Success Stories

Success Story: Virginia –

By any measure, Harsha Rajasimha, PhD, was a successful man. He had published journal articles and chapters in professional textbooks; he had received patents, honors, and awards for his work. But none of these accomplishments equipped him to help his baby, who died from Edwards Syndrome, a rare congenital disease.

Determined to honor his daughter’s memory, Harsha started Jeeva Informatics Solutions, where he could devote his years of post-doctoral training in genomics and precision medicine at NIH to accelerating the process of making novel diagnostics and therapeutics for rare diseases.

Jeeva’s initial focus was on projects such as next-generation sequencing and data-analytics interpretation, and discovering novel approaches (turning raw data into actionable insights). In 2018, the company pivoted to address the problem of recruiting and retaining participants in clinical trials, a mandatory step in getting products to market. Patient recruitment takes time and, if anyone drops out, it takes more time recruit more patients. These issues cause delays and cost the biopharmaceutical industry a loss of billions of dollars, rendering it unsustainable. (more…)

America’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), SBDC leaders, advisors, clients, partners and stakeholders gathered on Capitol Hill for the sixth annual Client Showcase and Reception on Tuesday, February 11th. Representative Steve Chabot of Ohio, Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business, addressed the reception guests. Several of his colleagues also visited the reception, in which America’s SBDC Network showcased 10 SBDC clients from across the country.

The SBDC clients are:

• Inergy Solar, Idaho SBDC Network
• Sun Buckets, Illinois SBDC Network
• Hotel Tango Distillery, Indiana SBDC Network
• EMP Shield, Kansas SBDC Network
• Oceans 97, Louisiana SBDC Network
• Atlas Space Operations Inc., Michigan SBDC Network
• Geopipe, New York SBDC Network
• Earthquaker Devices, Ohio SBDC Network
• Red Hawk Construction Inc., Oklahoma SBDC Network
• Woom Bicycles, Texas, South-West Texas Border SBDC Network (more…)

Woom Bikes USA (woombikes.com | @woombikesUSA))
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #1

SBDC: South-West Texas Border SBDC Network
SBDC Advisor: Rex Steele

Woom designs high-quality, lightweight bikes for children of all ages. Built with meticulous attention to detail, our bikes are tailor-made for a child’s anatomy and needs. Models range in size from balance bikes designed for the smallest of riders to pedal bikes for young teens. Woom bikes, often half the weight of kids bikes found at traditional retail stores, make riding easy to learn and easy to enjoy. Woom’s aim is to inspire as many children as possible to love riding their bikes. (more…)

Redhawk Construction (Redhawkco.com)
Countdown to the 2020 Client Showcase: #2

SBDC: Oklahoma SBDC Tech Launch Center
SBDC Advisor: Barbara Bonner

Redhawk Construction Inc, is a Native, Woman-Owned small business that provides construction solutions to a wide range of clients. One such solution is the Nomad Security Fence System, a relocatable perimeter security product that is currently being used by US Customs and Border Patrol to protect high value assets.

“Our very first experience with the Oklahoma SBDC led to a tremendous amount of exposure for our company and the Nomad Security Fence System. The SBDC staff introduced us to and helped us navigate the Department of Defense market that we had been trying to reach unsuccessfully on our own. Much of our success is a direct result of the Oklahoma SBDC and their staff.” – Erick Westfahl, Vice President, Redhawk Construction, Inc. (more…)