The 2013 Pipeline fellows pose at The Midland theater the day before they would be publicly announced.
At its annual awards event Thursday, Pipeline, the Kansas-based entrepreneurial fellowship program for high-growth entrepreneurs, revealed its new class of fellows. Chosen from what’s described as an “extensive selection process,” these 13 individuals will work with Pipeline staff, mentors, alumni and one another over the next twelve months to complete the organization’s business leadership development program.
The selection of these fellows, as described by Pipeline president and CEO Joni Cobb, is a difficult process. We spoke to Cobb earlier this week for a bit of insight into that process. We asked if the selection committee puts more focus on the entrepreneur or their startup. Her answer: “the primary focus is on the individual.”
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“Is this person someone that we can tell with the right amount of resources around them will build a high-growth company in this region and will have substantial impact? That is the No. 1 focus,” Cobb said.
“That being said, we really want to know that this will be the right year for them to be in and so that is when we look to the company,” Cobb said. “Is this a company that they’re running this year that’s really the best year for them to grow the most that they possibly can or could they make a change quickly that would allow them to really learn those lessons in the best possible way?”
Without further ado, here’s this year’s Pipeline fellows (company descriptions courtesy of Pipeline):
Dave AlburtyInnovaPrep and AlburtyLab CEO (Drexel, Mo.) InnovaPrep is developing novel technologies enabling rapid detection of biological particles and pathogens. AlburtyLab is an independent aerosol and environmental engineering lab. The two companies work together to develop, market and sell innovative solutions in biological particle collection and concentration for better detection. |
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Ben BlechaAce Ortho Solutions owner (Benkelman, Neb.) Ace Ortho Solutions develops and manufactures innovative braces for dogs with ACL and other injuries. |
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Leandro CastroMultiMech R&D co-founder (Omaha) MultiMech R&D provides advanced simulation software solutions, allowing its clients to shift from physical to virtual prototyping and testing of novel materials and structures, thereby drastically reducing the cost and time associated with product development. |
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Alexandros CavgalarUlterius Technologies CEO and CTO (Wichita, Kan.) Ulterius Tech provides seamless integration of communications and entertainment solutions for the residential and enterprise markets through a unique set of hardware and software solutions. |
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Abigail CohenSparo Labs co-founder (St. Louis) Sparo Labs has developed a pocket-sized, electronic spirometer that empowers patients to quantitatively track and proactively manage respiratory diseases via simple integration with mobile devices, tablets and computers. |
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Keith Entzerothinstin co-founder (Kansas City, Mo.) instin provides tools for students and teachers to stay organized. |
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Paul JarrettBulu Box co-founder and CEO (Lincoln, Neb.) Bulu Box provides vitamins and supplements to customers through a unique subscription service, which allows them to try, review and determine which brand name prod- ucts work best for them. |
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Matt MedlockPaySAFE, founder and CEO (Omaha) PaySAFE is an online closing table providing buyers and sellers a convenient one-stop location to create, negotiate and close trades with financial protection. |
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Scott PribyleNovation, co-founder and CEO (Kansas City, Kan.) eNovation is a mobile health solutions company that focuses on creating workflow efficiency tools for specialty physicians that capture outcome measures automatically. |
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Rob RhodesInjuReplay, founder and CEO (Lincoln, Neb.) InjuReplay is an online resource to provide reliable information about injury and recovery for weekend warriors, soccer moms and other sports enthusiasts. |
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Joshua SestakOrion BioScience, founder (Lawrence, Kan.) Orion BioScience is developing transformative therapeutics to provide immune-specific therapy for treating autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica. |
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Dennis SteinmanIron Mountain Products CEO (Lecompton, Kan.) Iron Mountain Products is developing an electronic radio frequency-based product for tracking and recovering big game animals taken with a bow and arrow. |
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Patrick StoddartRevdel founder (Kansas City, Mo.) Revdel provides a communications platform to help organizations connect with and engage their members. |
Credits: Photos courtesy of Pipeline.