The nominees for TechPoint’s 16th annual Mira Awards have been announced and several have Indiana University ties.
Presented by BKD CPAs & Advisors, these awards recognize the top companies and individuals involved in technology innovation statewide. The exposure and prestige offered by the Miras serves as a powerful springboard for Hoosier entrepreneurs. Past winners have reported securing $250,000 in new venture capital, signing $1 million in new business, closing a deal with a $1 billion customer, gaining national media exposure and even an invitation to the White House.
The nominees, which include 100 companies, schools and startups and 10 individuals, next will deliver presentations and field questions before an independent judging panel. The nominees were selected by more than 40 experts who evaluated and ranked the applications. The winners will be announced during a black-tie ceremony and gala May 2 at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. Nominees with ties to IU include:
Tech Services Award:
Indiana University’s Kumo platform: Kumo is IU’s new cloud storage integration service, which seamlessly connects users of virtual apps and computer labs to their files in Box, Google Drive, Propbox, OneDrive, on-premise file shares and SharePoint servers.
Development Team for One.IU: One.IU is the successor of IU’s OneStart application. Like OneStart, One.IU serves as a Web-based portal that provides a common “front door” to online services at all IU campuses, but One.IU simplifies the process with substantially fewer clicks.
Health Tech Award:
Diagnotes: Based in Indianapolis, Diagnotes is a HIPAA-compliant mobile communication system that helps medical organizations improve communication among providers, patients and staff. Diagnotes is part of the Innovate Indiana Fund portfolio.
Regenstrief Institute: The Institute was established by philanthropist Sam Regenstrief on the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis campus in 1969 and works closely with the IU School of Medicine and Wishard-Eskenazi Health. It is a internationally respected informatics and healthcare research organization focuses on quality of care improvement, improving healthcare efficiency, preventing medical errors and enhancing patient safety.
Education Tech Award:
University Information Technology Services (UITS) VirtualPC team: UITS develops and maintains Indiana University’s information technology environment, as well as offering training and support for its users. The nomination focuses on IUanyWare, eLearning Design & Services, and Enterprise Systems. IUanyWare allows users to run certain IU-licensed software without having to install them on a computer of mobile device. eLearning Design and Services provides support through every stage of creating an online course or program and ensures that such programs meet quality and accessibility standards.
Tech Educator of the Year:
Jake Chen: Chen is Associate Professor of Informatics and Computer Science for IU’s School of Informatics and Purdue University’s Department of Computer and Information Science. He is also founding director of the Indiana Center for Systems Biology and Personalized Medicine.
TechPoint Rising Star Award:
Wesley Pennington: Pennington is a technology manager with the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp (IURTC). He co-manages intellectual property portfolios for IU, the IU School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute. He also develops, implements and oversees growth and commercialization strategies for early-stage technologies.
For more information on Mira Award nominees, read here: