Success Stories

EarthQuaker Devices (EarthQuakerDevices.com | @earthquakerdev)
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #3

SBDC: Ohio SBDC Export Assistance at Cleveland State University
SBDC Advisor: Nate Ward

EarthQuaker Devices believes that effects pedals should be simple and user-friendly, with lots of practical, useable, and musical sounds, but should also be a launchpad for sonic exploration and aural innovation. Most of all, they should always work correctly all of the time, which is why each and every single EarthQuaker Devices pedal is hand built and hand tested in Akron, Ohio, and guaranteed for life.

EarthQuaker Devices was founded in 2004 by musician Jamie Stillman (the Party of Helicopters, Relaxer, Fringe Candidate, Teeth of the Hydra, Drummer, Harriet the Spy, New Terror Class). From 1993 until 2002, Stillman operated the Donut Friends record label from his home in Kent, Ohio, releasing more than fifty records by punk, metal, and shoegaze acts, gaining a cult following around the world.

Stillman began designing effects pedals after a successful attempt at repairing a broken overdrive. This hands-on experience ignited a fascination with electronics and he became obsessed with circuit design, selling his one-off builds on eBay while working various day jobs. (more…)

Geopipe (geopi.pe | @GeopipeInc)
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #4

SBDC: Pace University SBDC (New York)
SBDC Advisor: Andrew Flamm

Geopipe is a New York City-based technology firm that uses artificial intelligence to produce immersive digital twins of the real world for simulation, gaming, architecture, and beyond. Launched by co-founders Dr. Christopher Mitchell and Dr. Thomas Dickerson in 2016, Geopipe aims to make it possible for computers to understand every detail of the real world from raw sensor data, then turn that information into 3D models that enterprise customers can license via a SaaS API or download directly to use in their own software.

The firm has made tremendous progress since its launch, including securing a $224,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and being selected as the 2019 SBIR/STTR Recipient of the Year by the New York district office of the US Small Business Administration (SBA). To build on this, Geopipe sought the assistance of the NYS Small Business Development Center network (SBDC) to provide advisement on their Phase II SBIR submission to help “take our technology from a proven-feasible prototype meeting a real commercial need to a commercial product.”  (more…)

ATLAS Space Operations, Inc. (atlasground.com | @AtlasSpace)
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #5

SBDC: Michigan SBDC, Lead Center Tech Team
SBDC Advisors: Scott Taylor, Kayo Ramirez

ATLAS Space Operations, Inc. is a leading innovator in ground communications for the space industry. The company, based in Traverse City, Michigan, empowers global access to space through Freedom™, a simple solution for processing and analyzing data from space through a global antenna network, powered by revolutionary cloud-based software.

ATLAS’s forward-thinking communications solutions are transforming the space industry by making ground communications simple, affordable and more scalable than ever before. Over the last year alone, ATLAS has supported numerous client space missions, including those for BlackSky Global and NOAA, added new partners like Aevum and Quintillion, added AWS functionality to its cloud platform, expanded its land footprint to 13 ground station sites, and collaborated with the military to further develop some of its communications products.

“Michigan SBDC provides invaluable mentorship and support to ATLAS Space Operations, and has from day one! The SBDC Tech Team worked closely with us to refine ATLAS’s pitch deck, resulting in a successful Angel-round funding and more. Michigan SBDC support to ATLAS demonstrates how growth of an entrepreneurial enterprise can be cultivated by an expert network — the SBDC network.  (more…)

Oceans 97 Inc. (Oceans97.com | @JarvisGreen97)
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #6

SBDC: Louisiana SBDC at Southern University
SBDC Advisor: Ada Womack-Bell

Oceans 97 is a wholesale and retail seafood supplier that creates unique products and experiences that are ahead of the curve, with a focus on health and better eating.

Jarvis Green, a former New England Patriots defensive lineman and two-time Super Bowl Champion, is the Owner and President of Oceans 97. The company’s shrimp is wild caught from the Gulf of Mexico by U.S. gulf coast fishermen, and Green has become a leader in educating people about the health benefits of a diet rich in fresh and natural ingredients.

Green worked with the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University & A&M College in Baton Rouge (LSBDC-SUBR). (more…)

EMP Shield, LLC (empshield.com)
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #7

SBDC: Kansas SBDC – Emporia State, Washburn University, Wichita Tech Center (kansassbdc.net)
SBDC Advisors: Tom Byler, Dr. Laurie Pieper, and Alan Badgley

Entrepreneur Tim Carty, Founder and Executive Engineer of EMP Shield LLC , is passionate about his work. He is a holder of 21 patents – including 1 on the EMP Shield – and counting. Originally from northeastern Tennessee, the inspiring team-leader, who prides himself on being a “southern gentleman,” is affectionately referred to around the firm as the “hillbilly genius.” His company, EMP Shield, is a success story from Encountering Innovation (a program of the Kansas SBDC) and the upcoming winner of the Emerging Business of the Year Award from Emporia State University SBDC to be awarded in early 2020.

EMP Shield LLC is an engineering design company and manufacturer of the world’s first devices to protect houses, businesses and larger installations from high-altitude electromagnetic pulses, such as those that can be generated by solar coronal mass ejections – exemplified by the Carrington Event of 1859 – as well as from more ordinarily occurring power surges and lightning strikes. To appreciate the significance of this achievement, consider that estimates of damage that would be caused by an event today of similar magnitude to the Carrington Event range in the trillions of dollars. (more…)