i&E Winter 2015

WINTER 2015

START UP PROFILES Synercon Technologies Synereca Pharmaceuticals

LET’S MAKE A DEAL

Networking at 2014 Entrepreneurial Summit & Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur workshop brings investor, opportunity together

ENTREPRENEURIAL CITIES Oklahoma City and Tulsa are creating new places for entrepreneurs to pitch their ventures and to work, live and play.

SENTRY ON DUTY WELL CHECKED SYSTEMS puts security in the cloud for remote well sites Well Checked Systems puts security in the cloud for remote well sites

We’re Proud to Help

OKLAHOMA GROW Comprised of over 175 Oklahoma corporations and business groups, the Oklahoma Business Roundtable serves as the state’s major economic development support organization.

We are a collaborative non-profit group whose sole purpose is advancing Oklahoma’s economic development – through business start-up, expansion, recruitment and quality improvement programs.

During the past 23 years, the Roundtable has supported hundreds of state, national and international business promotion activities resulting in millions of dollars of new corporate investment throughout Oklahoma. Our members are committed to the growth and diversification of our state’s economy.

We invite you to join us in our efforts! Contact us today.

Rhonda Hooper Roundtable Chairman Jordan Advertising, Oklahoma City OklahOma Business ROundtaBle 655 ReseaRch PaRkway, suite 420 OklahOma city, OklahOma 73104 405-235-3787

2

i&E

Winter 2015

BUILDING A STRONGER OKLAHOM A

www.okbusinessroundtable.com

INSIDE

24

20

10

i&E Profiles Page 6 Synereca Pharmaceuticals Page 8 Synercon Technologies

Entrepreneurial Development Page 10 The 2014 Entrepreneurial Summit and Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur workshop offered the ultimate networking event and a $100K investment in an Oklahoma company.

Cover Story Page 12 Well Checked Systems’ “sentry on a tripod” solves big security challenges for exploration and production companies that operate oil and gas wells at far-flung, remote locations.

Outreach Page 16 Exciting new programs in Tulsa and the promise of an “Innovation District” in Oklahoma City are taking entrepreneurial growth and support in Oklahoma to a new level.

OKBio Section All the elements came together in a 2004 “Meet the Scientist” luncheon to inspire Dr. Anne Pereira to create Biolytx, which is developing new therapeutics to defeat drug-resistant bacteria.

Page 20

The 2014 BrewFest was a huge success at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, and we have party pics! Page 22 Over the past 15 years, Dr. Tom Kupiec has grown his bioscience ventures from 3 people in a 1,500 square foot office to more than 100 employees in three companies spread across to top floor of the 840 building in the University Research Park. Page 24

innovators & Entrepreneurs is produced by i2E, Inc., manager of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.

For more information on any content contained herein, please contact i2E at 800-337-6822. © Copyright 2015 i2E, Inc. All rights reserved.

i2E TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The i2E management and staff is composed of professionals with extensive experience in technology commercialization, business development, venture investing, finance, organizational.

Howard G. Barnett, Jr., Chairman OSU-Tulsa

Scott Meacham President & CEO Rex Smitherman Senior Vice President, Operations Sarah Seagraves Senior Vice President, Marketing Mark Lauinger Senior Vice President, Client Services Tom Francis Director of Funds Administration Josh O’Brien Director of Entrepreneurial Development Judy Beech Director of Finance

Elaine Hamm Venture Advisor & Director, Proof of Concept Center Richard Rainey

Venture Advisor & Director, OSCR Program Kevin Moore Venture Advisor & SeedStep Angel Manager Claire Robison Venture Advisor Scott Thomas IT Manager

Stephen Prescott, Vice Chair OMRF Michael LaBrie, Secretary McAfee & Taft Leslie Batchelor Center for Economic Development Law Robert Brearton American Fidelity Assurance Company Michael Carolina OCAST

Wes Stucky Development Management, Inc. Roy H. Williams Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Richard Williamson T.D. Williamson Duane Wilson LDW Services, LLC

PA R T N E R S Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST)

Rita Combs REYAP Youth Programs

U.S. Economic Development Administration

Steve Cropper

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

Carl Edwards Price Edwards Company, Oklahoma Business Roundtable, Presbyterian Health Foundation

City of Oklahoma City Oklahoma Business Roundtable

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Philip Eller Eller Detrich, P.C. American Fidelity Foundation Elizabeth Frame Ellison Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation Suzette Hatfield Crawley Ventures

Presbyterian Health Foundation Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Brad Krieger The Oklahoma Experimental Program to Arvest Bank Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Philip Kurtz CareATC Oklahoma Department of Commerce Hershel Lamirand III Capital Development Strategies

U.S. Department of Treasury

Darcy Wilborn Client Engagement Director

Merl Lindstrom State Small Business Credit Initiative Phillips 66

Cindy Williams Underwriting Coordinator & Investment Compliance Officer

Brien Thorstenberg Tulsa Regional Chamber

Katelynn Henderson Events Specialist Shaun Fair Underwriting Specialist Jennifer Buettner Executive Assistant Kate Nelson Administrative Assistant

Fred Morgan The State Chamber David Myers Ponca City Development Authority David Pitts Bank SNB Mark Poole First National Bank of Broken Arrow Teresa Rose Chesapeake Energy Corporation Meg Salyer Accel Financial Staffing Darryl Schmidt BancFirst Craig Shimasaki Moleculera Labs

www.i2E.org

facebook.com/OKGOVCUP twitter.com/i2E_Inc

ABOUT i2E WE INVEST IN ENTREPRENEURS TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL HIGH GROWTH OKLAHOMA COMPANIES. Over our 16-year history, i2E’s nationally recognized services have provided business expertise and funding to more than 620 of Oklahoma’s emerging small businesses.

With more than $48 million of investment capital under management, we are focused on serving companies in all phases of the business life cycle, from startups looking for their first round of capital all the way to established businesses seeking funding to expand their markets or products.

We also are helping lead new business developments into the marketplace more efficiently and more quickly while providing guidance to bring more funding to Oklahoma’s researchers and entrepreneurs.

Through our proven business and venture development process, we turn ideas into successful enterprises ... i2E.

WHAT WE DO: • Evaluate the market potential of new concepts • Assist with evaluation of business plans, marketing plans and raising capital • Provide guidance in building a management team, business structure and financial forecasting • Assist with developing an effective investor presentation • Assist in obtaining funding through federal grant programs • Work with research universities to encourage commercialization of technologies developed through research • Provide grant capital assistance and equity investment

Welcome from Scott Meacham We talk a lot about innovation here at i2E. Innovators across Oklahoma are creating new technologies and building successful ventures around their innovation. They are what we are all about.

In this edition of i&E magazine, we introduce you to exciting technologies emerging across our state and the innovators behind them.

For instance, our cover story features Tulsa-based Well Checked Systems International, LLC, which has discovered a large market hungry for its technology. Well Checked developed a proprietary video monitoring and alert system for the energy industry that ensures secure operations of remote well locations.

Founded in 2012, Well Checked Systems already has customers and is quickly gaining recognition from both the industry and investors.

In October, it was honored as the Mid-Continent Industry 2014 Supplier of the Year at the Oil & Gas Awards gala in Oklahoma City.

And in June 2014, i2E led a $1.4 million investment in the company that will allow it to greatly expand its risk mitigation capabilities for its energy customers.

Check out the Well Check story beginning on page 12.

Another profile highlights Tulsa based Synercon Technologies page 8, which has created technology to quickly and securely download so-called “black box” data from large trucks and buses in the wake of accidents.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City-based Synereca Pharmaceuticals page 6, is advancing an exciting new technology that would kill drugresistant bacteria and restore or increase the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.

In our biotechnology section, we highlight Biolytx, an Oklahoma City-based company that also is advancing a therapeutic that shows promise in stopping drug resistant bacteria and increasing the effectiveness of established antibiotics page 20.

We also feature growth of three biotechnology ventures led by Dr. Tom Kupiec – DNA Solutions, Analytical Research Laboratories and the Kupiec Group. Kupiec’s Oklahoma City-based businesses collectively employ more than 100 people and provide critical services in the area of genetics and forensic testing, contract testing for pharmaceutical development, and expertise for the legal industry.

Read about them on page 24.

Finally, we’re excited about ongoing efforts to enhance the entrepreneurial communities in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Check out our stories beginning on page 20 that highlight recent developments.

I’m confident that when you put down this edition of i&E magazine you will have a new perspective and admiration for all those who are driving the state’s innovation economy.

– Scott Meacham President & CEO Winter 2015 i&E

5

Profiles Synercon Technologies LLC

DIGITAL DATA SLEUTH

Synercon Technologies develops Forensic Link Adaptor to secure ‘black box’ data after accident.

A

fter an accident on I-35 in southern Oklahoma that claimed the lives of four softball players from a Texas college in September of 2014, one of the first people crash investigators reached out to was Dr. Jeremy Daily of Tulsa.

Daily is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Tulsa and an expert on crash reconstruction. He also has developed patented technology called a Forensic Link Adaptor that quickly and securely recovers “black box” data from large trucks and buses after accidents.

Daily founded a company called Synercon Technologies in 2013 to commercialize the technology and make it available to law enforcement agencies, insurers and crash investigators.

“The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the NTSB called me as soon as that accident

6

i&E

Winter 2015

in southern Oklahoma happened,” Daily said. “Unfortunately, it was on an engine that our technology doesn’t cover yet. So we weren’t able to help them.””

While the Forensic Link Adaptor can download engine performance data from some truck models, it is not yet compatible with the electronic control modules (ECMs) in every vehicle.

Synercon is working to make the technology compatible with as many engines as possible.

“We have a lot of them covered, but we don’t have them all covered yet,” Daily said.

Before he became a professor at TU, Daily and his father, John Daily, had a consulting business in which they provided accident reconstruction services. Along with Nathan Shigemura, they even coauthored a book called “Fundamentals of Traffic Crash Reconstruction.”

“My dad is actually a national expert in crash reconstruction and teaches classes all over for different law enforcement agencies,” he said. “I had a background in electronics from the Air Force, so when we joined forces I started looking at understanding the electronic data from vehicles.”

Vehicle ECMs, or “black boxes,” provide data about the speed of a vehicle at the time of a crash, braking information and other data that is vital to investigators.

“I learned how to use some of that from a reconstruction standpoint, and found that it was pretty valuable information,” Daily said. “Then I also got involved with the University of Tulsa’s Institute for Information Security (iSec), and learned a little about digital forensics. I realized the information I was extracting from heavy trucks did not follow some of the digital forensic practices I had learned about.”

Dr. Jeremy Daily co-founder and CEO Year started: 2013

Location: Tulsa, OK Employees: 6

Product or technology: Patented technology

Synercon was founded to provide “forensically sound” solutions for the digital information extracted from heavy trucks and buses. Current technology does not download ECM information in a manner in which it is tamper proof.

“The main contribution of the Forensic Link Adaptor is the fact that we are extracting the data in a forensically sound manner,” Daily said. “So, once the data are extracted from the ECM, it cannot be altered without being detected.”

On its website at synercontechnologies.com, the company lists a broad menu of services if provides crash investigators and law enforcement agencies.

Among them are “chip level digital forensics on ECMs, heavy vehicle field data extraction, and electronics design and prototyping.”

Synercon is a past participant in i2E’s Tulsa Immersion Program and received $450,000 in seed funding that was led by $200,000 from the i2Emanaged Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, $150,000 from Angel investors and $100,000 from the University of Tulsa.

“We’re pretty proud of coming out of the University of Tulsa,” Daily said. “The university has created an environment for us to thrive and supports some of these commercial opportunities such as Synercon.”

Despite not having a product ready for commercial use, orders have already been placed for Synercon’s Forensic Link Adaptor and other technologies under development. The technology is being locally manufactured by a Tulsa-based contract manufacturing firm called OAI Electronics.

Daily estimates it will be ready for commercial use by early 2015.

“The demand is there, but we’re still in the development phase,” Daily said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

that securely downloads engine performance information from large trucks and buses after accidents.

Market targeted: Law enforcement, insurance and crash investigators Future plans: Founder Jeremy Daily is focusing on delivering a finished product that can download forensic data from large vehicles from all manufacturers.

Funding: Synercon has advanced its technology toward the production phases with investment of $200,000 from i2E, $100,000 from TU and $150,000 from outside investors.

Major milestones accomplished: The company has developed a Forensic Link Adaptor that works with engines from three manufacturers and submitted a patent application on the technology. synercontechnologies.com

Winter 2015 i&E

7

Profiles Synereca Pharmaceuticals Inc

BACTERIA KILLERS S RecA Inhibitors – Re-Arming Old Drugs

8

i&E

Winter 2015

ynereca Pharmaceuticals develops therapeutics to restore effectiveness of established antibiotics in combating drug-resistant bacteria.

Modern medicine has a problem. Therapeutics that once were effective in controlling bacterial infections have lost their effectiveness, jeopardizing the lives of millions of people.

What happened? The bacteria targeted by antibiotics is able to evolve and become resistant to the drugs. So that means that people with bacterial infections can’t shake the illness and sometimes die.

Few new drugs have been developed over the past decade to solve the problem.

It’s a situation that Synereca Pharmaceutics, Inc., with offices in Oklahoma City and Chapel Hill, N.C., is addressing with its drug development program.

A portfolio company of Oklahoma Citybased life sciences accelerator Accele Biopharma, Synereca is developing drugs that restore or increase the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.

“Despite the growing need to treat lifethreatening infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria, development of new antibiotics has plummeted due to a combination of technical, regulatory and economic factors,” said Clayton Duncan, Accele’s CEO and act-

ing CEO of Synereca.

Only two new antibiotics have been approved since 1998, Duncan said.

“Synereca’s programs to restore the effectiveness of existing antibiotic offer a much-needed response to this intensifying public health crisis,” he said. “All of our programs are designed to make the current classes of antibiotics work better.”

Synereca has two lead research programs that are advancing drugs to make existing antibiotics more effective. The first focuses on compounds that enhance the effectiveness of Colistin without increasing toxicity.

Duncan described Colistin as “the drug of last resort” in treating bacterial infections, yet has come back into favor as other antibiotics have become ineffective.

“We’ve demonstrated that we have a compound that without shifting toxicity makes it more effective in animals,” Duncan said. “That could be something very important.”

Synereca’s second program focuses on the inhibition of RecA, a key enzyme in bacterial DNA repair and the development and transmission of antibiotic resistance. Synereca’s prototype RecA inhibitors are not antibiotics themselves, but increase the killing of a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria by a broad range of existing antibiotics.

“Despite the growing need to treat life-threatening infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria, development of new antibiotics has plummeted due to a combination of technical, regulatory and economic factors.

Clayton Duncan CEO Year Founded: 2009 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Employees: 8

– C layton D uncan

Synereca’s drug development program has shown such potential that it received a $1.4 million seed capital investment round this past summer. i2E led the investment round with $250,000 from the i2E-managed Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund and $100,000 each from the SeedStep Angels, also managed by i2E, other Oklahoma Angel investors and $950,000 from Accele Venture Partners, the investing arm of Accele Biopharma.

Synereca committed 90 percent of the investment dollars to research and development as it advances the technology toward clinical trials.

“What we do here is we make the molecules, we test them for toxicity of the compounds, and then we contract with independent firms to do the efficacy studies for us,” Duncan said.

Synereca’s drug development work is under way in both Chapel Hill, where it is led by the company’s Chief Scientific Officer, Scott F. Singleton, Ph.D., and in Oklahoma City. Singleton is an associate professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

“All of our development programs are designed to take a drug that is not an antibiotic but can make old antibiotics work better,” Duncan said.

“Dr. Singleton is one of the leading experts in the country on RecA and this particular pathway to increased effectiveness of antibiotics.”

Product or technology: New therapeutics

that restore effectiveness of established therapeutics in combating drug-resistant bacteria Market: Synereca’s two lead research programs are targeting what are known as gram-negative bacterial infections.

Future plans: The company is advancing its lead

programs toward human clinical trials.

Funding: Synereca’s druge development program has been funded by investment of $1.9 million, including a $1.4 million seed capital round led by i2E and Accele Venture Partners.

Successes: The company’s discovery of RecA inhibitors is an important breakthrough in stopping drug resistant bacteria and restoring effectiveness of established antibiotics. www.synereca.com

Bacteria Are Resistant To Powerful Antibiotics DRUG

PATHOGEN

% RESISTANCE

Methicillin

S. aureus

56

Vancomycin

E. faecium

80

3rd-gen. Ceph

E. coli

6

Fluoroquinolone

E. coli

25

3rd-gen. Ceph

K. pneumoniae

24

Imipenem

P. aeruginosa

25

4th-gen. Ceph

P. aeruginosa

11

Fluoroquinolone

P. aeruginosa

31

Winter 2015 i&E

9

ULTIMATE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY

Entrepreneurial Summit, Workshop connect speaker Dave Berkus with his latest addition to investment portfolio in Oklahoma City’s WeGoLook Opportunity knocked when author and investor Dave Berkus arrived in Oklahoma City to serve as keynote speaker for the 2014 Entrepreneurial Summit and Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur workshop.

Berkus delivered a powerful message on Oct. 17 to a Cox Convention Center audience of roughly 400 Oklahoma entrepreneurs and students about the lessons he has learned as an Angel investor since 1993.

Based in Southern California, Berkus is a former successful entrepreneur who has invested in 108 startup companies over the past two-plus decades.

In the wake of his Oklahoma appearance, that number has risen to 109 investments.

While in Oklahoma for the Summit, Berkus met WeGoLook co-founders Mat and Robin Smith and was so impressed with the opportunity they presented that he pitched the company to his fellow investors in the Tech Coast Angels, the nation’s largest Angel investment group.

10

i&E

Winter 2015

Within days of the Summit, the Tech Coast Angels invested $100,000 in WeGoLook, which closely followed a $1.75 million investment round led by i2E only weeks before.

“I convinced our Tech Coast Angels ACE Fund investment committee to make a significant investment in WeGoLook after my meeting and spending time with Mat and Robin Smith,” Berkus said. “That may be a first for syndication of Angel deals, with outreach coming from the distant investor, not from the home team.”

Known as the original “Super Angel” investor, Berkus shared with the Entrepreneurial Summit audience how that title was earned back in the mid-1990s after publication of his first book, “Better Than Money.”

“I tried to explain what I was doing, investing in small companies, trying to help them grow, giving them resources they wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Berkus said. “So, Inc. Magazine called me a ‘Super Angel’. It was the first time that term had ever been used.”

In his keynote address to the Oklahoma audience, Berkus told stories of both successes and failures over the years, presenting them each as individual lessons.

The 108 investments Berkus made in startups over 21 years resulted in only 16

exits with positive returns. Yet, his annual rate of return since the beginning is an astounding 95 percent.

“I happen to have one 1,000X return that just made everything else small by comparison,” he said. “If you take that away, my rate of return has been 23 percent per year every year since 1993. You can’t say that is bad. You might be interested to know that four of my investments made 90 percent of all my growth.”

Dave Berkus is a noted speaker, author and early stage private equity investor.

He is acknowledged as one of the most active angel investors in the country, having made and actively participated in over 87 technology investments during the past decade. He currently manages two angel VC funds (Berkus Technology Ventures, LLC and Kodiak Ventures, L.P.) Dave is past Chairman of the Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest angel networks in the United States.

From Student to Mentor

Dave currently serves as chairman of six of his portfolio companies, and was

Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur Workshop Among the entrepreneurs in the audience was Aravind Seshadri, Ph.D., President and co-founder of Stillwater-based Roll2-Roll Technologies. Seshadri said he paid close attention to the lessons Dave Berkus shared from his years as an investor.

“Mistakes are inevitable, and there are several ways to mess up a startup and several ways to make a big success,” Seshadri said of what he took away from the Berkus presentation. “Successful entrepreneurs are those who are able to recognize their mistakes and are willing to adapt to fix their mistakes.”

In 2013, Seshadri led a graduate division team that developed a business plan around the Roll-2-Roll concept, placing second in the Oklahoma Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup competition and winning the Tri-State portion of the event in Las Vegas.

“Believe it or not, I attended the Who Wants to Be an Entrepreneur workshop a few years ago as a student,” Seshsadri said. “I still remember the networking lunch. Each table was hosted by an entrepreneur, investor or community leader and my host was the founder of a company called BuzzVoice.”

This time, Seshadri served as a mentor for students at the networking luncheon for the 2014 version of the workshop.

ABOUT DAVID BERKUS

“There were a couple of students from OU at my table who were just as curious as I was a few years ago,” Seshadri said. “I hope we inspired them to dream big and make it happen.”

Students attending the workshop also sat in on sessions led by Brad Rickelman, assistant director of the Business Development Center at the Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater.

Also leading sessions were Michael Kindrat-Pratt, manager of the SeedStep Angels, and Mackenzie Ward, co-founder of Owlpal who led a winning team in the 2014 Governor’s Cup.

named “Director of the Year, Early Stage Businesses” by The Forum for Corporate Directors for his successful directorship and CEO coaching efforts. He founded his first commercial venture at the age of 15 – a phonograph record production and manufacturing company he managed through his college years, taking it public shortly after college graduation. He was the founder of Computerized Lodging Systems Inc (CLS), which he guided as CEO for over a decade that included two consecutive years on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing companies.

For his accomplishments in advancing technology in the hospitality industry, in 1998 he was inducted into the Hospitality (HFTP) “International Hall of Fame,” one of only 30 so honored worldwide over the years.

Dave is author of “Basic Berkonomics,” “Berkonomics,” “Advanced Berkonomics,” “Extending the Runway”, and the Small Business Success Collection of eight minibooks, all addressing resource and growth issues for early stage businesses. He speaks throughout the world on trends in technology, angel investing success, and corporate governance and growth.

Brad Rickelman

In 2011, Dave was named “Technology Leader of the Year” by the Los Angeles, California, County Board of Supervisors.

SPONSORED BY: Winter 2015 i&E

11

12

i&E

Winter 2015

Sentry That Never Sleeps

Well Checked Systems develops high tech remote monitoring system for oil and gas industry

An Oklahoma oil well operator had an ongoing problem. Virtually every week, a thief would slip onto the well site and steal equipment, strip copper wires and cause damage that would bring production to a halt.

Desperate to protect the property and halt the thefts, the operator turned to Tulsa’s Well Checked Systems International, LLC, which has developed a proprietary remote video monitoring and alert system for the energy industry.

“We installed a monitoring system on that well site, and the thefts stopped,” said Mike Haines, Well Checked cofounder and CEO. “A few weeks later the thief was caught and told the police that the well site that he had been robbing got ‘one of those tripods,’ and he stopped robbing that site and moved on.”

The tripod that discouraged the thief was placed on the well site property by Well Checked Systems, and held a high definition camera by which the operator could remotely monitor the site 24/7. This is but one of many success stories for Well Checked Systems ranging from disaster prevention to theft prevention to operational efficiency and even safety.

Founded in 2012, Well Checked Systems was created to solve big challenges for exploration and production

companies that operate oil and gas wells in far-flung, remote locations. Operators want to ensure well sites are safe, secure and productive, yet find it cost-prohibitive to keep personnel at a location 24/7.

Most well operators employ “pumpers,” whose job it is to physically visit remote sites daily or twice daily to make sure equipment is operating normally and production is flowing. That may involve driving for hours to reach each site, and leaves wells untended for long periods.

Well Checked Systems uses a patent pending process that provides aroundthe-clock remote monitoring with infrared cameras for illumination and night views, 27x optical zoom, wireless motion detectors, satellite uplinks, and cloud-based video recordings. These are available in two footprints: either a permanent tripod mounted system or a fully mobile trailer mounted system.

The high tech solution developed by Well Checked allows well operators to remotely monitor the site to see who is on the property and catch small problems such as leaks before they become major equipment failures. The system will pan, tilt and zoom in on all areas of interest and record it all in a “Video Historian” stored offsite.

Pumpers and security personnel monitor well activity on a laptop, tablet or smart phone that is facilitated by a

“dashboard” and real-time alerting.

“Condition-based monitoring creates very good ROI,” Haines said. “Across a field of 30 well sites, the direct ROI is $100,000 per year not including direct cost savings such as theft or disaster avoidance.”

“In a world where oil is below $75 per barrel, saving a few hundred thousand dollars a year on lease operating expenses really matters.”

Haines brought an extensive background to the company from the software and Internet service provider industry. He was a co-founder in 1999 of Sequoyah Technologies, a provider of high end and scalable applications.

Well Checked co-founder Steve Richardson is a veteran of the energy production industry who operated his own contract pumping, production and roustabout service since the early 1980s.

Well Checked came into existence when the pair worked together after Haines sold out of Sequoyah Technologies, and he learned the enormous challenges of monitoring well operations.

A well may be reporting good flow, pressure and levels and still be creating an environmental disaster because no one is actually on site to monitor it in real time.

“One day I asked Steve, ‘what if you could see the well, no matter where you were, no matter what was happening?’ “ Haines said. “’What if you could know that the health of your well site was good Winter 2015 i&E

13

24/7, 365 and not just once or twice a day?’

That question started Well Checked and explains the name.”

Other key executives include Paul Dudley, the sales manager who has 20 years of experience in the oil industry, Matt Phillips and Mark Roberts, a long time Oklahoma businessman and entrepreneur.

“I could not be happier with our team,” Haines said.

By the end of 2015, Well Checked projects to have 500 systems installed at well locations throughout U.S. production areas.

Because it provides high tech equipment, bandwidth to transmit data, video monitoring and alert capabilities, Well Checked is vastly superior to competition that is usually a home-grown solution or merely camera providers.

“We are lower cost than anything in the industry except deer cameras,” Haines said. “We are installed and working in one day. We warranty, if necessary, and replace 100 percent of the equipment and monitor it, keeping it up and working. That is very unique in the industry.”

Well Checked also can fully integrate its video monitoring with systems operating existing SCADA, or supervisory control 14

i&E

Winter 2015

and data acquisition technology that provides control of remote equipment. The result is a monitoring system that provides a high return on investment to well operators.

Wel l Checked is quickly gaining recognition from both the industry and investors. It was honored by the Oil &Gas Awards the Mid-Continent Industry 2014 Supplier of the Year at the organization’s annual gala at the Skirvin Hotel in October. The Supplier of the Year Award recognizes companies that have demonstrated reliability and have gone the extra mile to provide the oil and gas sector with impressive customer service.

In June 2014, i2E closed a $1.4 million Series A preferred equity investment in Well Checked, led by $900,000 in i2E-led financing that included $300,000 each from the i2E-managed Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, the OKAngel Sidecar Fund and the SeedStep Angels. The remaining $500,000 was committed by another investor along with the conversion of existing software development into equity.

“There was a lot of investor interest in Well Checked,” said Mark Lauinger, i2E’s senior vice president for client services. “I think we had a total of eight angels involved in the deal. There were a lot of folks who had oil and gas experience and recognized where the opportunity was and the problem that Well Checked solves for the industry.”

Lauinger describes the value proposition offered by Well Checked as “very compelling” because of its risk mitigation capabilities that involve environmental, safety and loss prevention.

Well Checked connected with i2E as a client because Haines was familiar with i2E through his former business, Sequoyah Technologies, which purchased a company that was an i2E client.

“i2E has been invaluable for us,” he said.

“The team in Tulsa that we work with is always good to help with contacts and information. They will dig things up for us if we need it. They are supportive, but not invasive. I like the structure of the deal process and the reporting.”

Feedback from early users of the Well Checked Systems technology has inspired the company to expand its services by providing a mobile solution for disaster sites and fracking/workover rig deployments, as well as salt water level monitoring that was requested by customers.

Customers are eager to share the ways Well Checked has benefitted their operations. A testimonial from a Tulsa well operator posted on the Well Checked website (www.wellchecked.com) attests to the deterrence to theft and vandalism the Well Checked monitoring system has had at its remote well locations:

“Since installing our Well Checked Systems, all of these issues have ceased.”

Problem solved.

We asked Mike Haines, co-founder and CEO of Well Checked Systems International, to describe specific challenges of the exploration and production industry that its technology addresses.

“WE HAVE A MOTTO. WE HELP WELL SITES BE SAFE, SECURE AND PRODUCTIVE.�

ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE: A leak or a spill can cause an extraordinary cost to production.

There is a cleanup cost, loss of production, possible fines and public perception cost (which causes regulation). By being able to see every important or high risk area of a well site up close and in focus 24 hours a day means that if a leak or issue begins to occur, it can be controlled immediately. Recently this prevented a large potential loss for a company. A pumper was alerted to a "mist" or "smoke" around an injection pump by a video. He dropped everything and drove 1.5 hours to the well site. He was able to shut down the injection well and replace a high pressure nipple which was beginning to rupture.

He was able to correct the issue without losing 1 barrel of production. We also have a video historian that allows a person to move "back in time" to find when and how an issue occurred providing ways to prevent future issues through education. We have actively helped our clients identify issues and head off future problems as well as diagnose past occurrences.

FACILITY SECURE: We have an alerting system based on motion. This system allows us to identify visitors to our facility, get video of them and have someone dispatched. We also tie into laser fences and contacts to tell us if a perimeter is breached or if power has been shut down to drives or motors.

CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCTIVE: In addition to the environmental issues prevented, thus allowing production to continue uninterrupted, we assist in the production of lease operators.

A significant gain for lease operators is the additional ground that can be covered. We can extend a well tender's route three fold. We help a company preserve the best well tenders and give them a view of their well sites 4, 5 or 6 times a day verses 2. In addition, we can alert on issues and activity at the well site. Since we can connect to SCADA systems, we can alert on high level, low pressure, loss of power etc. We have a technology called "pathing" that allows us to take a condition and give the well tender accurate and useful images. For instance, if a high level is received in a salt water tank, it is useful to see the tank to see if water is coming out the top, but it is more useful to have a path recorded. In that case, we probably want to start at the tank, but then move to the motor and zoom in on it, see if there is undue heat, smoke, or if the shaft is even moving. We would then look at the copper between the motor and the disconnect. Has someone cut it? Then we would look at the disconnect to see if it is off, and the head of the injection well to look at the pressures on the gauges. If I can see my well while knowing levels and gauge readings, then I do not need a person to visit every day, but I do want them to look at the videos multiple times a day. This allows for condition based monitoring.

www.WellChecked.com

Winter 2015 i&E

15

THE INNOVATION DISTRICT OKC leaders hope to transform Health Center Campus into a livable, walkable center filled with retail and collaborative work spaces

I

n the opening paragraphs of a groundbreaking report from the Brookings Institute called “The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America,” the authors describe an environment that might seem familiar to an Oklahoma audience.

“For the past 50 years, the landscape of innovation has been dominated by ... corridors of spatially isolated corporate campuses, accessible only by car, with little emphasis on the quality of life or on integrating work, housing and recreation,” the Brookings authors wrote.

Although the report specifically referred to California’s Silicon Valley, it could have been describing the Oklahoma Health Center campus in the heart of Oklahoma City.

“We have this huge presence of research sitting here in one place, but it lacks everything else,” said Roy Williams, President of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. “ All it is is a job.

It’s not a place where you can play and live; it is strictly a place where you can work.”

It certainly doesn’t fit the definition of an Innovation District, which is described in the Brookings Report as the “ultimate mash up of entrepreneurs and educational institutions, startups

16

i&E

Winter 2015

and schools, mixed use developments and medical innovations, bike-sharing and bankable investments” all connected via transit and wired for digital technology.

“Innovation Districts are essentially communities,” Williams said.

Innovation Districts are flourishing in Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Detroit and a half dozen other major U.S. cities that developed the infrastructure to encourage creative people to “live, work and play.”

Retail, restaurants and housing all flourish in the Innovation Districts highlighted by the report.

When Oklahoma City’s economic development leaders got their hands on the Brookings report, they began to imagine the possibilities of how an Innovation District might transform the I-235 corridor between downtown and the State Capitol.

Located just north and east of downtown Oklahoma City, the east side of the corridor is dominated by the Health Center campus containing institutions such as the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, OU Medical Center and surrounding research institutions such as the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

The GE Global Oil & Gas Technology

Center is under construction on the west end of the Health Center campus and promises to transform what traditionally has been an area of health care and life sciences research into a broader center of research.

The west side of the I-235 corridor contains Automobile Alley and many other historic buildings and dining and other amenities. Although this area is developing, it still has a lot of available space.

How would this corridor change if it transformed into an Innovation District?

Imagine a workforce that doesn’t jump into automobiles and commute home out of the district when their workday ends. They walk or bike to their nearby apartment, perhaps stopping for a drink or dinner at a restaurant along the way. Later in the evening, they take the streetcar that passes through the district down to the Civic Center to watch a live theatrical performance.

A group of 11 organizations, including i2E, OCAST, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, have formed an informal coalition to consider the possibilities of creating an Innovation District in this corridor.

Williams and Dan Batchelor, founder of the Center for Economic Development Law and general counsel for the Urban Renewal Authority, are leading the ad hoc group.

“We thought we need to be strategic about this development and figure out what are the obvious things that are missing that we could very quickly add to enhance it as a place and not just a job,” Williams said.

“We are in the very early stages of the effort.

Meetings are already set for early 2015 with representatives from other Innovation Districts who can share how they were created and operate.

The Innovation District coalition is considering two major areas of emphasis, Batchelor said. One is to develop a working group that will focus on community development and land use planning aspects. For instance, how would this Innovation District be physically linked to other areas, especially downtown?

Another area of emphasis would be enhancing research and technology transfer within the district, not only in bioscience but, potentially, energy, information technology and other areas.

Already, coalition leaders are receiving questions about when a formal Innovation District will begin to emerge in Oklahoma City.

“Everybody is impatient in Oklahoma City,” Williams said with a laugh. “They want it yesterday. We’re hoping in 2015 we really get some traction.”

The rise of the Innovation Districts has shown Oklahoma City what an opportunity it has to create an exciting new location for thousands to live and play as well as work.

“The great tragedy here would be to fail to claim the opportunity that is presented to us and let it slip away,” Batchelor said.

OKLAHOMA CITY INNOVATION DISTRICT COALITION i2E – Scott Meacham, Rex Smitherman GE Global Research Oil & Gas Technology Center – Mike Ming, Jay Albert Greater OKC Chamber – Roy Williams, Josh O’Brien, Kurt Foreman OCAST – Michael Carolina, Dan Luton OKC Economic Development Trust – Pat Ryan Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority and Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority – Jim Tolbert, Cathy O’Connor, Dan Batchelor, Leslie Batchelor Oklahoma Health Center Foundation – David Harlow Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation – Steve Prescott Presbyterian Health Foundation – Carl Edwards, Mike Joseph, Tommy Gray University Hospital Trust – Mike Samis University of Oklahoma Health Science Center – Ken Rowe, Jim Tomasek, Paul Manzelli

Winter 2015 i&E

17

For more than a year, Tulsa’s 1 Million Cups program has provided a weekly forum for entrepreneurs to showcase their concepts and engage with other entrepreneurs who share similar issues.

Each Wednesday morning at Foolish Things Coffee on the fringes of downtown Tulsa, a pair of entrepreneurs share what they are doing, how they are doing it and what obstacles are holding them back in short, 6-minute presentations.

The audience of approximately 60-70 people offers feedback that is filtered through their own entrepreneurial experiences.

“The whole 1 Million Cups concept is entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs,” said Mark Lauinger, i2E’s Senior Vice President, Client Services who has attended many of the weekly sessions.

“They get honest feedback,” Lauinger said. “They know they can count on other entrepreneurs to be blatantly candid with them. So, it’s a sounding board for them and a recurring, consistent weekly gathering spot.”

The 1 Million Cups program was developed by Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation, part of the Kansas Citybased Ewing Kauffman Foundation. Embracing the slogan of “Building Communities 1 Cup at a Time,” entrepreneurs have launched the program in cities around the world, including 60 across the United States.

Leaders of the Tulsa initiative include Tom Bickers, founder of Emerging Ideas; Brad Post, co-founder of Createthemovement; Dustin Curzon, founder of narrable.com; Barron Ryan, barronryan.com, a local pianist

Chase Curtiss, CEO, Sway Medical presenting at Foolish Things Coffee Company.

18

i&E

Winter 2015

Dustin Curzon, Tim Bickers, Barron Ryan and Brad Post

and performer; and Benjamin Perrault, a recent University of Tulsa graduate and team member of ReTenant.com.

Curzon has experienced 1 Million cups not only as a community organizer, but also as a presenter with narrable.com.

“1 Million Cups was a huge help for Narrable,” Curzon said. “We used it as a source for connecting to educators and administrators around Tulsa. Plus, I’ve developed long-term relationships with the entrepreneurial community that will be helpful today and five years from now.”

Tulsa was the 18th city to launch a 1 Million Cups program. i2E clients that have made 1 Million Cups presentations include 4DSales, Helo, ICEdot, idefi, OfferBoxx, ReTenant, SpectrumFX, Sway Medical, Tailwind and TokenEx. Programs like 1 Million Cups and another Tulsa initiative by the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation called Cultivate918 are helping to build a supportive climate for entrepreneurs.

“For a variety of reasons, the ecosystem here in Tulsa has really matured to where there seems to be some sort of gravitational pull to the middle for entrepreneurial success,” Lauinger said. “Programs like 1 Million Cups and Cultivate918 provide encouragement, feedback and show entrepreneurs they are not working alone.”

A MORE CONNECTED APPROACH TO

BIOTECHNOLOGY RISK MANAGEMENT

T

he biotech industry is constantly evolving and impacting our lives in ways we never imagined.

In a time when revolutionary changes occur in ever shortening development cycles, it’s critical for biotech companies to have coverage just as innovative as their research.

Both opportunities and risks are being created by the quickly evolving bioscience community in Oklahoma. INSURICA can create customized and comprehensive coverage solutions to keep your company on the technology fast track.

Gary Rosenhamer, CPCU, CIC

P 405.556.2230 l M 405.826.6536 grosenhamer@INSURICA.com www.INSURICA.com

Summer 2014 i&E

19

NATURAL BORN KILLER Biolytx Pharmaceuticals targets drug-resistant bacteria with CAP37 peptide

In 2004, i2E launched a “Meet the Scientist” speaker series in which Oklahoma researchers presented their findings to a local audience that was eager to hear about the potential of scientific discoveries.

The first “Meet the Scientist” presentation featured Dr. Anne Pereira, who was then an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Pereira discussed her groundbreaking research the discovery of a peptide based on a naturally occurring protein called CAP37. The CAP37 peptide showed potential to kill bacteria that have become resistant to standard antibiotics used around the world.

“The peptide is based on a protein that is naturally found in the human body and its function is to kill bacteria,” Pereira said.

Pereira is now dean of the OU Health Sciences Center Graduate College and associate dean for research at the OU College of Pharmacy. Her work has led to 18 patents and a new Oklahoma-born company that got its start at that first “Meet the Scientist” presentation.

20

i&E

Winter 2015

In the audience that day 10 years ago was William Hagstrom, president consulting company called Alpha Bio Partners, a firm created to help turn scientific discoveries such as Pereira’s into commercial ventures.

Hagstrom was intrigued by Pereira’s presentation.

“I was struck by the significance of the unmet need in antibiotics, the quality of the science and the potential range of applications for the underlying CAP37 technology,” Hagstrom said. “I was also impressed with Anne and her passion and commitment to translation of the early science to bedside to ultimately impact patients.”

Hagstrom and Pereira spoke after the meeting, and the conversation ultimately led to the creation of a new company called Biolytx Pharmaceutical Corporation in 2005.

“Bill was instrumental in doing all the early market analysis, the due diligence of the patents, speaking to other experts in the field and then setting up all the documentation and working with the OU Technology Transfer office to set up the company,” Pereira said.

Although he subsequently moved to San Francisco to lead Crescendo Bioscience as its CEO, Hagstrom remains an advisor and member of the Biolytx Board of Directors.

The CAP37 peptide works by attacking what are called gram negative bacteria, making holes in the bacteria, which then die as a result.

“When I’m talking about gram negative bacteria, we are talking about bacteria that people might be familiar with – Salmonella, E. coli – those two would be more associated with food poisoning,” Dr. Pereira said. “But we are also interested in hospital-acquired infections, including severe infections caus-

ing pneumonia and wound infections due to other gram negatives such as Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter.”

Biolytx has advanced to the point where it is expected to file for an Investigational New Drug application with the FDA within 18 to 24 months. Significant milestones achieved thus far include:

• Sequenced and cloned the CAP37 glycoprotein • Identified amino acid functional domain for antimicrobial effect • Conducted experiments that show very rapid pathogen killing

minor changes to existing compounds,” Hagstrom said. “CAP37 represents a new and novel mechanism of action. Antibiotics is an area that has seen venture capital interest and a number of high quality exits.”

Pereira is committed to Oklahoma. She wants to resist potential investor requests to relocate to one of the coasts and instead concentrate on building Biolytx as an Oklahoma success story with a worldwide mission of solving the health care dilemma posed by antibiotic-resistant infection.

“What keeps me going is the fact that antibiotic resistance is such a serious issue,” she said. “It’s a global health issue.”

• Laboratory models demonstrate the ability to rescue from lethal infections • Demonstrated effectiveness in wound healing and ophthalmic applications

The company’s research and development has been sustained for more than a decade by a number of grants, including $100,000 in funding from i2E through the OCAST Technology Business Finance Program and additional funding from the state’s Economic Development Generating Excellence program.

“The company now needs to access seed funding from investors to complete final proof of concept experiments. This will then facilitate studies in preparation for an FDA filing to begin phase 1 clinical trials,” Hagstrom said.

Hagstrom sees potential industry and investor interest in Biolytx similar to that of Crescendo, a company founded as Oklahoma City-based Riley Genomics and acquired in early 2014 by Myriad Genetics in a $270 million transaction.

“This is an area of keen interest, and most other programs in this field represent

Winter 2015 i&E

21

Almost 500 of our closest friends showed up at the Chckasaw Ballpark in early November to sample Oklahoma-made craft beers, wines and spirits – and learn something about the science behind beer. As a fundraiser for the Oklahoma Bioscience Association, the 2014 BrewFest was a huge success. Stationed all along the Ballpark concourse, guests were able to take their time, tasting the Oklahoma crafted beverages, visiting with friends and asking the master brewers about the science used to create their beers, wines and spirits.

22

i&E

Winter 2015

THE BREWERIES

THE SPONSORS Hall Estill • Foundation HealthCare Greater Oklahoma City Chamber i2E, Inc. • Hit Design • Oklahoma Gazette

Winter 2015 i&E

23

High Growth Trajectory Profit

Tom Kupiec’s Oklahoma City-based bioscience companies have grown from just 3 employees in 1998 to more than 100 today Concept

Time

Seed

24

i&E

When Dr. Thomas Kupiec left the Salt Lake City forensic testing laboratory for which he was working in 1998, acquired Edmond-based Analytical Research Laboratories (ARL) and moved back to his native Oklahoma, it was a humble beginning.

“When we acquired ARL, it was located in a little area of 1,500 square feet at 122 N Bryant across the street from the Edmond hospital,” Kupiec said. “We had three employees.”

Break Even

Fast-forward 15 years. ARL is just one of three companies under the umbrella of Tom Kupiec’s ownership, along with DNA Solutions and The Kupiec Group. The Kupiec companies are located at the University Research Park on the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus.

Early

Start-up Winter 2015

High Growth

Together, Kupiec employs more than 100 people, making him one of the most successful life science entrepreneurs in Oklahoma.

“I would love to say I had all this planned and had a pro forma and a business plan, but that didn’t happen,” Kupiec said. “It all happened naturally. If you asked me 15 years ago when I started this company if we would have 100 employees, I would have said ‘no way.’”

Tom Kupiec earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Oklahoma before earning a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the OU College of Pharmacy.

Along the way, he worked as a forensic scientist for both the Oklahoma City Police Department and FAA in Oklahoma City before relocating to Salt Lake City in the 1990s.

After operating ARL for a couple of years, he was presented the opportunity to purchase then Ardmore-based DNA Solutions in 2000 from a group of founding scientists.

The company and its current Director of Operations, Dr. Brandt Cassidy, relocated to Oklahoma City.

ARL is a contract laboratory that provides testing services for pharmaceutical preparations and products across four divisions: routine analytics, research and development; microbiology and raw material or “wet chemistry.” Hospitals, pharmacies and pharmaceutical development companies from across the nation contract with ARL to provide pharmaceutical testing at different stages along the development pipeline.

DNA Solutions is a genetics laboratory that provides paternity and forensic testing in humans and sire confirmation, genotype registry, DNA banking and forensic identification in animals. The company has provided genotyping services to North American White-tailed deer breeders and wildlife enforcement agencies.

The Kupiec Group, established in 2005, is a highly specialized, forensic consulting service that includes litigation support and research, forensic investigations and expert witness services. The Kupiec Group expertise includes cases in both civil and criminal court, both for prosecution as well as defense in the local, state and federal jurisdictions.

Winter 2015 i&E

25

Dr. Thomas Kupiec

The Kupiec

Christmas Party

26

i&E

Winter 2015

In addition to Kupiec’s ownership, all three companies share another common trait – almost all the revenue they generate comes into Oklahoma from out-of-state.

“Most of our customers are outside of Oklahoma,” Kupiec said. “I would say less than 5 percent – maybe 1 or 2 percent – of our revenue comes from Oklahoma. Most of our revenue comes from the East Coast, West Coast and outside the United States, as well.”

The growth of Kupiec’s businesses has been accomplished through a focus on providing good science and service to their clients.

“I think the future goal is sustainability and to focus on what got you to where you are,” Kupiec said. “If you provide good science and good service, testing in the pharmaceutical arena for the ARL side and testing in the genetics world for the DNA Solutions side, as well as providing opinions and expertise in the forensic arena, you can be successful.”

Kupiec is a strong advocate for the state of Oklahoma, and is a recent graduate of Leadership Oklahoma Class XXVII.

The state’s support network that includes i2E and OCAST, as well as the Research Park area of the Oklahoma Health Center campus, all contributed to the growth of his companies, he said.

Kupiec’s office on the fifth floor of the 840 building overlooks the future General Electric Research Center that is emerging just north of the Research Park.

“GE selected this region of Oklahoma City, this park and the Health Sciences Center area,” he said. “They could have gone anywhere in the world. This is a great place to do business.”

Despite the phenomenal success in growing three companies, Kupiec remains humble in his perspective, hesitant to even use the term “entrepreneur” as a self-description.

“I couldn’t even spell entrepreneur,” he said with a laugh.

“I see myself just like anyone else. I’m a scientist-turnedentrepreneur, but I don’t think of myself as an entrepreneur.

We’re successful because of ‘we’ and not ‘me.’

For one night each December, the Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City becomes the focus of scores of people who work on the Oklahoma Health Center campus.

It is the annual family Christmas party hosted by Dr. Tom Kupiec and his wife, Carolyn.

Complete with a rock-n-roll cover band, food, gifts for children and an appearance by Santa, the Kupiec Christmas party stands out for a couple of reasons. First, it is alcohol free, and guests are invited to bring their families.

Second, it occurs each year on a Saturday night when the area is bustling with holiday parties and festive visitors.

“This Christmas party started many years ago to celebrate our employees, our companies, our colleagues and our networking associates,”

Kupiec said. “It’s really about families, our kids, our grandkids, our nieces, our nephews and our friends. It’s just a way to celebrate those relationships and provide a holiday event that is family oriented.”

The Kupiec party is a holiday celebration – and more, he said.

“If you stop and think, many holiday parties are adult oriented,” he said. “But this one is different. You want to be open to all cultures and open to all nationalities and walks of life, and our company is a good representation of that. Many of our scientists are from China, from India, from Vietnam, and it’s great to see all nationalities and families come together at one event to celebrate Christmas.”

Call for Oklahoma Bioscience Award Nominations Deadline March 6, 2015 SAVE THE DATE BioSummit and Awards Dinner April 8, 2015 Embassy Suites OKC Downtown/Medical Center SPONSORS Greater OKC Chamber i2E, Inc. OKBIO Association Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

For more information go to:

www.okbio.org

OKBio AWARDS DINNER Join us for an evening honoring outstanding contributions and accomplishments of individuals, companies and organizations that further the development in the bio sciences industry in Oklahoma and around the world.

AWARD CATEGORIES HALL OF FAME LEADERSHIP AWARD will be presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership in the industry, and has assisted in the creation and advancement of bioscience companies and/or the broader biosciences community over time.

RESEARCHER RECOGNITION AWARD will honor the efforts and commitment of a researcher who is advancing knowledge in their area of expertise and inspiring and promoting continued excellence in research.

COMMUNITY RECOGNITION AWARD will honor individuals, companies or institutions for significant contributions to Oklahoma’s bioscience industry.

INNOVATION RECOGNITION AWARD will honor an individual or company who has been responsible for the creation of an innovative technology, product or service within the last three years which has led to a potential commercial application of relevance.

GROWING FAST IN OKC -Forbes, Jan. 2014

“OKC among top 10 fastest-growing cities” -CNN Money, March 2014

O K L A H O M A R I V E R • D O W N T O W N O KC

“Among top 10 cities where workers in their prime are moving”

“Top 10 for economic momentum” -New Geography, Jan. 2014

MAKING A SPLASH:

In paddlesports, momentum is a powerful

thing - and we’ve got it in Oklahoma City. But we’re not just coasting along. We’re doing all we can to accelerate our rise, from a new set of debt-free public amenities to world-class economic development programs and more. Interested in riding the wave?

Come join us. After all, it’s easier to find success when you’re rowing with the current.

Explore Oklahoma City’s digital magazine and channel at GreaterOKC.tv

28

i&E

Winter 2015