ChaTech Early Innovator Award
Sponsored By
One of ChaTech’s strategic priorities is to shine a spotlight on the innovative and potentially disruptive technologies that are being developed right in our backyard. These technologies, however, don’t pop up overnight. They require intense, long hours; investment of one’s own time and resources when success is not certain; excitement, vision, and loneliness in the face of taking risks. The Early Innovator Award (EIA) recognizes these innovators in their early stages. The EIA recognizes the effort it takes to sustain focus in the face of these challenges.
2018 Finalists:
Security Centres International: nominated for their collapsible, 26-foot-tall mobile tower for security in many settings. This was used at Riverbend this year; however, the tower made its debut in the Cayman Islands. Chattanooga is the US base where the tower made its debut.
LIT Devices, LLC: nominated for the Lung Isolation Tube (LIT), a device that will treat pneumothorax and tensions-pneumothorax in the field of emergency medicine by isolating the effected lung. The inventor, Caleb Sutherland, is a student entrepreneur at Southern Adventist University.
Culture Audio: nominated for their Culture V1 noise cancelling headphones. Lab tests show the V1 (priced at $150) cancels ambient noise as effectively as the leading Bose product ($350). In addition, they incorporate innovative features including auto pause and swipe technology that will raise the bar for user expectations
The winner of the EIA award finalists receive:
- Free tickets to the Spirit of Innovation award luncheon on Wednesday, October 24th
- A downloaded copy of the video made about all the finalists. A company’s raw footage can be provided upon request.
- Media exposure. Previous EIA award winners have been featured in local and regional media.
In 2017, the nominees were a variety of apps and software platforms covering diverse subject areas. All are being developed, tested, and launched in Chattanooga, directly impacting the region’s economy.
Now in its 13th year, the EIA has been awarded to some of Chattanooga’s most innovative businesses. They include Branch Technology, Feetz, Tricycle Inc., Variable, and Collider.