This piece appeared on NJ.com and in the Sunday Edition of the Star Ledger
The remote village of Portrero
Platanal, Nicaragua has never had power since it was built 100 years ago.
But thanks to Basking Ridge native
Joe Occhiogrosso and 35 other volunteers, reading a book by electric light past
dark or making a phone call is now possible. The team of volunteers from
Stamford, Conn.-based Viridian Energy built and installed solar-power systems
to 40 families who live more than a mile from the nearest road and 90 minutes
from the nearest city.
For Occhiogrosso, this was his
fifth such trip sponsored by Viridian Energy as part of the company's "7
Continents in 7 Years" initiative.
"You realize this is just an
extra thing to do to give back," said Occhiogrosso, who volunteered his
time on the three-day journey. "I always say people only do so much for
money; they'll do more for a cause than they'll ever do for money."
The team of workers was split into
two groups — one team installed solar panels while another put together boxes
with batteries, chargers and others devices used to generate electricity.
Occhiogrosso, a Viridian independent associate, assisted in constructing the
boxes, which were made from scratch on-site.
In all, dozens of families now have
the means to power lamps, TV sets, kitchen appliances, fans and charge cell
phones.
"They don't have a lot of cash
to pay for their electricity, yet they go to town and see people who have
electricity all the time," Occhiogrosso says. "So they knew that the
electricity coming to them is going to be a big deal."
It's a big deal not just because
basic life necessities are now met. But, in a village known for its plantain
production, electricity is a lifeline for their businesses as well.
With little access the nearest
city, farmers never knew exactly how much produce was needed, Occhiogrosso
says. The people who lived in Portrero Platanal could call into town with
temporary cell phones they received about 10 years ago. But when the batteries
ran out, they had no way of charging the phones, he adds.
"There were times when they
would spend all day bringing plantains (to town) and then they (the people in
town) wouldn't need more plantains, (they) needed more beans," he says.
Occhiogrosso said electricity will
also help benefit the children's education. There's one teacher in the
community and she could only work on school plans while it was still light
outside, he said. She had a kerosene lamp, but it's not safe to breathe in the
fumes for more than a half hour, he explains. Now, she can spend more time on
lesson plans and give the kids more homework.
"It's really going to
completely transform their lives from an education basis," Occhiogrosso
says. "The teacher is actually quoted in a video saying, 'One of our kids
can grow up to be a lawyer, doctor.' That would never happen (without
electricity) because they were always so far behind in reading and
writing."
He added: "So the economy is
going to be affected, the education will be affected and it's great to feel
apart of it because your changing literally hundreds and hundreds of lives
everyday."
Occhiogrosso says it's nice to be
able to help people around the world, but it's also important to participate in
local efforts here at home. On April 25, volunteers from Viridian Energy will
conduct a beach cleanup on Sandy Hook. Viridian Energy has logged more than 1,700
volunteer hours in New Jersey since 2010.
By volunteering so many extra
hours, Viridian Energy is trying to lead by example, Occhiogrosso says. He
hopes his company's work will rub off on some larger companies.
"I think the whole idea is to
really have people buy into the concept of giving back," he says.
"Maybe some Fortune 500 companies will get the message ... that it's not
all about making a buck."
This piece was arranged as an exclusive with Dowjones.com, an affiliate of the Wall Street Journal
Consumer Electronics Show: Senior Tech
Cure Forward Raises $15M to Help Patients
Understand Cancer
Dow Jones
By Timothy Hay
June 17, 2015
Cure Forward Corp., an online service that aims
to help cancer patients understand and make use of genetic information about
their condition, has raised a $15 million Series A round as it prepares to
launch a private beta version of its site, the company said.
The funding was provided by Apple Tree Partners,
the Princeton, N.J.-based firm that provided Cure Forward with an undisclosed
round of seed finding last summer, said Cure Forward Chief Executive Martin
Naley.
Cancer patients today have the option of
receiving detailed genetic information about their condition, including
information about genetic mutations that might play a role in their disease.
But according to Mr. Naley, the information isn't useful unless its put in
context for patients.
The Cambridge, Mass.-based company is coming out
with a service that is comprised of three Web applications, which will be
released in beta next month, he said.
The first Cure Forward application is a
"learning center," he said, a place where patients with genetic
information can learn more about what the information means. The learning
center offers anecdotal stories of patients grouped by condition, as well as
treatment and outcome information.
The company's second app is a clinical-trial
exchange, where patients can post details about their conditions, in the hope
that companies running clinical trials of experimental new treatments might
find them and invite them to participate, Mr. Naley said.
"Eighty-five% of [cancer patients] don't
know anything about clinical trials," he said.
Cure Forward's third application enables patients
to form basic social networks around their condition, where they can share
stories and information.
Lisa Suennen , an author and consultant who was a
partner with health-care investor Psilos Group for 16 years, said that, in
general, more information is better when it comes to cancer treatment.
"Cancer patients are highly engaged and
seeking information," she said.
But because a number of companies are using
new technologies to bring detailed information to oncology patients, the
challenge with a business like Cure Forward is figuring out who to charge for
the information once it has been collected. Most such companies, she said,
don't charge the patient.
Mr. Naley said Cure Forward will make revenue
from its business by charging clinical-trials recruiters who find new trial
participants through Cure Forward. In the future, the company's site might
feature paid advertising, the CEO said.
The company's site will be in private beta from
July through Labor Day, the CEO said, meaning that users can apply via the
company's website to be among its earliest users. Cure Forward is planning a
wider commercial launch at the end of the summer.
Aaron Kantoff, a vice president at Apple Tree
Partners, is on the board at Cure Forward.
The news follows an announcement last February
that MyHealthTeams Inc ., which provides social networks for patients
with chronic conditions, raised $3.36 million in Series A funding from the
Westly Group, Adams Street Partners, 500 Startups, HealthTechCapital, Sand Hill
Angels, TEEC and other investors, according to VentureWire.
Mr. Naley said that Cure Forward stands apart
because it uses molecular, genetic information to group users together or
provide them information.
This piece contains section on client Independa. It was achieved through outreach to the reporter in regards to Independa's achievements at CES 2015. The section on Independa is in bold. This piece appeared on WebMD.
Consumer Electronics Show: Senior Tech
WebMD
By Matt Sloane
WebMD Health News
January 7, 2015
January 7, 2015
High-tech gadgets and gizmos
are typically associated with the younger crowd and the increasingly tech-savvy
middle-aged group, but at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an entire
section is devoted to senior tech.
These devices are created
especially for the over-65 crowd, or for caregivers looking after aging parents
and grandparents.
That said, sometimes the
easiest solutions are the simplest.
Shoe Tech
A very low-tech solution to a
complex problem for people with difficulty moving is the QuiKiks shoe.
These so-called “hands-free
shoes” have a back flap that opens wide to make sliding your foot in much
easier. As the user steps in, their heel pushes down a magnetic flap that
closes the shoe around the foot.
When it’s time to take the
shoes off, a simple heel strike makes the back flap pop open, and allows you to
slip your foot right out — all without bending down, reaching, or tying laces.
These slip-resistant shoes come
in a variety of styles and cost $ 249.
Mobility in Style
On the other end of the tech
spectrum is Whill, a connected, all-terrain wheelchair, or “personal mobility
device,” as the company calls it.
Whill features a four-wheel
drive system, ruggedwheels and a high base for obstacle clearance.
The manufacturer claims it
works on grass, gravel and snow, and features intuitive hand controls.
At a cost of $ 9,500, Whill
comes with a smart app, which allows the user or a caregiver, to drive it from
afar.
“You shouldn’t have to figure
out how to get to your wheelchair in the morning,” says Chris Koyama, marketing
director for Whill. “This way, you can drive it into a corner at night, and
bring it to your bedside in the morning.”
He says it’s also a good way to
move your loved one forward without having to stand behind them to talk. You
can drive from the phone while walking next to Grandma.
Independa
A suite of software from Independa won the CES Innovation award in this
category.
The technology integrates everything from video calling relatives to
sending medical data to your doctor, all from the comfort of your television.
“It allows you to do these things without having to learn anything
about computers, passwords, virus scans or anything new,” says Kian Saneii, the
company’s founder and CEO. “If you can use a remote, you’re on the system.”
The system comes built in to all commercially-available LG brand TV,
and anyone can get it going for a monthly service fee.
If you don’t have an LG TV, you can buy a box for $ 399 to give you
access.
However you get access, the system features video calling capabilities
with Skype, , password-free access to Facebook, remotely managed calendars and
photo albums, the ability to record video diaries about your life, and an
emergency call button. “Angela,” as the virtual alerts manager is called, will
text, call or e-mail a caregiver or set of caregivers, and can even call 911.
Alerts can be set up to remind your loved one about taking medications,
checking their blood pressure, or about upcoming doctors’ appointments and
social gatherings.
It works with a suite of connected health sensors – a blood pressure
cuff, pulse oximeter (which measures oxygen levels and heart rate), a glucose
meter and a smart scale.
“A scale is medical to a doctor, but it’s about prevention to a
daughter,” says Saneii. “What if Mom hasn’t stepped on a scale for a while? If
she’s not in front of the TV, we follow up with a phone call. If she still
hasn’t done it, you as the caregiver get an alert.”
Saneii says it allows Mom, Dad or Grandpa the ability to live
independently.
“Friends and family, as well as professionals and caregivers who are
taking care of someone from a distance have more visibility at less cost with
this system, and are able to take care of them much more effectively,” says
Saneii. “You catch little things before they become big things.”
Honorable Mention
While this doesn’t quite fit
into the category of health tech, the Nixplay wifi-enabled photo frame may just
help keep Grandma and Grandpa happy, and happiness can be good medicine.
This frame allows a younger
generation of relatives to “set it and forget it,” at the grandparents’ house,
and then e-mail pictures to the photo frame from afar.
This prevents a tech-challenged
older relative from having to log onto social media, check e-mail, or receive
picture text messages to keep up with the grandkids, and it may make a lonely
senior feel more connected.
Nixplay frames are available in
a variety of sizes, and start at $ 99.
This piece appeared in the Winston-Salem Journal, the local paper for the company it features
Clinical Ink to merge with Boston Company
March 19, 2015
Clinical Ink to merge with Boston Company
Winston-Salem Journal
By Richard Craver
March 19, 2015
Clinical Ink Inc., a
Winston-Salem company specializing in health care clinical trials, is merging
with a Boston company that offers a suite of mobile applications for patients.
The deal, announced Wednesday,
involves CentrosHealth, as well as $17 million in new capital funding from
CentrosHealth founder MPM Capital and other groups that include F2 Ventures and
FCA Venture Partners.
Clinical Ink also said it has
entered into a partnership with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to participate in its
initiative toward industrywide adoption of fully electronic clinical trials.
Clinical Ink co-founder Ed
Seguine today called the partnership “novel” for its industry because Novartis
has a “vested financial interest in the future of our company.” He declined to
provide the Novartis financial commitment.
Clinical Ink will be the
surviving name from the merger. Representatives from MPM Capital and F2
Ventures will join Clinical Ink’s board of directors.
Clinical Ink will gain nine
employees from the merger, boosting its overall workforce to 75. It has doubled
its Winston-Salem workforce in the past year to 40, with similar doubling plans
in the short term, Seguine said.
The companies said their merger
creates a clinical trial technology platform “differentiated by its ability to
conduct truly paperless clinical trials with purpose-built solutions for pharma
companies, research sites and patients.” Clinical Ink gains access to an
expanded product portfolio.
“This multi-part transaction
underscores the tremendous progress we’ve made and the future potential for our
combined businesses to deliver innovative technology solutions that eliminate
the root causes of clinical trial inefficiency,” said Ed Seguine, Clinical
Ink’s chief executive.
“The involvement of Novartis is
a significant validation of our pioneering efforts to create a completely
paperless clinical trial platform and to reduce the cost, time and complexity
of clinical research.”
Clinical Ink, founded in
Winston-Salem in 2007, is based at 525@Vine in Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.
Its lead product is
Sure-Source, a proprietary electronic platform that provides users with a
paperless system for recording data, comments, explanations and other
information required in clinical trials. The platform allows data entry on
customized documents, but with the look and feel of traditional paper
data-collection forms.
In February, Clinical Ink
opened an office in Cary to better serve pharmaceutical companies and contract
research organizations in the Triangle.
The combination of the
companies’ products and services allows research sponsors to receive all of
their data, from the site and the patient, in real time. “That can dramatically
reduce the cost, time and complexity of the clinical trial process,” the
companies said.
“The CentrosHealth approach to
patient engagement is based on the simple premise that patients want to
actively manage their participation in clinical research,” said Jeremy Sohn,
CentrosHealth’s founder and chief executive.
“Our platform seamlessly
integrates clinical trial activities, such as medication reminders, visit
scheduling and activity measurements into patients’ everyday life through personalized
notifications, text messages, calendar integration, and a highly functional
mobile application on their personal cell phone.”
