RAGE OF THE MACHINE: There is no shortage of angst about the relentless advance of digital technology and what it means for the workforce, if not humanity. But new research suggests we should chill already. NYT
CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO CHEW ON: As NYC composting mandates start to kick in, Frank Celli, CEO of Rockland County-based BioHitech America, is pushing his aerobic digesters – they’re like a “mechanical stomach,” he says – that can plow through 150 pounds of food scraps per hour. Kinda like a teenager. CNY
STILL ON THE DEFENSIVE: Empire State Development chief Howard Zemsky – or “subsidy czar,” as critics call him – defended Start-Up NY at a Crain’s breakfast: “Our objectives in year one were to get Start-Up NY going, to operationalize it. It went from an idea to a reality in fairly short order. So from where I sit, Start-Up NY accomplished a heck of a lot in year one.”
BLOOD BROTHERS: North Shore-LIJ’s Feinstein Institute is partnering with Ohio health giant Battelle on a so-called Neural Tourniquet that can staunch blood loss by 50 percent with a 1-minute electrical pulse.
The technology is an outgrowth of research pioneered by Feinstein exec Kevin Tracey, whose discoveries have helped fuel the bioelectronic medicine field, already $4.5B annually and expected to grow to almost $8B by 2018.
No surprise, then, that Tracey is out pitching a $400 million center that would combine bioelectronic research and commercialization, as Innovate reported.
A DOSE OF CAPITAL: Investment partners Accelerate Long Island and the Long Island Emerging Technologies Fund announced a $100,000 infusion into Right Dose Inc., a high-tech startup borne from research conducted in the Department of Radiology at Stony Brook University’s medical school.
CLASS ACT: Commack High science teacher Richard Kurtz, with a little help from Suffolk County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club founder Brian Fried, is helping kids understand they’re never too young to change the world.
PUFFING UP: Sea Cliff-based PalliaTech, which is vying to become one of five firms that will administer medical marijuana in New York, signed a lease for 3,000 sf on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, the deal incumbent upon the state selecting them. The lucky five will be allowed to open four distribution sites each. (That’s right, a mere 20 statewide.)
VISIT US: Between newsletters, check out breaking news at InnovateLI.com. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook.
GOOD LUCK, GUYS: Bettr, the hot tech startup founded by two Hofstra students – one of them still a sophomore – pitches the Long Island Angel Network today.
TECH-SUS: Austin is now the nation’s top spot for startup creation, according to a report from the Kauffman Foundation. Miami was No. 2, with San Jose slipping to third. Measured by state, you won’t believe who’s first.
A LEG UP: North Shore-LIJ doctors saved the life of a 74-year-old patient using a tiny motorized device – just approved by the FDA – that boosts blood flow after a heart attack. It goes in through a leg vein.
ABOUT OUR SPONSOR: Farrell Fritz, a full-service law firm with 15 practice groups, represents numerous emerging companies and venture capital funds. The firm advises startups on entity formation, founder and shareholder agreements, funding, executive compensation and benefits, licensing and technology transfer, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions. The firm’s blog, New York Venture Hub, discusses legal and business issues facing entrepreneurs and investors.
HOT EVENTS: Nassau County technology job fair, June 11, Cradle of Aviation Museum, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 70 vendors (sold out), free to job seekers, sponsors still very welcome, register or inquire here.
Longtime pal Savio Chan speaks and autographs his bestselling book, China’s Super Consumers, June 24, 6 p.m., NYC’s China Institute, more info here when you scroll down.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Stony Brook biotech startup Codagenix won a $100,000 federal grant to develop a vaccine for the infectious Foot and Mouth Disease Virus. Plum Island is helping.
A long-awaited EPA study found no evidence that hydraulic fracturing has led to a widespread impact on drinking water in the U.S.
So, understandably: The Business Council of New York asked that the state’s fracking ban be lifted. Buffalo First
CA Technologies is bringing in HBO and Microsoft whiz Otto Berkes as CTO.
There is a battle underway on Long Island over the future of its power generation. And like most conflicts over the island’s energy policy, it has a long and tortuous history. Capital NY
Five of Long Island’s top 12 Kickstarter campaigns have something in common. Alcohol.
Accelerate Long Island exec Mark Lesko sat down with Innovate for an update on the group’s seed funding and mentoring efforts.
Hofstra University was awarded $2 million in state grants to expand its School of Engineering and Applied Science and create new laboratories and classrooms focusing on big data and robotics.
Other top reads of the week: Brew Bus, eGifter, Gluten-free, Legal help
LIKE THIS? Please pass along a good thing to a friend or colleague. Forward this newsletter and encourage your crowd to sign up here.
BELOW THE FOLD
AMBER ALERT: Jack Horner, a paleontologist who worked on the Jurassic Park films and was the inspiration for character Alan Grant, has a plan to recreate a dinosaur within five years. Did he not see the ending? Business Insider
POM-POMMING SHOULD PAY: New York state Assembly member Nily Rozichas introduced a bill that would guarantee that New York’s professional sports teams pay cheerleading squads just like they do other employees. NYBJ
IT PROBABLY SHIPS FLAT: Ikea is building a smart home lighting system. No surprise, it’s cheap. Gizmodo
MISSED A ROUNDUP? Most are archived here.
FYI, IT’S ORANGEY, NOT BLUE: A committee of medical advisers recommended that the FDA approve flibanserin, the first drug that aims to boost the female libido, 18 to 6. Many women’s groups were opposed. NPR
A VOX INVESTIGATIVE DISCOVERY: There’s a region you never get the teddy bear. Claw machines are rigged.
A REMINDER: There’s really no such thing as “free” news. Please support our sponsors.
Compiled by John Kominicki. Thanks for reading.
