Kent Lewis reporting live from the Downtown Marriott at the first session of OEN Venture Northwest. Michael Wright with Advanced Inquiry Systems, Inc. kicked off the first session. AISI is a full waver at-speed and at-temperature integrated test solution (aka circuit tester). They have a stacked management team, a unique technology and strategic partnerships. I would tell you more about AISI, but the technology is so far over my head, it would be like translating Swahili.
The second presenter was Ben Finklea with END, a sustainable footwear manufacturer. Their unique selling proposition is the combination of a core sustainable culture with ultra high performance products. I personally checked out their sample shoes, and they are good looking, lightweight and affordable. The fact that they are sustainably made, and are performance-oriented is a bonus in my mind. END now has product on REI.com, and will be on Zappos soon. Their marketing strategy involves reaching out to Gen Y via social media, which is a key influencer market as Web and environmentally-savvy consumers.
Michael Berkley with SplashCast next discussed his content syndication network, designed for emerging high-growth media. Essentially, the SplashCast service allows brands to engage with consumers via social media. The SplashCast immersive media (aka mini televisions) are embedded in various social media sites, and can be easily branded and shared. Michael gave a few examples of the impact of the product in Nike's NKE6.0 SplashCast channel generating more views than the Nike site itself. From personal experience, I can tell you SplashCast is going to be a major player in social media, and they are well on their way.
Next up was Stuart DePina with Tamarac, Inc.http://tamaracinc.com/, which is the leading portfolio rebalancing and trading platform. For those of you that are not financial advisors, their Web-based product reduces costs by automating portfolio construction, maintenance and monitoring. DePina and the rest of the executive team is stacked like pancakes, in terms of deep relevant experience.
Paul Lorenzini with NuScale Power anchored the morning session. NuScale Power is commercializing modular, scalable 45 megawatt electric light water reactor nuclear power plants. That’s right, they build small nuke reactor power plants. Before the hippies out there plan your sit ins, you should do a little more reading on the energy crisis and how nuclear power is one of the cleanest opportunities to provide energy for the growing global demand. The modular systems are built at the factor and can be shipped anywhere via truck. The light water power is one of the safest forms of nuclear power available today.
The OEN Regional Success Story was Insitu, Inc. Steve Sliwa, President & CEO, described their product offering, which develops remote aircraft like ScanEagle. Their success has resulted in recognition from a variety of publications like Fast Company and Portland Business Journal. The history of the company is quite interesting, in that the co-founder Ted McGeer built the first unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean. Boeing recently purchased the company in September 2008, but we can't say for how much. Steve finished off his presentation discussing the downside of locating the business in Bingen and White Salmon Washington, which includes limited facilities and recruiting.
