December 2012
Alex Frommeyer
CEO
Beam Technologies
“Creating a Hardware Startup in Digital Health…and how to get noticed for it”
In the past year, digital health has emerged as one of the fastest growing startup genres with massive implications across all of healthcare. At the same time, the 3D printer revolution and lean startup principles have made it possible for hardware startups to become a vibrant part of the investment ecosystem again. Beam Tech Founder will address the convergence of these movements as its relates to the Beam Brush, including some of their highlights over the past year developing the product, and how they have earned major, international press for their efforts…all before the product was even released.
Alex Frommeyer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Beam Technologies in Louisville, KY. A born entrepreneur and leader, Alex has strong experience leading tech start-ups in the healthcare and device space. Alex met his future partners at Beam, Dan Dykes and Alex Curry, as a freshman in engineering school, and this cohesive team today contains a uniquely diverse skill set for developing health hardware, from branding and UI/industrial design to core hardware and IP development. Alex has a passion for digital health, hardware products, and PR/branding.
November 2012
Steve Huey
CEO
Captured Hire Ed
Steve Huey is a dynamic, results oriented leader with a proven track record of sustainable performance in high tech industries. He is currently the CEO of Capture Higher Ed, an organization that offers a comprehensive turnkey solution available to colleges and universities.
Prior to Capture Hired Ed, Steve was the COO of the Learning House. His accomplishments include:
- Co-led the turnaround effort at RentalHouses.com where during his eight month tenure he helped the company triple sales, and listings as well as position the company as the market leader in listings within the top 50 US markets. This led to the company’s sale in January 2007 to Consumer Source, Inc.
- Initiated and lead the acquisition of a $7 million anti-spyware software and services company. Established strategic priorities and financial targets and launched four new products in the first sixty days resulting in a profitable $10 million growth business and turnaround.
- Led a $210 million Cable Product business. Reduced customer churn by 171 basis points resulting in a savings of $25 million. Initiated “Save the Customer” strategy resulting in a 331% increase in program retention and adding $7.4 million in annual sales.
- Launched and managed a new software business by developing and delivering a superior value proposition generating $10 million in new revenues with 95% operating margin in less than one year.
- Managed and negotiated a technology purchase that reduced acquisition costs by $1.8 million.
October 2012
John Reinhart
Co-Founder
International Center for LTC Innovation
John created and co-founded the International Center for LTC Innovation (InnovateLTC) in 2010. Funding was provided through a partnership between the University of Louisville’s Nucleus Life Science and Commercialization Center and Signature Healthcare. Prior to that, in 2009 John served as Chief Intra-Preneurship Officer for Signature Healthcare LLC and has been a serial entrepreneur himself since 1992.
John is also a founding partner in 2006 of Commonwealth Leverage Group, a partnership of accomplished entrepreneurial executives focused on providing strategic services to emerging opportunities in the healthcare and technology sectors.
From 1999 through 2003 John was the President and COO of Advanced Imaging Concepts, Inc., a healthcare EMR software company. The company was subsequently sold to Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, a publically traded company (NASDAQ: MDRX) where he served as Executive VP, Clinical Solutions Group until 2006. In 2004 John was recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year award winner.
Previously until 1992, John had a career as a CPA in the ‘Big Five’ accounting firm, Coopers and Lybrand, after graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1987.
In addition to his CPA license, John has completed his CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) coursework at Spalding University and will graduate with an MBA in Healthcare Sector Policy and Management from the University of Miami in Florida December 2012. Recently he co-authored the final chapter of a new book: “ACO’s Bridging the Health Information Technology Divide” that will be released late fall 2012
John and his team serve as a talent management firm and innovation accelerator focused on disruptive products, service models and technologies that improve both the quality of life and quality of care for the global aging population. InnovateLTC’s mantra is Research, Validate, and Deliver. To date, the center has partnered with Nucleus to launch a regional Kauffman Foundation Fast Trac Entrepreneurial Series, Idea Hour, a monthly speaker series and network event, LinkTank, an aging innovation idea competition, and now championing the establishment of a $20 million capital fund for emerging opportunities focused on innovation in aging, among other achievements.
September 2012
Kris Kimmel
Founder, Idea Fest
Please join the Venture Connectors members as we hear from Kris Kimel, founder of IdeaFestival. Kris will present the agenda for the upcoming IdeaFestival and will describe its impact on the local entrepreneurial community.
For those who don’t know, Kris is the President of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KTSC), a non-profit organization with an international reputation for designing and implementing innovative and broad-scale initiatives and programs. Kris is widely recognized as an expert in the field of science and technology policy, programs and entrepreneurship having presented on these topics at numerous conferences around the world.
August 2012
Mayor Greg Fischer
Join us on August 1st, to learn more about Mayor Fischer’s top goals for 2012 which include:
- Using technology and innovation to deliver excellent city services
- Solving the systemic budget issues that are holding the city back
- Taking job creation to the next level
- Investing in people and neighborhoods to advance Louisville’s “Quality of Place”
- Creating a 25-year city plan for development and revitalization
Committed to creating new jobs and strengthening the city’s economy, Mayor Fischer is well into his second year. Since taking office, Mayor Fischer’s accomplishments include:
- Securing a $5 million Bloomberg grant to identify more efficient ways to provide city services
- Creating nearly 4,000 new jobs and over $724 million in new investment while working with state and federal partners to ensure continued Ford investment totaling $1.2 billion and 3,100 new jobs
- Initiating the Bluegrass Economic Advancement Movement with Lexington, to grow jobs in advanced manufacturing
- Implemented the new Code Red citywide alert system for emergencies
- Securing funds to complete the Big Four Bridge renovation and reducing the Ohio River Bridges Project by $1.2 billion
- Launching a citywide quest for compassion by becoming the largest American city to sign the international Charter for Compassion, and creating the “Give A Day” community service week, April 14-22, resulting in more than 90,000 volunteers and acts of compassion.
June 2012
Cendric Francios
CEO
Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Join the Venture Connectors as we hear from Cedric Francois, CEO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals. Francois will discuss his experiences founding two companies and the lessons learned from his first company. In 2003 he founded Potentia Pharmaceuticals, which went on to become the first group to test complement-inhibiting drug candidates for age-related macular degeneration and was sold to Alcon, the world’s largest ophthalmology company, in 2009. In May 2010, he founded Apellis Pharmaceuticals and became its Chief Executive Officer. Apellis is hoping to develop groundbreaking new therapies for a range of chronic inflammatory diseases. Dr. Francois is an inventor on many biotechnology patent applications, including all of Potentia’s and Apellis’ proprietary patent applications.
Francois’ primary areas of expertise are immunology and immune system mediated disease. Cedric Francois received his medical degree from the University of Leuven in Belgium and his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Louisville. Following postgraduate training in pediatric and transplant surgery, Dr. Francois was a member of the research team that performed the first successful hand transplantation and of the Louisville Face Transplant Team, whose work supported the first human face transplantation in Lyon, France in 2005. He has published numerous publications and is the principal author on the clinical report of the first four human hand transplantations.
May 2012
Final Rounds of Venture Sharks Competition
Winner of the 3rd Annual Venture Sharks Competition: Allie Truttman of Wicked Sheets
April 2012
Mary Pat Regan
President
AT&T Kentucky
Recent Evolution in the Telecommunications Industry
Mary Pat Regan, President of AT&T Kentucky since 2009, will talk about changes in the telecommunitations industry. Regan is involved with new technology deployment and infrastructure investment as well as leading the company’s regulatory, legislative and community affairs activities in Kentucky. She works closely with community leaders, legislators and other policy makers, as well as local and regional business leaders and customers to help meet the company’s objective of connecting people with technology everywhere they live and work in Kentucky.
Regan has come to Kentucky from Chicago, IL where she was the AT&T Executive Director of Regulatory Aairs with responsibility for leadership, direction and management of the Illinois Regulatory Team. Regan has over 20 years experience in the Telecommunications industry and has worked in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility in business sales and regulatory affairs.
March 2012
David Llewellyn
President
Wyvern International, Ltd.
Your Next Start-Up May Be Down Under
In 1985 Llewellyn built the televising of one marquee race, the Melbourne Cup, in Australia into a seven-day-a-week, 52-week-a-year enterprise that sends more racing signals into more countries than any other -rm in the world. Currently it televises in 31 countries in Europe and the Americas. Wyvern International, Ltd. has been a in leader in the use of advance deposit wagering (ADW). In fact, 60 percent of all North American waging on Australian racing is currently through ADW.
February 2012
January 2012
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Brad King, CEO of Regenerex
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Todd Earwood, CEO of Try It Local
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Chris Combs, COO and Co-Founder of UCloser