Posts Tagged ‘Georgia’
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 Texting while driving in Utah could be costly. So how do you feel about the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation for a national ban on talking or texting on a cell phone while driving? We know many tech execs, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs who are so attached to their smartphones – even while driving – they approach cyborg status.
But we have also seen way too many drivers weaving, traveling inappropriate speeds, cutting across lanes and running off the berm while trying to talk on a phone and drive. One study said that in terms of causing accidents, using a phone while driving ranked right up there with driving drunk.
Regardless of how you feel about the call for a national ban on cell phone use while driving, many states already have tough restrictions in place.
If you have an accident while texting and driving in Utah, for instance, it will cost you $10,000. Utah comes out on top ofInsuranceQuotes.com‘s list of the 10 toughest states for texting while driving.
InsuranceQuotes.com reviewed laws of the 35 states (along with the District of Columbia) that ban text messaging for all drivers. The review took into account fines and penalties for texting-while-driving offenders.
In Utah, the fine for texting while driving soars as high as $750, the second highest fine in the country. But it’s the rest of the state’s anti-texting law that earns Utah the distinction as the toughest state for texting.
If you get into an accident while texting and driving in Utah, you face serious jail time (up to 15 years) and up to a $10,000 fine. If there’s a fatality, you could be charged with a third-degree felony and face even more jail time and fines.
Here are the nine other states that make the InsuranceQuotes.com list of the toughest states for texting-while-driving offenders:
2. Illinois.
3. Wisconsin.
4. California.
5. New York.
6. Connecticut.
7. North Dakota.
8. Georgia.
9. Michigan.
10. Oregon.
To learn more about the 10 toughest states for texting while driving, see: www.insurancequotes.com/toughest_states-texting_while_driving.
Tags: California, Coinnecticut, Georgia, Illinoois, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, state texting while driving laws, Ten states toughest on texting while driving, Utah, Wisconsin
Posted in Hardware, Internet/New Media, Legal, Mobile, smartphones, Studies, surveys, reports, TechLife, Telecommunications | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 16th, 2011
 As T-Mobile USA, Inc. continues the rapid expansion of its 4G network, J.D. Power and Associates’ 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, Volume 2, shows that customers in the Northeast, Southeast and West regions are satisfied with an improved network experience, including call quality and messaging and data performance.
In its study, which compares network performance among the largest U.S. wireless carriers, J.D. Power and Associates recently announced that T-Mobile earned the second highest ranking in these three regions covering 32 states, tied in the Northeast.
T-Mobile ranked second out of four in both the Southeast and West regions, and tied in the Northeast. The Northeast region covers the seven states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Southeast region covers nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The West region covers 16 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
“T-Mobile’s ongoing commitment to making reliable connections available to more Americans continues to pay off as shown by the results of this J.D. Power study,” said Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer for T-Mobile USA. “In the past six months, we have continued to advance the performance of our 4G service while also driving improvements in call quality, reliability and the overall experience for our customers.”
The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study measures consumers’ wireless network experience, based on 10 criteria that impact a carrier’s performance. Wireless phone subscribers surveyed were asked about their experiences with dropped calls, static/interference, connection on first try, immediate voice mail notification, message transmission failures and mobile Web and e-mail connection errors. Call quality and data performance were examined in six regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, North Central, Southwest and West.
Results of the 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance StudySM, Volume 2, are based on more than 22,000 Internet survey interviews conducted between January 2011 and June 2011.
Tags: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, J.D. Power Wirelss Network Quality Performance Study 2011, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northeast, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Southeast, T-Moblie, Utah, Washington, West
Posted in Internet/New Media, Mobile, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
 Appia is one of the top 100 mobile focused private companies selected by AlwaysOn Alwayson, a mobile focused publication, has named 100 emerging mobile companies it says “are transforming big industry and creating viable business models for the mobile marketplace.” While the list is heavily weighted toward West Coast firms, four we’ve covered, Durham, NC-based Appia, the mobile apps store headed by Jud Bowman, and Georgia’s Snapfinger, and Columbia, MD-based BoxtTone, and Baltimore-based Millennial Media, made the list.
Morgan Stanley, DCM, KPMG, Hewlett-Packard, Blackstone Group, Bridge Bank, Norwest Venture Partners, Fenwick & West, Silicon Valley Bank and AlwaysOn editors selected the companies. They identified the top 100 private companies that are pushing aggressively into the mobile space and turning the old smartphone into a must-have connected device.
Companies were selected based on five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz.
The overall winner? Palo Alto, CA-based Flipboard, in the social and consumer networking category. Founded in 2010, the 30 employee company’s venture backers include: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Index Ventures, The Chernin Group, and SV Angel.
The list includes firms in the categories of Advertising, Cloud Services, Commerce, Consumer and Social Networking, Devices and Enabling Technologies.
While you’ll find many names you know on the list (Foursquare, Evernote, and BOKU, for instance, you may also encounter a few you haven’t heard of yet. It’s worth a look.
Top 100 emerging mobile companies list
Tags: AlwaysOn, Appia, Baltimore, BoxTone, Columbia, Durham, Georgia, Maryland, Millennial Media, Mobile 100, mobile advertising companies, mobile device makers, mobile enablers, mobile social networking, NC, Snapfinger, top 100 mobile private companies
Posted in Carolinas, Georgia, Maryland, Mobile, North Carolina, Potomac, smartphones, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
 Atlanta ATLANTA – Georgia and Nevada tied for the top spot for the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity in 2010, according to a report by The Kauffman Foundation. Both came in at a .51 percent rank, meaning 510 people per 100,000 created businesses each month during the year in the two states.
We have noted in numerous stories that the Atlanta entrepreneurial ecosystem has ramped up noticeably over the last year, with startup focused groups and events popping up almost monthly.
Tennessee’s high .41 rank and Florida’s at .40, both first tier performances topping North Carolina’s .35, were a bit surprising, although Tennessee, like Georgia, has seen increasing private and public efforts to boost entrepreneurial activity.
Southeast ranks
In the Southeast, North Carolina weighed in at .35 percent, putting in the second highest tier of entrepreneurial activity. South Carolina posted .23 percent, Florida .40, Virginia and Maryland at .24, Tennessee at a high .41 and Kentucky at .29. See: Entrepreneurial Activity by State.
The Kauffman Foundation report, however, points out that “While the economy and its high unemployment rates may have pressed more individuals into business ownership, most of them are going it alone, rather than starting companies that employ others.”
Nationally, according to the “Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity,” a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States, 0.34 percent of American adults created a business per month in 2010, or 565,000 new businesses, a rate that remained consistent with 2009 and represents the highest level of entrepreneurship over the past decade and a half.
In contrast, however, the quarterly employer firm rate has dropped from 0.13 percent in 2007 to 0.10 percent in 2010.
Too many founders go it alone
“Since it began, the recession has triggered annual declines in the rate of employer enterprise births,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation.
“Far too many founders are choosing jobless entrepreneurship, preferring to remain self-employed or to avoid assuming the economic responsibility of hiring employees. This trend, if it continues, could have both short- and long-term impacts on economic growth and job creation.”
Capturing new business owners in their first month of significant business activity, the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activityprovides the earliest documentation of new-business development across the country.
The percentage of the adult, non-business-owner population that starts a business each month is measured using data from the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Demographic breakdowns
In addition to this overall rate of entrepreneurial activity, the Kauffman Index presents separate estimates for specific demographic groups, states and select metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). It provides the only national measure of business creation by specific demographic groups.
activity increase between 2009 and 2010. The Latino business-creation rate rose from 0.46 percent in 2009 to 0.56 percent in 2010, the highest rate over the 15 years of Index data. The Asian entrepreneurial activity rate increased from 0.31 percent in 2009 to 0.37 percent in 2010, also the highest rate in the past decade and a half. Both African-Americans and non-Latino whites, on the other hand, experienced declines in entrepreneurial activity rates.
Entrepreneurship growth was highest among 35- to 44-year-olds, rising from 0.35 in 2008 to 0.40 in 2009. The oldest age group in the study (55-64 years) also experienced a large increase in business-creation rates from 2008 to 2009, contributing to a two-year upward trend to 0.40.
Among states, Nevada and Georgia had the highest entrepreneurial activity rates, with 510 per 100,000 adults creating businesses each month. Rounding out the top five highest rates were California (470 per 100,000 adults), Louisiana (460 per 100,000 adults) and Colorado, with 450 businesses started per 100,000 adults.
The five states with the lowest rates of entrepreneurial activity were West Virginia (170 per 100,000 adults), Pennsylvania (180 per 100,000 adults), Wisconsin (180 per 100,000 adults), South Dakota (190 per 100,000 adults) and Indiana (190 per 100,000 adults).
“Regional patterns have a significant effect on entrepreneurial activity rates,” said Robert W. Fairlie, the studys author and director of the masters program in applied economics and finance at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “From 2009 to 2010, entrepreneurial activity rates increased in the West, further widening the gap between the West and other regions. Rates in the South remained steady, but declined in the Northeast and Midwest.”
Other key findings for 2010 include:
- The immigrant rate of entrepreneurial activity increased substantially – from 0.51 percent in 2009 to 0.62 percent in 2010 – and declined slightly for the native-born. This increase expanded the large positive gap that already existed between immigrant and native-born entrepreneurial activity rates.
- A growing immigrant population and rising entrepreneurship rate contributed to a rise in the share of new entrepreneurs that are immigrant, from 13.4 percent in 1996 to 29.5 percent in 2010.
- Entrepreneurial activity increased slightly for men and decreased slightly for women. For men, the entrepreneurial activity rate increased from 0.43 percent in 2009 to 0.44 percent in 2010. The female entrepreneurship rate decreased from 0.25 percent to 0.24 percent.
- The African-American entrepreneurial activity rate decreased from 0.27 percent in 2009 to 0.24 percent in 2010. The white entrepreneurial activity rate decreased from 0.33 percent to 0.31 percent.
- The entrepreneurship index was highest among the least-educated group, moving from 0.49 percent in 2009 to 0.59 percent in 2010, suggesting an increased number of people entering entrepreneurship out of necessity. The largest decrease in entrepreneurial activity occurred for high school graduates.
- Among the United States fifteen largest metropolitan statistical areas, Los Angeles had the highest entrepreneurial rate (0.62 percent) in 2010. Philadelphia had the lowest rate (0.15 percent)
Trend Data
Demographic Data
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Georgia, Kauffman Foundation Index of Entrepreneurial Actiivty, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA
Posted in Economic Development, Studies, surveys, reports, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Monday, March 14th, 2011
 ATLANTA - Identity Forge, which sells l-time, bi-directional password and identity synchronization software, has raised $1 million in equity from eight investors, according to a regulatory filing.
The company sells identity & access management software for mainframe, midrange and legacy systems.
Its software provides, real-time, bi-directional password and identity synchronization allowing for native based secure communication between mainframe, midrange and legacy systems with identity management infrastructures, web services or enterprise applications.
Founder and chief technology officer Chad Cromwell has 12 years experience in identity management and mainframe systems.
Founded in 2001, the company says its solutions and services are used worldwide by enterprises, government agencies and service providers.
Identity Forge disclosed the raise in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Connect with the digital elite at TechMedia’s next Atlanta event, the Digital Summit at Cobb Galeria May 16-17.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Atlanta, Chad Cromwell, Georgia, Identity Forge, mainframes, Money, Security
Posted in Georgia, IT, Money, Security | Comments Off
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
 ATLANTA, GA & DURHAM, NC – Only two Southeast firms landed on the Wall Street Journal’s “The Next Big Thing 2011″ list of the “The top 50 venture-funded companies. Durham, NC-based appia Inc., the mobile app store company headed by Jud Bowman, is number 15 on the list. Georga-based Suniva, which makes solar cells with improved peformance over conventional types, is number 38.
Thirty-five of the companies are based in California. At TechMedia’s recent Southeast Venture Conference in Atlanta March 2-3, Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, said during a panel discussion that California may become even more dominant than it is already in the venture ecosystem.
Introducing the list, the WSJ wrote, “Venture capitalists are betting that the next Google Inc. or Facebook Inc. will have a name like Xactly, Chegg or Zoosk. In what may be a sign of a re-inflating Web bubble, The Wall Street Journal’s second annual ranking of 50 venture-capital-backed companies shows investors are chasing after Internet firms, many with a consumer focus.”
It notes that even firms without particular tech focus, healthcare and business services companies, for instance, are incorporating social networking or mobile technology into their businesses. Mobile communications, health care and business software firms make up the bulk of the list.
To qualify for the list, which was compiled by VentureSource, a unit of WSJ’s parent company, News Corp., a company had to have nabbed venture funding in the last three years and have a valuation of less than $1 billion. Those criteria place a focus on less well known companies and eliminate firms such as Facebook, Groupon and Twitter.
While we have no argument with including appia and Suniva on the list, we can think of a number of Southeast firms we would include instead of some the WSJ chose. What do you think?
–Allan Maurer
See: Durham’s PocketGear reboots as Appia
Suniva to invest $15M, may raise $75M
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Appia, Durham, Energy, Georgia, Internet bubble, Jud Bowman, mobile app store, NC, solar cells, Suniva, top 50 venture funded companies, Wall Street Journal Next Big Thing 2011
Posted in Carolinas, Energy, Internet/New Media, Mobile, North Carolina | Comments Off
Friday, January 21st, 2011
WASHINTGON, DC – Venture capitalists invested $21.8 billion in 3,277 deals in 2010, an increase of 19 percent in dollars and a 12 percent rise in deals over the prior year, according to the MoneyTree Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), based on data from Thomson Reuters.
 Mark Heesen, President, NVCA The rise in venture investments in 2010 represents the first time the annual investment level has increased since 2007. Investments in the fourth quarter of 2010 totaled $5 billion in 765 deals, a 2 percent increase in dollars but a 3 percent decrease in deals from the third quarter of 2010 when $4.9 billion went into 789 deals.
In the Southeast, North Carolina saw VC investing return to pre-recession levels with 57 deals worth more than $456 million, although deals fell precipitously in Q4. Email marketing company iContact had the largest NC deal of the year, raising nearly $40 million.
In Georgia, VCs invested $333 million in 63 deals. Georgia actually saw a spike in Q4 with investments of $100 million in 12 deals, even as many other states saw severe dips in the year’s final quarter.
Double-digit increases in investments in 2010 were spread across almost every industry, including the Clean Technology and Internet-Specific sectors. Investment dollars also increased across every stage of development category, with the exception of a 2 percent decrease in Seed stage investments.
First-time financings rose in 2010 compared to the prior year, however, fourth quarter investing did show a decline in both first-time dollars and deals when compared to Q3 2010.
“The venture capital community found itself in a better position at the end of 2010,” said Mark Heesen, president of the NVCA. “We were clearly in recovery mode with investment levels reflecting the economic reality of our business. Increased investment across a diverse range of sectors highlighted those areas where the greatest opportunities lie, particularly within the Internet, software and clean technology industries.”
He added, “Continued fundraising and exit market challenges have greatly reduced the probability of investment bubbles in specific sectors as there simply is not enough capital to overinflate any particular market. The year’s increase in first time deals and early stage investment is encouraging as this trend suggests that the venture community is doing more with less. We hope this continues in 2011.”
“As expected, we saw the venture capital investment level in 2010 surpass that of 2009,” noted Tracy T. Lefteroff, global managing partner of the venture capital practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “And, there were nearly 30 percent more new companies receiving venture capital for the first time in 2010 than in 2009. This bodes well for 2011 as venture capitalists continue to support these new investments as they grow and expand their businesses.”
Expansion and later stage companies raised the most money in Q4 while those landing early stage seed funding dropped 21 percent.
Software companies landed the most funding at $1.2 billion, followed by industrial and energy startups which raised $853 million. Biotechnology firms were third, raising $684.9 million.
Clean tech jumped 74 percent in 2010 with deals worth $765.5 million. The sector has been hot since 2009 except for the third quarter of 2010, when deal flow fell.
MoneyTree Report results, including full regional breakdowns, are available online at www.pwcmoneytree.com and www.nvca.org.
Tags: 2010 venture capital report, Georgia, Mark Heesen, NC, NVCA, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, VC investments increased
Posted in Carolinas, Georgia, Internet/New Media, IT, Money, North Carolina, venture capital report | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 17th, 2010
 ATLANTA – Digital Assent, Solo Health and Women In Technology were among the big winners in the 2010 TechAmerica Georgia “Spirit of Endeavor” awards.
Some 200 of the state’s technology luminaries attended the eighth annual event which saw a record number of nominations for the awards that recognize the critical components of creativity and execution of ideas that the technology industry thrives upon. Open to both TechAmerica members and non-members, the awards honor companies and individuals for their significant accomplishments in the technology industry.
Digital Assent won the “Cool Technology” category, which was determined by onsite text voting and presented during the awards ceremony. The award goes to a company judged as have a “cutting edge, hip new idea.” The finalists in the “Cool Technology” category were: IHG, Jigsaw Meeting, Nanolumens and Toomah.
Top honors in the “Emerging Business” – which recognizes the achievements of a young company – went to Solo Health. The finalists included: Co-Thrive, erollver, and Fiberlight.
Women in Technology finished first in the “Leadership In Technology,” which is presented to a company for its leadership in fostering technology education. The finalists were: Apogee, StarPound Technologies, and TechExec Networks.
Richard Cope, CEO of Nanolumens received the “Technology Entrepreneur” award, presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership in bringing technology to market. The finalists were: Norm Geddes, CEO, Applied Systems Intelligence, and Greg McGraw, President and CEO, CRE Secure.
The winner of the “Outstanding Leadership” award was Paul Harnacki, CTO of Definition 6. The award goes to the individual who has demonstrated significant leadership in the technology community. Finalists included: Albert Woodard, CEO, Business Computer Applications; Tim Aligheri, CTO, Jackson Healthcare; and Bill Nussey, CEO, SilverPop.
Norm Geddes, CEO, Applied Systems Intelligence, garnered top honors in the “Technology Innovation,” category which recognizes an individual for the development of breakthrough technology. The finalists were Susan Gilbert, CEO, Apogee; Rob Renner, CEO, Liaison; Richard Cope, CEO, Nanolumens; and Jason Shapiro, CEO, Transaction Tree.
Tags: Atlanta, Bill Nussey, Digital Assent, Georgia, Jason Shapiro, Norm Geddes, Richard Cope, Rob Renner, Solo Health, Spirit of Endeavor Awards, Susan Gilbert, TechAmerica, Tim Aligheri
Posted in Events, Georgia, Internet/New Media, IT, People | Comments Off
Monday, November 8th, 2010
 Space Shuttle ATLANTA – Manned space exploration may be on a back burner right now, but NASA is obviously still looking at how to protect astronauts from exposure to space radiation and other hazards of space travel. Researchers from Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute and the Medical College of Georgia are launching a new cancer research initiative – literally.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded a team of investigators from both institutions $7.6 million over five years to study how a component of space radiation may induce lung cancer.
The award establishes a NASA Specialized Center of Research (NSCOR), consisting of a team of scientists with complementary skills who work closely together to solve a set of research questions. Ya Wang, PhD, professor of radiation oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Winship Cancer Institute, is director of the NSCOR at Emory.
Interplanetary space travel could expose astronauts to conditions where they are chronically exposed to types of radiation not normally encountered on earth. One of these is high energy charged particles (HZE), which results in complex damage to DNA and a broader stress response by the affected cells and tissues.
There is no epidemiological data for human exposure to HZE particles, although some estimates have been made studying uranium miners and Japanese atomic bomb survivors, says Wang.
Animal experiments show that HZE particle exposure induces more tumors than other forms of radiation such as X-rays or gamma rays. Because it is a leading form of cancer, lung cancer can be expected to be prominent among increased risks from radiation even though astronauts do not smoke. However, the risk for astronauts remains unclear because the dose of HZE astronauts are expected to receive is very low, Wang says.
The Emory-MCG researchers will probe whether the broader stress response induced by HZE particles amplifies cancer risk. Investigators will collaborate with physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory to gather information on HZE’s effects. Individual projects include the study of how cells repair DNA damage induced by HZE particles, how HZE particles generate oxidative stress, and how they trigger regulatory changes in DNA known as methylation.
Tags: Emory, Georgia, grant, Medical College of Georgia, NASA, space raditiation
Posted in Biotech, Georgia | Comments Off
Friday, October 15th, 2010
 ATLANTA – Alimera Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:ALIM) has obtained a $32.5 million senior secured credit facility to help fund its working capital requirements. The credit facility consists of a $20 million revolving line of credit provided by Silicon Valley Bank and a$12.5 million term loan provided by MidCap Financial, LLC and Silicon Valley Bank.
The lenders have advanced $6.25 million under the term loan and may advance the remaining $6.25 million following FDA approval of Iluvien, but no later than July 31, 2011. The revolving line of credit may be drawn by Alimera against accounts receivable subsequent to the launch of Iluvien, which is being developed for treatment of diabetic macular edema.
Alimera based in Alpharetta, Georgia, is a biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the research, development and commercialization of prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Presently, the Company is focused on diseases affecting the back of the eye, or retina.
Tags: Alimera Sciences, Alpharetta, Atlanta, credit facility, diabetic macular edema, Georgia, MidCap Financial, Silicon Valley Bank
Posted in Biotech, Georgia, Money, Pharma | Comments Off
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