Mtech Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2006

Micro Helicopters, Targeted Cancer Therapies and New Cell-Phone-Based Shopping Offered by Semifinalists in UM $50K Business Plan Competition

COLLEGE PARK, Md.—You could soon buy products from print ads with your cell phone, receive cancer treatments that target only affected cells, or be spied on by a five-ounce helicopter, if the semifinalist companies in the University of Maryland $50K Business Plan Competition are successful.

The 16 semifinalists, chosen from 58 entries, include:

Faculty & Graduate Student Category (Winner will Receive the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Award)

Advanced Magneto-Optical Systems will provide technology compatible with current optical scanners that will enable the use of two-dimensional hidden magnetic barcodes and other authenticity marks to enhance the security of critical identity products such as credit cards, checks, banknotes, drivers' licenses, medication packages and other manufactured components.

• Mr. Iulian Nistor, research assistant, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Dr. Isaak D. Mayergoyz, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Dr. Carsten Holthaus, research associate, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Applied Media Analysis is developing its patent-pending Click Your World mobile shopping solution, which allows users with camera and Internet-enabled cell phones to scan and instantly purchase products in print advertisements.

• Dr. David Doermann, President, Interim CEO and Co-founder; co-director, Laboratory for Language and Media Processing, University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, adjunct member of the Graduate Faculty

• Dr. Huiping Li, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder

• Dr. Ramani Duraiswami, Co-Founder

• Mr. Benjamin Baltrotsky, Vice President of Business Development

Deviant Intelligence LLC is developing a suite of computer network security risk assessment products, called Threat Matrix, which combine patent-pending attack-capturing technology with business intelligence products.

• Dr. Michel Cukier, Assistant Professor, Center for Risk and Reliability, Department of Mechanical Engineering

• Susmit Panjwani, Graduate Student, Reliability Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering

• Stephanie Tan, Alumni, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hinman CEOs

Komoku is developing solutions for organizations to detect and recover from rootkits, spyware, and other malicious software

• Dr. William A. Arbaugh, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies

• Nick L. Petroni, Jr., Ph.D. student, Department of Computer Science, expected graduation 2007

Metatropi has developed a patent-pending metabolomics technology that enables highly accurate and simultaneous measurement of hundreds of metabolites (e.g. glucose, amino acids) in biological systems, for uses such as early disease diagnosis, personalized nutrition and medicine, functional genomics, and safe use of genetically modified food.

• Harin Kanani, founder, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, expected graduation December 2006

• Dr. Maria Klapa, founder, adjunct assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

VIP-Tech is developing virus-imprinted polymers (VIPs) to capture targeted viruses while leaving non-targeted molecules unbound—for applications such as removing viruses from blood, purifying viruses for gene therapy, or producing pharmaceuticals.

• Linden Bolisay, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, expected graduation spring 2007

• Dr. Peter Kofinas, associate professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Undergraduate Student Category

The Daily Feeder is a web service enabling users to build a personal, newspaper-like web site, with automatic updates of headlines and content from Really Simple Syndication (RSS)-enabled media sources they select.

• Ari Rasekh, founder and CEO; senior, Department of Computer Science, Hinman CEO

Eagle Vision Systems is developing software that enables retail stores to analyze in-house video feeds for better product placement and presentation.

• Borna Ghavam, senior, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hinman CEO

• Jeff Schuch, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hinman CEO

I-Receipts is planning a service that eliminates paper receipts for consumers and businesses by providing instant database and Internet access to purchase information.

• Michael Altman, senior, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hinman CEO

• Sam Fine, senior, Department of Finance, Hinman CEO

IMPACT is developing an affordable educational kit to teach Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) concepts to undergraduate students—without the need of a high-priced clean room or expensive laboratory equipment.

• Jennifer Thompson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gemstone, expected graduation May 2007

• Additional Team Members and Majors:
  Kristin Freese, Government & Politics, English, Gemstone
  Steven Hoffenson, Mechanical Engineering, Gemstone
  Ben Worku, Information Systems, Finance, Gemstone
  Jamie Kim, Finance, Accounting, Gemstone
  Kate Imp, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Gemstone
  Travis Young, Electrical Engineering, Gemstone
  John Karvounis, Computer Engineering, Gemstone, Hinman CEO
  Ryan Herrera, Electrical Engineering, Gemstone
  Paul Kang, Marketing, Logistics, Gemstone
  William Lai, Computer Science, Math, Gemstone, Hinman CEO
  Peter Orlicki, Computer Engineering, Finance, Gemstone, Hinman CEO
  Fred Perrotta, Economics, Gemstone
  Joe Wakeman-Linn, Psychology, Gemstone

ORBSolution.com (Online Realty Business Solutions) aims to be the first nationwide listing database for real estate agents, offering easy-to-use agent web hosting, a “Real Estate in a box” package for companies, and a national property database.

• John Karvounis, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hinman CEO, expected graduation May 2007

• John Wyrwas, departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics, Hinman CEO, expected graduation May 2007

• William Lai, departments of Computer Science and Mathematics, Hinman CEO, expected graduation May 2007

• Peter Orlicki, departments of Finance and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hinman CEO, expected graduation May 2007

Young Alumni Category

Affiliate Classroom provides an online training facility for web-based affiliate marketing, a risk-free form of advertising through which an online merchant rewards an affiliate site for every visitor, subscriber, and/or customer referred to the merchant—much like a finder’s fee.

• Anik Singal, Founder & CEO, University of Maryland alumnus, May 2005, Finance major and Hinman CEO

The Content-Based Image Organizer and Search Engine is being developed by an alumnus and graduate student to search images based on their content—the objects or people in the images—first as a desktop-based image organizer and then as an Internet-based search engine.

• Gaurav Agarwal, alumnus, master's degree, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2005

• Sameer Shirdhonkar, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Computer Science, expected graduation 2008

Daedalus Flight Systems is developing a helicopter micro aerial vehicle (MAV) with on-board stabilization and obstacle detection, which is remotely operated from a PDA-based control station—for applications such as surveillance, as well as search and threat detection in dangerous environments.

• Dr. Paul Samuel, Research Scientist, University of Maryland; alumnus, Department of Aerospace Engineering, August 2003

• Joseph Conroy, graduate student, Department of Aerospace Engineering, expected graduation August 2008

• Jayant Sirohi, research scientist, Department of Aerospace Engineering

• Felipe Bohorquez, graduate student, Department of Aerospace Engineering, expected graduation May 2006

Isogen Pharmaceuticals has developed a patentable technology, as well as novel screening techniques, to quickly identify cancer therapeutics specifically targeting cancerous cells—incurring fewer side effects.

• Jason Repac, alumnus, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Hinman CEO, 2004; master's candidate, Department of Mechanical Engineering, expected graduation May 2006

• John Gustin, alumnus, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2004; Ph.D. candidate, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, expected graduation spring 2007

• Joshua Repac, undergraduate, Department of Accounting, expected graduation December 2005

Sigelock has developed a next-generation, locked fire hydrant prototype that protects its working parts against vandalism, ensuring proper use during an emergency—at which time it can be opened in under five seconds by a hydraulic tool exerting 6,000 pounds of force.

• Gregory Chambers, CFO, alumnus, departments of Accounting and Finance, Hinman CEO

• George Sigelakis, president and CEO,  New York City firefighter

• Peter Sigelakis, sales executive, alumnus, Towson University

The UM $50K Business Plan Competition is sponsored by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, and Fish & Richardson P.C.

The competition, now in its sixth year, has historically awarded a total of $285,000 in prizes to faculty, students and alumni with the best plans for innovative new ventures. Previous winners have generated millions in revenues, grants and awards.

Finalists will be announced on March 15 at 4:00 p.m. in room 1111 of the Kim Engineering Building.

###