Feel the power: It’s Wednesday, and this guy is psyched.
All righty, then. Welcome to Oct. 10, dear friends, the 547th anniversary of the Battle of Brunkeberg (the Swedes beat the Danes, as you probably know) and the midpoint of another busy week of socioeconomic innovation.
Emotional response: Today is also World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization’s annual push to raise awareness of mental-health issues around the globe.
Such issues have been historically downplayed, one of the factors in the high prevalence of suicide in our society (it’s the second-leading cause of death among U.S. 15-to-29-year-olds). This is an important topic. Please read up.
Hello, sailor: The U.S. Naval School, now the U.S. Naval Academy, opened on Oct. 10, 1845, in Annapolis, Md.
When worlds collide: Speaking of oceanic exploits, the waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific commingled in the Panama Canal for the first time on this date in 1913, when engineers dynamited Panama’s Gamboa Dike and seawater poured into the Culebra Cut.
From kitchen floors to waterproof boots: Plasticized polyvinyl chloride, known better as “vinyl,” was patented on Oct. 10, 1933, by American inventor Waldo Semon.
Other patents issued on this date covered celluloid billiard balls (Albany inventor John Hyatt, 1865), the bicycle frame (New York City inventor Isaac Johnson, 1899) and the first automobile transmission system (automotive trailblazer Henry Ford, 1911).
On the radio: New Mexico’s Very Large Array radio-telescope network – conceived in the 1960s, constructed in the 1970s and popularized by Carl Sagan’s novel “Contact” (plus its motion-picture adaptation and other cultural references) – was officially dedicated on Oct. 10, 1980.
Tux and roll: And happy birthday to the tuxedo – according to fashion legend, the very first dinner jacket was worn to an autumn ball in upstate Orange County’s Tuxedo Park on this date in 1886.
A cut above: Today also marks the 126th birthday of Johnson & Johnson cotton buyer Earle Dickson (1892-1961), who prepared ready-made bandages made of cotton gauze and adhesive strips to help out his accident-prone wife and wound up inventing Band-Aids.
Also adding notches today are English physicist Henry Cavendish (1731-1810), who discovered hydrogen; American engineer Benjamin Wright (1770-1842), who directed construction of the Erie Canal; Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), who wrote “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata”; French-American fashion designer Lilly Daché (1898-1989), who loved hats; American jazz master Thelonious Monk (1917-1982); and famously awful American filmmaker Ed Wood (1924-1978).
Just a gigolo: And take a bow, David Lee Roth – the American rocker turns 64 today.
So, Roth? Eddie Van Halen? Sammy Hagar? Who was the iconic rock band Van Halen’s greatest lead vocalist? Sing your praises at editor@innovateli.com, and hum a few bars of your best story idea, too.
He Ernst it: And bonus points to reader Arthur Germain, who responded to last week’s best-Blofield question by noting the scariest take on the Bond villain had to be Donald Pleasance, because he can’t watch Charles Gray in the role without thinking “it’s just a jump to the left.”
A few words from our sponsor: Nixon Peabody is an international law firm with an office in Jericho that works with clients who are building the technologies and industries of the future. We have the experience necessary to drive your business forward and help you negotiate risks and opportunities related to all areas of business and the law, including startup work, private placements, venture capital and private equity, IP and licensing, labor and immigration and mergers and acquisitions.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Weeding them out: Albany has not officially legalized recreational marijuana in New York State (yet), but one innovator-friendly organization is already looking to spark the industry on Long Island.
Among other activities, the Long Island Capital Alliance is well-known for its quarterly capital forums – inventors-meet-investors events that place a plethora of early-stage entrepreneurs before an audience of potential financial partners. The forums largely focus on tech (2018 has already featured two high-tech forums and one centered around healthcare), but LICA will roll out something new to complete its annual slate with its first-ever Cannabis Capital Forum.
Scheduled for Dec. 7 in Melville, the herbal assembly covers its bases, opening itself to medical-marijuana providers, New York-licensed recreational distributors (which don’t exist yet) and local enterprises providing “ancillary goods or services,” according to LICA. As always, presenting companies will make seven-minute pitches and then engage in a Q&A with a panel of “industry experts,” all in front of that VC-stocked audience. Applications from potential presenters will be accepted through Oct. 17 at clane@licapital.org; more info right here.
URword is URBond: Two Long Islanders, both students at the University of New Haven, have captured top honors – and the $10,000 grand prize – in Altice USA’s first-ever Altice Business Innovation Challenge.
Massapequa’s Shanique Richards and Baldwin’s Isamar Gomez bested all comers in the competition, which asked entrepreneurs to design an innovative product or service for small-business owners. The winners came up with URBond, a real-time chat platform designed to help businesses connect with customers while also providing unique advertising opportunities and brand-reputation protection.
Richards and Gomez will use the $10,000 to commercialize their digital creation, which “truly embraced the challenge,” according to Altice Business Senior Vice President Mirna Eusebio. “We look forward to seeing them bring this idea to life.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Model behavior: Northwell Health is stepping up its 3D printing game – empowering surgeons, calming patients’ nerves and drastically reducing expensive OR time.
Small biz, big world: The U.S. Small Business Administration is funding new efforts to help New York-based small businesses expand their international horizons.
Walk in the Park: Melville’s Park Electrochemical Corp. has notched another strong quarter, bolstered by the $145 million sale of a key business unit.
STUFF WE’RE READING
The secret’s out: Forbes exposes the five secrets of “truly innovative organizations.”
Leading role: Not to be outdone, Entrepreneur reveals the six best strategies for promoting great ideas in the workplace.
Under the sea: Newsday dives into an Idaho company’s plans for an “interactive aquarium” at Massapequa’s Sunrise Mall.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Personal Genome Diagnostics, a Maryland-based developer of tissue-based and liquid-biopsy technologies for cancer genomics, has secured roughly $42 million in financing provided by Innovatus Capital Partners.
+ Fusion Coolant Systems, a Michigan-based maker of supercritical carbon dioxide, raised $8 million in Series C financing led by Material Impact and Michigan Capital Advisors, Michigan Investment in New Technology Startups, Amherst Fund and Invest Michigan.
+ Front Range Biosciences, a Colorado-based agricultural biotech company specializing in tissue-culture propagation of high-value crops, completed a $10 million Series A funding round backed by Phyto Partners, WelCan Capital, Salveo Capital, Cornerstone Opportunity Partners, Sand Hill Angels, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of New York, New York Angels and other new and returning investors.
+ Authentic4D, a Michigan-based provider of medical-imaging review technology and resolution services for casualty insurance claims, closed a $5 million Series A funding round led by IA Capital Group.
+ Chasm, a Massachusetts-based developer and manufacturer of advanced materials for printed electronics and battery applications, completed an $11 million Series A financing round led by Wave Equity Partners and NXT Ventures.
+ Landis, a New York City-based marketplace for institutional real estate investing, raised $2 million in funding led by Signia Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, Graph Ventures, Kima Ventures and Stanford professor and JetBlue Chairman Joel Peterson, among others.
BELOW THE FOLD
Whiskey rebellion: In Ireland, an innovative whiskey revolution marks a major turning point.
Blowing up beer: It’s a case of tastes great/less explosive as brewers angle for extra hoppy goodness without all the random detonations.
Caribbean punch: Scientific proof (as if you need it) that a Bahamas vacation will do your brain some good.
Drink up: We’re still searching for this legendary “free news,” so please continue sampling the great firms that support Innovate LI – including Nixon Peabody, where the Food, Beverage and Agribusiness practice group will help satisfy your thirst for success.
