickel-based alloys to steel substrates, which are often used for highly corrosive applications. MesoCoat recently fired up the plasma arc lamp, marking a significant milestone in the project.

Founded in 2007, MesoCoat develops advanced nanocomposite coating products for hydraulic cylinders, storage tanks, pipelines and other sliding or exposed parts.

The U.S. Army recently recognized MesoCoat as one of the most successful companies in its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The company was lauded for its progress in attracting funding and customers from the private sector and non-SBIR government sources to transition its nanocomposite cermet coating technology into viable commercial products and savings for the U.S. Department of Defense.

SOURCE: MesoCoat, Inc.

WRITER: Diane DiPiero

Five months after the commercial launch of its medical device, CerviLenz Inc. of Chagrin Falls is ramping up for a national marketing push in the third quarter.

The wand-like CerviLenz measures the vaginal cervical length of pregnant women showing signs of preterm labor. In August, Ob.Gyn. News reported that in a study involving 52 women, CerviLenz was "similar in efficacy" to another widely used test that, unlike a CerviLenz test, requires lab work.

"Immediate and quantifiable measures of cervical length using the CerviLenz probe may be less variable than the most common way of measuring — by digital exam — and speedier than waiting for fetal fibronectin [test] results," according to Ob.Gyn. News.

The device helps reduce the guesswork in treatment: The article notes that only 21-27 percent of women with symptoms of preterm labor will actually deliver prematurely. And, "In asymptomatic women, cervical length shorter than 25 mm has been linked to a sixfold increase in risk for preterm birth."

About 25 hospitals are currently evaluating the product. "The hospital purchasing process is really complicated," with multiple rounds of testing, says Melanie Sweeney, CerviLenz Inc.'s director of marketing. But the company should soon start receiving the feedback it will need for a major sales push.

CerviLenz Inc.'s backers include Cleveland-based JumpStart Inc., North Coast Angel Fund of Mayfield Heights and Chrysalis Ventures, which has a Cleveland office.



Source: CerviLenz Inc.
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

The October issue of the journal Experimental Neurology reports on a study showing that MultiStem, a patented adult stem cell therapy product from Cleveland-based biopharmaceutical firm Athersys Inc., mitigated the damage of traumatic brain injuries in lab experiments.

MultiStem uses multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPC, which "are obtained from the bone marrow or other tissue sources of healthy, consenting adult donors," according to an Athersys release. In an abstract of the study, the researchers explain, "Traumatic brain injury causes … an increase in circulating immune cells leading to increased blood brain barrier permeability. The intravenous injection of MAPC preserves … the integrity of the blood brain barrier."

As an unrelated 2007 Science Daily article explained, "The cells that make up the blood-brain barrier help the brain and immune system communicate. … Changes to the blood-brain barrier could give important clues about injuries to the central nervous system and the growth of tumors."

MultiStem appears to be an unusually versatile therapy. The same week that the Experimental Neurology report was released,
Athersys presented findings from clinical trials with heart attack patients at Transvascular Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference in Washington, D.C. That ongoing work involves Dr. Marc Penn, Director of Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. Athersys CEO Gil Van Bokkelen notes that while the recent trials were designed primarily to test safety, "we also saw clear and compelling signs that patients were experiencing improvement in heart function."

Van Bokkelen says Athersys and its many partners, including Pfizer, are excited about the potential of MultiStem as a "very powerful multifactor delivery system" that can treat a wide variety of patients.




Source: Athersys
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

On October 18, venture capitalists, engineers, journalists and tech geeks from around the world will gather in San Francisco for i-stage, a competition in which inventors and developers vie for VIP access to the massive International Consumer Electronics Show in January. For the finalists who will present their creations, it's an opportunity of a lifetime — and not just because of the $50,000 prize. Imagine if the NFL held open tryouts, and the winner got to play in the Super Bowl.

Among the finalists this year is Aaron LeMieux, founder of Cleveland-based Tremont Electric. LeMieux will present the product he's been developing since 2006: the nPower PEG, or personal energy generator. The nPower uses the kinetic energy of your movement — running, walking, or hiking, as LeMieux was when he dreamed up the device — to recharge your cell phone or MP3 player.

LeMieux, a Westlake native, says he's honored to represent Northeast Ohio at the event.

"There are not many consumer electronics companies in Cleveland — I can count them on one hand," he says. So Tremont Electric's presence at the CES is good for the whole region — especially considering that about half of his suppliers are also in Cuyahoga County, and most of the rest are based elsewhere in Ohio.

At i-stage, the nPower's competitors will include a remotely controlled robotic avatar and wireless power transmission devices that will make outlets and cords obsolete. The nPower rivals both, in terms of far-reaching applications of the technology. "We can make this device the size of an automobile," LeMieux says, "we can put this technology into the lake and harvest wave motion."

For now, however, he's focused on keeping up with orders for the nPower and preparing for i-stage. "Nobody wants to fund someone who's trying to boil the ocean, as we say," he quips.



Source: Aaron LeMieux, Tremont Electric
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

Everyone knows that powdered sugar will dissolve more quickly in your coffee than a sugar cube — and that stirring will help either dissolve even faster. Applying that principal to manufacturing is not so simple, but new technology from Cleveland-based Arisdyne Systems is helping corn ethanol producers achieve higher yields from the same raw materials and energy.

Arisdyne's hydrodynamic cavitation technology harnesses the power of cavitation, the tiny implosions that occur in any turbulent fluid. As the company's web site explains, "The system is calibrated to produce optimum process conditions. Shockwaves resulting from the implosions impact the surrounding process fluid. Tiny droplets or particles result producing high-quality emulsions and dispersions."

And greater yields. The technology has helped Corn Plus of Minnesota increase production by 4 percent, according to Arisdyne vice president Fred Clarke. "Which, if you think about it, is like getting free money," he adds. Corn Plus licensed the technology in June, after two months of testing, and in July reported in its newsletter that "data from the first couple of months are very promising and the unit's operation has been consistent."

Arisdyne installed another system just two weeks ago, and has signed contracts with two other clients, Clarke says. The outlook for next year? "It's bright," Clarke says. There are about 200 ethanol plants in the U.S., and Clarke estimates that 120-140 posses the "downstream" factors necessary to benefit from Arisdyne's system.



Source: Fred Clarke, Arsidyne
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

For some, the allure of online shopping is never having to deal with a pushy salesperson. The downside of avoiding a human is how time-consuming it can be to search on your own. Try typing "car" or "blender" or "snarky t-shirt" into Google and see how long it takes to find precisely what you want. So it's not surprising when Envirosell, which studies shoppers' behavior, reports that web surfers are 40 percent more likely to linger on sites with some sort of personalized experience.

That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.

"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.

A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.

Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."

"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.

The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.



Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis