All Entries in the "About RISBJ" Category
Monika Weber | CEO and Founder | Fluid-Screen, Inc.
Dr. Monika Weber is a CEO and founder of Fluid-Screen, Inc., a technology she co-invented
during her Ph.D. research in Microelectronics at Yale University. She also holds dual Masters in
Experimental Physics and Theoretical Physics from Germany and Poland respectively. Prior to
pursuing a PhD, Monika worked part time for over nine years in a small family electronics
manufacturing business.
When an outbreak of E. coli bacteria happened in Europe in 2011, thousands of people got sick
within a few weeks. One of the reasons for this is that gold standard in detecting bacteria is still
bacterial culture, a method that takes days. In fact, the culture method is a technology that has
not changed over the last 140 years.
Monika set out to change that with the motto that, in the 21st century, waiting days for tests
results is not acceptable anymore. In response, her team developed an artificial intelligence
enabled microchip that provides information on bacterial contamination in minutes instead of
days.
This platform technology has a much broader potential beyond food contamination. It can
detect bacteria from any fluid sample including water, drug products, blood and urine, with
applications across Global Health all the way from enabling the development of new cutting-
edge CAR-T therapeutics, microbiome drugs of the future, to saving lives across continents with
rapid response to disease outbreaks.
For her work Monika has received numerous awards and accolades including the grand prize at
NASA’s 2011 Create the Future Design Contest, establishing her as an innovator and emerging
entrepreneur. As such she is particularly humbled and grateful for the New England Innovation
Award.
To date Fluid-Screen holds seven patents covering its foundational technology. The company
has also successfully completed multiple commercial pilot programs to evaluate the product’s
performance and ensure its readiness for commercialization. Looking forward to the next half
of 2018 the Fluid-Screen team is focused on launching its first beta-system to market with the
mission of providing people globally with lifesaving information.
Beckon Ice Cream: Dairy Full, Lactose Free
Katy Flannery & Gwen Burlingame | Co-Founders | Beckon Ice Cream
Co-founded by female entrepreneurs Katy Flannery and Gwen Burlingame, Beckon is the first
premium lactose-free dairy ice cream on the market and has distinguished itself as an ice cream
favorite for those who are lactose intolerant. Beckon’s unique process allows its ice cream to
be made from traditional ice cream ingredients, including milk and cream, but without the
lactose. By using the natural enzyme the body needs to digest lactose, Beckon ice cream can be
both dairy-full and lactose-free, maintaining the creamy, satisfying taste and texture that we
expect from our favorite ice creams.
It is estimated that 65% of the human population is lactose intolerant. Beckon’s mission is to
make real, premium ice cream with a clean label available to anyone, including those with
lactose intolerance. Unlike many ice creams on the market, Beckon does not use any gums,
corn syrup, or artificial stabilizers. Beckon sources high quality dairy from a co-op in the
Northeast that is 100% farmer-owned and sweetens every flavor with non-GMO pure cane
sugar.
“Beckon is here to welcome lactose intolerant ice cream lovers back to real premium ice cream.
We chose the name Beckon to illustrate that invitation or call to join in. Our ice cream is not an
alternative; it’s the real deal. We’re extending deliciously creamy, dairy-full ice cream to an
entire group of individuals who have previously had to compromise,” said Gwen Burlingame,
co-founder of Beckon.
Beckon will be available in five flavors – Sea Salt Chocolate Chip, Vanilla, Mint Chip, Espresso
and Chocolate – starting in June 2018 with an MSRP of $5.99 for a 16oz pint in Whole Foods
Market, Roche Bros, and Big Y throughout New England. Beckon is also expanding distribution
to select retailers in the New York Metro Area.
Evan Butler | President and CEO | Etiometry
In 2010, two aerospace engineers and a physician turned biomedical engineer realized that the
way hospitals handle the deluge of physiologic patient data is inefficient and does not provide
for the best patient care. This is especially true in critical care, where clinicians are often
confronted with a volume and complexity of data that is above the ability of a single human to
realistically process in its entirety, which when combined with the high stress/high stakes
environment of intensive care leads to patient harm and clinicians’ burnout.
Etiometry was founded to apply aerospace based predictive analytics methodology to
physiologic data, thus harvesting the power of technology to optimize clinical decisions and
improve patient outcomes. The Etiometry Platform is an FDA cleared next-generation patient
monitoring Software Platform that provides intensive care units with actionable timely
information. By synthesizing all physiologic data into specific patient risks, the platform raises
the situational awareness of the whole clinical team, thus allowing them to intervene early and
avoid patient harm.
Etiometry has 7 of the 10 best pediatric hospitals in the world as clients, which provides a
partnership with the leading thought leaders in the pediatric world. The platform has been
already associated with a 25% reduction of patient length of stay, demonstrating a tremendous
potential impact on the $120B per year ICU expenditures. Moreover, unlike the Electronic
Medical Record with which the majority of clinicians are dissatisfied, the Etiometry Platform is
well embraced among more than 90% of its users.
The company current expansion plans include transitioning to the adult market and exploring
the benefits of the platform through more hospital settings.
New England Financial Services Champion
Buck Harris, Vice President of Community Lending at Community Investment Corporation
“Over the last several years of working with Buck, I have seen him go to great lengths to help small businesses get the financing they need,” said Joshua Daly, Director of the Southern Region of the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center. Those who know Buck know all too well that phrases like the one above are commonplace when discussing him.
Since spearheading Community Investment Corporations (CIC) offerings into Rhode Island, Harris has quickly launched CIC into both the number one SBA Micro-lender and Community Advantage Lender. Often Harris goes above and beyond to provide potential small business owners with every opportunity to acquire the capital they need. In most cases these borrowers are out of the realm of conventional lenders and, without Harris and CIC, would have no other options.
“Small business loans are life changing for people who cannot otherwise get the financing they need to open or grow a small business” said Harris, “and it’s not just capital we are offering; we are providing guidance, opportunity, and hope for a more rewarding life. The only thing our borrowers have to pay back is the cash! I couldn’t imagine a more rewarding career,” he added. Harris has become an asset to SBA resource partners like the SBDC and SCORE, working with their counselors, and building on their efforts by providing financing to their clients. CIC makes every attempt to expand their offerings to as many people as possible. In fiscal year 2017, between Community Advantage and Micro loans, Harris closed 21 loans for a total of $1,500,000.
“Buck is an asset for to Rhode Island small business community,” said SBA Rhode Island District Director, Mark S. Hayward, “There are times when conventional lenders aren’t able to help those small businesses in need. Buck has time and again reached out and done everything he can to help that population of people through education, referrals, and lending,” Hayward attested. While Harris continues to make his mark in Rhode Island, he makes it a point to serve other New England markets, including Connecticut. Remaining dedicated to serving as many in the small business community as possible, wherever they may be, whatever their circumstance might dictate, has bolstered Harris’ reputation amongst his peers and the entrepreneurs he works with. For his tireless work and dedication to furthering the small business community the U.S. Small Business Administration is proud to honor Buck Harris, Vice President of Community Lending at Community Investment Corporation, with the 2018 New England Financial Services Champion Award.
