Florida Venture Capital Conference Presenters Announced

Merry Christmas! Florida Venture Forum just anounced their Christmas present to some worthy Florida technology companies -- presentations at the Florida Venture Capital Conference at Sawgrass. FVCC is always a great conference with good networking, presenters and golf. I've met most of the presenters and this year's slate looks like one of our best ever. Congratulations to Ron and the guys at Proximities, Inc. (Inflexion company), Sue, Jamie, Jorge, Maurice, Chris, Brent, Jay, Rich and all selected entrepreneurs! It looks like 2006 will be a good year for you all!



Presenting companies include:

Central Florida -
Applied Genetic Technologies (www.agtc.com), Alachua: Holds the rights to a portfolio of strategically vital intellectual property in the application of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) to gene therapy.
AxoGen (www.axogeninc.com), Gainesville: Provides surgeons a biological solution to repair and regenerate peripheral nerves, restoring functionality to patients who suffer peripheral nerve injuries.
Brijot Imaging, Inc. (www.brijot.com), Orlando: Delivers an automated concealed weapons detection system that can detect and identify weapons under a person’s clothing.
ForHealth Technologies (www.fhtinc.com), Daytona Beach: Combines human intelligence with robotic performance to create advanced drug preparation technologies that improve patient safety and reduce cost.
Proximities, Inc. (http://www.proximities.com/), Melbourne: Develops and markets applications for its GO™ RFID wristband, which allows venue and entertainment patrons to quickly and securely gain access to restricted areas, purchase concessions without cash and verify their age.
SkyCross (www.skycross.com), Melbourne: Designs, develops and manufactures next-generation RF and antenna technology for cellular, WLAN, UWB, GPS and mobile video markets.
XStream Systems, Inc. (www.xstreamsystems.net), Vero Beach: Provides revolutionary material identification equipment for the public security markets such as aviation, law enforcement and military.

Northern Florida and Panhandle -
Cogon Systems Inc. (www.cogonsystems.com), Pensacola: Provides patient safety and clinical efficiency through data integration and mobile technology using its MOMENT OF CARE ™ Information System.
Intelligenxia (www.intelligenxia.com), Jacksonville: provides Unstructured Data Analysis Solutions to enable enterprises to lower costs, increase revenues and customer satisfaction by mining the 80 percent of data that is unstructured and currently untapped.
Payformance (www.payformance.com), Jacksonville: Delivers optimal solutions for corporate payments through a range flexible payment products and services. Recruitmax (ww.recruitmax.com), Jacksonville: Manages the entire employee lifecycle, including planning, acquiring, deploying, developing and optimizing, and provides products and services built on best practices, experience, creativity and knowledge.

South Florida -
Comerxia, Inc. (www.comerxia.com), Hollywood: The world leader in cross-border eCommerce services, providing merchants in more than 49 countries with the ability to quickly, easily and with little risk, enter foreign markets and generate immediate incremental revenue.
Data Protection Solutions (www.ezd2d.com), Hollywood: Provides patented disk-to-disk (D2D) data protection technologies: mirroring backup and restore solutions.
Latin Node, Inc. (www.latinode.com), Miami: A global player in the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) market, Latin Node carries more than 3 percent of global VoIP long distance traffic with its world-wide network of call termination points.
MAKO Surgical Corp (www.makosurgical.com), Hollywood: Develops advance medical devices and procedures for the rapidly emerging orthopedic minimally invasive total joint market.
US Spine, Boca Raton (www.us-spine.com): A spinal implant and device manufacturing company committed to advancing the science of spine and creating the best solutions for patients through the integration and collaboration of surgeons, scientists and engineers.
Visible Assets, Miami (www.visible-assets.com): Using proprietary low frequency RF technology and systems, Visible Assets provides market intelligence, supply chain management and patient safety solutions that reduce the cost and improve the quality of healthcare delivery.

West Central Florida -
Avalon Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (www.avalonhealthcare.net), Tampa: An innovative new health insurance company offering consumer-directed health plans to employers and individuals who need affordable healthcare and live and work in Florida.
CareMedic Systems (www.caremedic.com), St. Petersburg: Offers a comprehensive suite of revenue management applications and enables clients to accelerate their revenue collection process with nearly all payers so they can get paid faster than previously possible.
Carry A Tune Technologies (www.carryatune.com), Tampa: Develops and publishes software products that use specialized computer-aided pitch tracking to teach people how to sing in tune and on tempo.
Highwall Technologies, Inc. (www.highwalltech.com), Sarasota: Provides a comprehensive, patent pending solution that secures a network from wireless vulnerabilities and protects wireless networks from threats and attacks.
Ideal Image, Inc. (www.idealimage.com), Tampa: Developer and owner of the proprietary IDEAL IMAGE operating system and brand, which is the premier system and brand for operating upscale laser hair removal centers across the country.
Real Digital Media, Inc. (www.realdigitalmedia.com), Sarasota: Provides a technology solution and associated services designed to enable dynamic digital signage (narrowcast) networks. The narrowcasting solution is a system that includes media player appliances and hosted management software.
Skyway Software (www.skywaysoftware.com), Tampa: The award-winning provider of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) design and delivery solutions. The Skyway (SOA) Platform enables companies seeking a competitive advantage to design and deliver custom software applications and services faster and cheaper.
The Gemesis Corporation (www.gemesis.com), Sarasota: Produces gem-quality diamonds in a state-of-the-art diamond growth production facility in the U.S. Gemesis has proprietary, production-ready Split-Sphere High-Pressure High-Temperature (SSHPHT) technology that cost-effectively and consistently produces high-quality diamonds.

iPod: Just an MP3 Player?!?

OK, so now my 7yo daughter has asked Santa for an iPod. She was sly in getting our OK because she started with requests for the cute little iDog (fodder for "iDog: Just a Speaker with Lights?!?" blog). When we mentioned the iDog is meant for connecting to an MP3 player (and she didn't have one), she corrected us to say she thinks it requires an iPod. In that short exchange, iPod went to the top of her Santa list. In fact, iPod knocked every other toy off the list by the time she reached Santa's knee. Even that cute little iDog got kicked to the curb. Narnia books got a parting nod only because a list of one (iPod) didn't really meet the definition of a list.

So how has the "iPod" replaced "MP3 player" as the term for a device that pumps MP3s into your ears? Is it because the ear buds are white and black earbuds are so 2004 (unless they're on the slick new BLACK iPod garnering eBay price premiums)? Well, kinda...

Those guys/gals at Apple went to marketing class and, although they don't always get it right (et tu Newton), they sometimes get it very right. Along with great execution and some network externalities (e.g. iTunes), Marketing's 4Ps is a decent way to think about iPod's breakout success.

P1 - Product: It all starts here for iPod. Apple designed a very cool look/feel device for a set of users who value cool. They also tackled a major customer pain: "How do I navigate all those MP3s I pilfer, er, share with friends?" and provided big storage with a nifty interface.

P2 - Price: This was an easy one, but whoulda thunkit. While all other MP3 player prices were dropping, they came in high and have stayed pretty high. That strategy only works if you get Product right and are able to be the seize the premium category -- which iPod did. The price alone adds to the exclusive nature of the device and the "in-crowd" feel of owning one.

P3 - Promotion: From the very first ads that were all feel and little substance, Apple promoted the iPod as a device that delivers a good feeling by ownership and display. They followed that up with significant marketing dollars and have enlarged the brand with multiple offerings.

P4 - Place: Apple tackled this P with tight placement of the iPods and broad placement of iPod accessories. They really hit a homerun with partnerships in an industry looking for a way to capitalize on all the digital music flying around. Although it's tough to get the devices, you can find docking stations, FM transmitters and skins everywhere you turn -- all promoting the "iPod" brand. With all those cool add-ons, it's no wonder Apple is puffing to keep up with device sales.

So, without getting too academic, it feels like Apple got it right across the 4Ps. How long will that last, and will video push them farther or stall because video is consumed diferently than audio? I don't know, but the iPod Video has already pushed a bunch of things to the bottom of my Santa list this year. I hope he's got connections in Cupertino, for me and my daughter...

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Sent from my Treo

Formula 409A: Cleaning Fluid or Gunk in the Works?

It looks like Brad is about to take on another ugly topic with a deep dive series. Proposed IRS Regulation 409A has gotten a lot of venture capitalists, board members and entrepreneurs spinning the legal meter before January 1, 2006. It relates to calculating fair market value for granting stock options and here's a taste of how Brad and friends are thinking about it:

"IRS Regulation 409A really sucks. While I’m probably now on some audit watch list as a result of speaking my mind, there really isn’t any other way to state it. Jason Mendelson and I were bitching about this today as we pondered how to deal with it and decided that we might as well try to constructively air our thoughts (and help educate our entrepreneurial and venture brethern on some of the issues) via a 409A Series"

If you haven't checked out Feld Thoughts yet, you might want to. He doesn't have the Florida perspective, but on general venture topics he's one of my favorites...

New Tampa Firm to Fund Distressed Healthcare Companies

I don't know the distressed PE business, but more risk capital for area entrepreneurs is better than less. HealthEdge Investment Partners, LLC claims $20M closed and more to come.

"Dingle and Anderson said the firm will make investments of $5 million to $10 million in existing companies that have revenue of $10 million to $100 million. They are looking for companies that are struggling but not failing."We're not doing start-ups," Dingle said. "We're not rolling the dice on those."The HealthEdge plan is to acquire control or significant minority ownership in three or four companies, both public and private, each year. The partners will help management get rid of debt and unprofitable business, improve administration, then sell and move on to other candidates."

Source: TBO.com

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Seen on SoutheastTechWire...

This bodes well for our local IT providers. Go get 'em...

o IDC: Ga., Texas and Fla. Expected to Have Highest IT Spending in 2005-2009

Atlanta -- Georgia, Texas, and Florida are expected to have the fastest growth rates in business IT spending over the next five years, according to a new study by the technology market research firm IDC. The three states -- the largest in the country -- accounted for 30% of total spending on business IT within the U.S. last year. The top ten states as a whole accounted for 56% of total spending, IDC said.

Source: SETW

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Blogged from my Treo

Will Mutiply Fly?

I felt it appropriate to start this Florida Venture Blog with some kudos to Peter, Michael and the rest of their team at Multiply.com -- a Florida, blog-related story of serial success. I first met those guys in the late '90s when they were building Commissioner.com and allowed me to stop compiling fantasy baseball stats from USA Today for my league. It was a life saver that my league still uses.

Since that time they changed the face of fantasy sports with their Sportsline merger and launched their second company, Multiply.com, to integrate content sharing, blogging, podcasting, and vblogging, all over a social messaging/search framework. Their vision is ambitious, but they've created something pretty interesting along the way. The space has gotten crowded with players doing a subset of what Multiply does, so an open question is whether their social messaging/search paradigm will prevail. For now, they closed venture funding in Q4 from TransCosmos and are balancing functionality, revenue and userbase priorities.

I use the site to share with my family, my daughter's soccer team and my daughter's class -- each with their own networks and permissions. I would have used it for the Florida Venture Blog -- if I could have hosted at my own domain. 8-(

Good job guys and keep up the good work -- from Florida!

The KangaRua has landed...