Russ: This is the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com. And now it's time for the Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback, brought to you by Aflac. Ask about it at work. And for this morning's flashback, John and I are gonna share with you our favorite elevator pitches from the 2010 Rice Business Plan Contest along with our commentary.

John: Yeah, and which is the richest according to Brad Burke who runs the whole thing. So, this is the cream of the crop and you're gonna get some good elevator pitch tips when you listen to these things.

Russ: You bet, you bet. Okay. First up, Lark Technologies.

Lark Technologies: Every morning I wake up to 40 minutes of, "Ah, ah, ah," and it's my boyfriend hitting that snooze button. Over 70 percent of American adults sleep with someone else in the room, yet no alarm is designed with this in mind. There are two fundamental problems with this. One, I get my sleep continually disrupted and fragmented, leaving me more groggy. Second, my boyfriend is woken up in the most ineffective way possible leaving him very groggy all day. Lark Technologies, with its partner in the sleep department in Harvard Medical School has come up with a silent waking system that increases your wakefulness as well as letting me sleep in. Our product is an iPhone app and the Lark wristband. The Lark wristband has incredible biosensors that will be the first product that will have a range of products. So, you snooze, you lose. Help us raise our money. Thank you. (Applause)

Russ: Okay, that's Lark Technologies. Actually from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a new alarm clock.

John: That's right. I think it's a good idea. Very good opening.

Russ: Now this is an iPhone app that apparently has sort of these individual wristbands or headbands that go off when you set, you know, your deal. What I wondered about it too, all iPhones that I'm aware of kind of go to sleep themselves, so who wakes up the iPhone man?

John: I know, it's a dicey, risky business, okay. Actually the windup alarm clock is probably the most reliable.

Russ: Yeah, but it in your case is it okay with your wife if it's going off before she wants to get up?

John: I know, that is an ongoing issue.

Russ: Yeah, it causes all kinds of problems man.

John: Right, so it's -

Russ: I think it affects world peace even.

John: Well I think the best solution is not to go to sleep.

Russ: There you go. (Laughter) Alright.

John: Alright.

Russ: Okay up next, PCCA Technologies from Carnegie Mellon University.

John: Ah, from Pittsburg, okay.

PCCA Technologies: PCCA Technologies is currently developing what we're calling our "Reliant Contact Lens" which is a continuous glucose-sensing contact lens that we feel will disrupt and innovate the $8.8 billion self-monitoring of blood glucose market, which is the largest subsegment of the diabetes market. Our innovation is a Palmer-based color-changing glucose sensor that we can discretely embed into a contact lens hidden from view so that the 24 million Americans who suffer from diabetes can now simply look into a mirror or use the digital camera on their cellular phone to continuously monitor their blood glucose levels. Eight issued patents currently protect our technology which we plan on selling directly to the consumer through a PCP and optometrist and using 1-800-CONTACTLENS to distribute. We're currently raising a $2 million Series-A Round, which will help us complete our animal testing, preclinical study tests, and calibration studies to help us successfully launch clinical studies. Thank you.

Russ: Now think about that. That is pretty cool, particularly those people that always have to monitor their blood glucose level, it's a hassle. And here you just carry it around with you in your eye.

John: I know. The reason why I really like this pitch was that even though it was serious, he grabbed your attention -

Russ: Oh man.

John: - and he had the command of the presentation skill that he used and that's so important when you're trying to grab somebody's attention on a product so serious. I'm wondering how those animals that they're testing can take the pictures with their cell phone.

Russ: (Laughter) It's probably a little difficult.

John: Yeah, right.

Russ: But man, I know some people that have to measure their glucose level all the time -

John: Oh I know too.

Russ: - and my God, this is a huge simplification.

John: But see, when I'm judging these elevator pitches...

Russ: Yeah, I know, I know.

John: - I'm just -

Russ: You're judging the delivery.

John: Their sales pitch -

Russ: Right, right, right.

John: - and whether it's good or not, you know.

Russ: Now I always like to judge them from the standpoint of the business idea because if it's great, I'll become an investor and I can do the sales pitch. I think if I can do you it - (Laughter)

John: That's right, and then you'll dump me, you know -

Russ: (Laughter) Right, right.

John: - because you'll be too rich!

Russ: No. (Laughter) Alright. Up next we have SnapIT from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

SnapIT: Hi everyone. SnapIT solves the world travels problem of not being able to recognize foreign languages in a non-speaking English country. Have you ever felt the frustration of not being able to read brochures and foreign directions just because of this language barrier. So SnapIT's solution is a mobile smartphone application that allows the user to capture any kind of foreign text and translating that image into user's native language. Where a study of English translation into Chinese and our target market right now is the 144 million visitors to China each year. Now currently, we have developed the intro application and we are looking to get $100,000.00 through hired human translators right now to help us get the image data samples that we require in order to build on to our computer-based automated character-recognition system that allows us to scale up SnapIT's competition as in SnapIT's business in the long run. Thank you. (Applause)

Russ: Okay now, I know these guys. They sat with me at the table at the big banquet event and I love the idea. I mean you could be at a restaurant in Russia and not be able to read the menu, snap a picture of it, send if off to them, and right back they'd tell you what you're getting ready look there (Laughter) or what you're getting ready to order.

John: Yeah, it was a good pitch and, you know, the product seems useful.

Russ: Real cool.

John: Alright.

Russ: Okay, stay tuned in for more of our favorite elevator pitches from the Rice Business Plan Contest and definitely hang in there with us because we're gonna share the first and second place overall winners, their elevator pitches. And I might add, also all of the elevator pitches are located at theBusinessMakers.com. This is the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com.

Russ: This is the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com and continuing on with our Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback brought to you by Aflac. And we're featuring our favorite elevator pitches from this year's, the 2010 Rice Business Plan Contest. And up next from the University of Chicago, we have BelliSwap.

BelliSwap: Last summer my sister-in-law Lara was six months pregnant and attending job interviews at law firms in the city. She was exasperated when the outfit that she bought in May wouldn't even fit around her expanding belly by the time August came around. Back to the store she went. Like many of the more than 4 million pregnant women per year, Lara was frustrated when she found herself spending over $1,500.00 on expensive maternity items that she'd never wear again. We provide a simple solution to this common problem. BelliSwap is a web-based business offering brand-name maternity for rent. We offer pregnant women the opportunity to rent items ale cart or using our Netflix style subscription service. In preparation for a launch before this upcoming holiday season, we have developed a determined and passionate launch team and we've brought on advisors that include the Founder of Gilt Groupe and a top maternity designer in the world, Liz Lang. As luxury retail online is gaining ground in the market, now is the time to invest in BelliSwap. Thank you. (Applause)

Russ: BelliSwap. Man I tell you, every woman that I talk to after we saw that said, "Boy, no kidding. That's a great idea because maternity clothes are expensive and you only use them for a short while." And so here's an exchange cookin' with BelliSwap.

John: You know, it sounds like a good idea and there's the market. Who after they deliver their baby and decide not to have any more for a while, they don't wear those maternity clothes again.

Russ: That's right, that's right.

John: So, you know what I'm saying. It's very cost effective for the consumer -

Russ: You bet.

John: - as well as the business model that she's putting together to accomplish all of this.

Russ: I think it's a cool idea, a cool idea. Alright, up next from the University of Texas at Austin, Digital Proctor.

Digital Proctor: Online security is a $200 billion global industry that's focused around the single question, "Who is using a remote computer?" Traditionally, people have been authenticated by user name and password combinations; however, these are not unique, inherit to a user. They can be easily stolen or shared. Digital Proctor has a unique and power set of technologies that going to disrupt this field. We call ourselves Digital Proctor because our first market segment is distance education. Distance education faces a crucial problem. In a word, cheating. There's no verification that the person enrolled in the class and receiving credit for it is the same one who's actually completing the assignments. We measure the way students type on keyboard to uniquely identify them. We have found that the way a person types on a keyboard is as unique to them as their fingerprints or their handwriting. When you have two signed customers, almost $100,000.00 in revenue, we have four more customers on the way. The broader is that we have four patents filed on our technologies. We have four more that are on the way. And these represent - out of time - providing technologies. (Applause)

Russ: Okay, Digital Proctor, from the University of Texas at Austin. That's actually pretty cool. I've always wondered about those online colleges. Online submissions of papers. Even online defensive driving. How do they know that you're not hiring somebody out (Laughter) to do that for you. Although man, do you think you can really identify somebody by the way they use a keyboard?

John: Well according to them they can.

Russ: Well I liked it but I keep wondering, man, 'cause the way I know I use a keyboard. I mean I think I'm really inconsistent. But I think it's a real cool problem to be solving. Up next from Baylor University, we have Whole Tree Inc.

Whole Tree Inc.: Hi, my name is Shawn Conrad, I'd like to show you something you've never seen before. This is part of the husk from the outside of a coconut. Every year, 50 billion of these fall off the trees in the jungle and lie there rotting or either burned as waste. What my company Whole Tree has done is to develop a technology that raises the net value of those from 1 cent to 36 cents. Now I'd like you to imagine three things. One, imagine every US house built with panel and insulation derived from whole tree coconut husks. Two, imagine every car, plane, train, and bus filled with Whole Tree's patented coconut fiber composite core form that is better, cheaper, and greener than the competition synthetic fibers. And three, imagine Whole Tree's name as a line on your investment portfolio that's doubling in sales every year. (Audience Laughter) I'm the coconut guy and I could talk about coconuts all days, but I'm sure you're busy so I'll give you my card. If you're interested in talking about our revenue, our sales, or our minimarkets, please give me a call or visit WholeTreeInc.com. Thank you. (Applause)

Russ: Okay, the coconut guy. You know, I don't know if you've noticed this, but a lot of the stores now are carrying products made out of bamboo that it's kind of reconstituted into some sort of fiber that works real well. This guy's doing the same thing, but doing it with coconut shells, the coconut guy. I think it's pretty cool.

John: I liked his - actually his ending, doubling the sales, it's very good. If you want someone to give you some money -

Russ: Yeah.

John: - I think it's always helpful for the person giving the pitch to at least explain to what's in it for the investor. So far, that's the only pitch we've had where that's occurred.

Russ: Yeah, and he did it in kind of a humorous way too.

John: Yeah.

Russ: Okay, stay tuned in because we're gonna continue sharing our favorite elevator pitches from the Rice Business Plan Contest, including the two top winners from the contest. And also, all elevator pitches are located at theBusinessMakers.com. You're listening to the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com.

[Aflac Commercial]

Russ: This is the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com and continuing on with our Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback, brought to you by Aflac. We're featuring more of our favorite elevator pitches from the Rice Business Plan Contest of 2010. Up next from Indiana University and Purdue University, we have GlucaGo LLC.

GlucaGo LLC: The world-injectable drug market is $350 billion. Nearly all of those compounds degrade in solution if they're not either refrigerated or held in a freeze-dried powdered form like this vile here. Then the user has to inject a needle with a solution into the vile, mix it up, pull it out, and then give themselves an intramuscular injection, subcutaneous injection, or an IV injection. GlucaGo's patent-pending device does all those steps in one easy package. Simply remove the cap which causes the two chambers to mix, compress at the site of injection which administers the two compounds. Now there's a variety of applications including this kit right here which is used for 20 million US diabetics to treat sever diabetic hypoglycemia as well as vaccines; which currently there's 5 million children every year which die from preventable conditions in developing countries because there's infrastructure for refrigeration and there's no trained personnel at those sites to give an injection with something more complex than this. Also for heart attacks, you take an aspirin. It takes about 45 minutes to get peak concentration in your blood. If you were to use this kit, it'd be there almost instantly. Contact us at InfoatGlucaGo.com. (Applause)

Russ: Alright, GlucaGo LLC, it sounds to me like they reduce the opportunity for an error.

John: An error, right; The thing I like most about his pitch was that he took that whole process and made it very easy to understand.

Russ: Oh yeah, yeah.

John: Because you wonder, you know, how all that's gonna happen with just the pulling the thing out, and so -

Russ: Yeah, yeah, and he -

John: - so bravo, I thought it was very good.

Russ: Yeah, he did a good job you know, because he was good explainer.

John: Right, yeah, mm-hmm.

Russ: Cool. Okay, up next from Rice University, infantAIR.

infantAIR: InfantAir has come up with a solution to a problem that is facing healthcare systems all around the world and that problem is that every year 2 million babies are dying from acute respiratory infections. Almost all of these deaths are occurring in developing countries. They're dying because the hospitals there cannot afford the expensive ventilators needed to treat them. But like I said, we've come up with a solution. InfantAir is a for-profit social venture that has developed a low cost product that is designed specifically for infants. It's a kind of ventilator that helps infants lungs fully expand so they can breathe naturally and overcome these infections. We've taken our product over to Africa where we had nurses begging us to leave it behind. Since then we've developed a business model to help reach as many people as we can. We have determined that we can be profitable in less than three years, but we need financial support to get started. We're looking for $750,000.00 of initial funding to help us tap into this $120 million market. And together with our investors, infantAIR will be able to save lives. Thank you. (Applause)

Russ: Okay. Sounds like they're solving a problem. It's not a huge market but boy, it sounds like it's an important one.

John: Good delivery.

Russ: Okay now, up next, the final two are the second place overall winner of the contest and then followed by the first place. Up now, second place winner of the overall competition, from Rice University, Rebellion Photonics.

Rebellion Photonics: What if you could see the difference between Anthrax or sugar; toxic fumes or just water vapor; a benign cyst or cancer. What if you could identify any material just by looking at it. We're Rebellion Photonics and that's exactly what we do. At Rice University, we have invented a revolutionary technology that can identify any materia within a digital photograph. The research and development is completed and the technology is patented. We were seeking $1.25 million in exchange for 35 percent equity. The market for our cameral is $1.6 billion. Energy companies will use our camera for exploration, pharmaceuticals, for quality control, and security around the world will use our camera. Rebellion Photonics has redefined what a camera can do. It's time. Join the rebellion. (Applause)

Russ: Man, heavy duty stuff there. That sounds like magic doesn't it?

John: It does, it does. This becomes my number one. I mean it was concise, had a little bit of wit about it, and got her point across very quickly. And she used enough inflection in her voice to put a little drama into the thing which really makes you wanna kind of get excited about it just by listening to it.

Russ: Well the drama, being able to identify some of these things with a photo is unbelievable.

John: Right.

Russ: But man, having a picture know that's Anthrax or that's sugar, geez! It's gonna be cool to see if this thing comes to fruition. Just an incredible technology.

John: Yes it is.

Russ: Okay, up last now, kind of the grand winner of the Rice Business Plan Contest. From the University of Arkansas, BiologicsMD, LLC.

BiologicsMD, LLC: Hi, I'm Misty Stevens, Chief Operating Officer for BiologicsMD. As a woman, I'm more likely to die from consequences of a hip fracture, than breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers combined. Osteoporosis strikes one of two women, and one of every four men. Yet the current treatments don't do much to grow new bone, but they make up a $9 billion market. BiologicsMD is developing OsteoFlor, a new medication that builds better bones. We've got three major advantages over our most effective competitor. We bind directly to bone to induce nearly triple the bone growth. We are expected to have fewer, if any, side effects. And OsteoFlor requires only a single annual injection, rather than daily injections. Our team has experience in regulatory strategy, medications development, and startup expansion. We need $5 million over the next four years to take OsteoFlor through a Phase 1 clinical trial. At a project evaluation of $160 million, that's a 45-X return on your investment. So come talk to us about investing in BiologicsMD, where you can build your bank account and better bones. (Applause)

Russ: Man, Misty Stevens, boy. And Biologics, that sound incredible. I love the way she started it by putting it in perspective to all these terrible cancers that we focus on all the time, and yet hip fractures cause more deaths than all of those combined.

John: That's right. There's no telethon for hip fractures.

Russ: That's right. (Laughter)

John: You don't hear about it that much.

Russ: Right.

John: But I can see why she won. She won our little challenge that we've had here today -

Russ: Right.

John: - because she put everything in there that you needed, you know, the purpose of the product, what they needed the money for. So I would say well deserved, well earned, and they really brought in a lot of bucks that night anyway.

Russ: Yeah, boy, they did. Well I hope that they make progress quickly.

John: They're well on their way, yes.

Russ: But man, the innovation demonstrated this year, as is always the case at the Rice Business Plan Contest is downright motivational. Alright, so that wraps up our review -

John: That's right.

Russ: - of our favorite elevator pitches from the 2010 Rice Business Plan Contest. And that also concludes this morning's Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback brought to you by Aflac. Ask about it at work. To hear all of the elevator pitches from the 2010 Rice Business Plan Contest, go to theBusinessMakers.com, they are all there. You've been listening to the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com.