Posts Tagged ‘Prescient Audio’

 

EIGERlab’s April 2014 Newsletter: EIGERlab’s IT Roundtable instrumental in Rockford becoming 35th Code for America Brigade City | Buy disruptive technology now

Monday, March 31st, 2014

EIGERlab’s current newsletter includes entrepreneurial stories and events, information on EIGERlab’s TechWorks FastTrack Workforce Training and Center for Product Development, the latest from both Rock Valley College’s Illinois Small Business Development Center and Procurement Technical Assistance Center, open positions and more!

Lead story: EIGERlab‘s IT Roundtable instrumental in Rockford becoming 35th Code for America Brigade City

Code for America Brigade (CfA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that attempts to bridge the tech gap between private and public sectors. Government sector technology is usually old and slow; sometimes 30 years old. The CfA’s goal is to bridge the gap.

According to Christopher Whitaker with CfA, “Rockford has the three key things needed to be a Brigade or civically-innovative city. First necessity is a city government that is open to sharing open data, which is the fuel for innovation; fuels transparency and business. Second is a space to meet, collaborate and hold events; EIGERlab, where the first Open Tech Challenge was held). And last, a technology community with the ability to take on the big challenges that face cities.”

Civically-minded apps that have been created:

Adopt-a-hydrant (Boston, MA) allows citizens to claim responsibility for shoveling out fire hydrants after heavy snowfall.

Adopt-a-Siren (Honolulu, HI) allows citizens to adopt a tsunami siren in their neighborhood.

Adopt-a-Sidewalk (Chicago, IL) allows citizens to claim responsibility for shoveling out throughout the winter or ask for help if they need a hand.

Dan Cataldi is pleased with the outcome of EIGERlab’s Information Technology (IT) Roundtable’s efforts. Dan shared, “Our community will now have the ability to collaborate and interact with the other 34 Brigade cities to brainstorm, create new initiatives and receive regional, national and now international exposure as a Brigade city. We are starting to create a brand which was one of the IT Roundtable’s objectives.”

Among the group’s newest interested parties is Chris Nwakalo. Nwakalo was born in Boston, then moved to Beloit, Wis., went to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and now is the chief brand and strategy officer for New Vybe Fitness in Loves Park.

“If you look at the iPhone, it’s changed the world in five years,” Nwakalo said. “When I went to Whitewater, I was surprised at the negative feelings towards Beloit. I hear a lot of the same things about Rockford. I want to learn more about Rockford’s issues and how we can use technology to address them.” Alex Gary, “EIGERlab launching Code for America Brigade in Rockford” Rockford Register Star, March 27, 2014

Jen Hall, who helps facilitate the IT Roundtable for the EIGERlab, said the brigade will begin by meeting at 9 a.m. every second Saturday of the month at EIGERlab, 605 Fulton Ave. The brigade is using Meetup.com to schedule more events under the group name “Code for Rockford.” For more information, contact Jen; jen@nullcatalystjenhall.com or (815) 975-0466.

See the “EIGERlab in the News” section below for the media’s coverage of the March 27 press conference.

Click below to open the PDF.

2014March31EIGERlabNewsletter

Rockford’s Own Prescient™ Audio Launches Ground-Breaking AudioCase™ On Kickstarter!

Friday, March 7th, 2014

Backers Will Be The First to Own The Product – At Pre-Retail Pricing!Prescient_Kickstarter

Rockford, Illinois has a deep history of industrial and technological innovation. Prescient™ Audio is proud to share the stage with giants and launch a hot new product based on truly innovative, award-winning technology of its own invention: the Prescient AudioCase™. And it’s doing it in a way our inspiring leaders of yesteryear never could: on Kickstarter.

AudioCase boldly fits dynamic audio performance where it has never fit before: in an incredibly thin, super-light, cool-running smartphone case.
The AudioCase Mini ThinDriver™ Technology will offer truly revolutionary performance in a heretofore impossibly thin package.
And, you can play a key role in launching this sensational new product into an innovation-hungry, smartphone-obsessed market on Kickstarter!

Kickstarter backers at the $89 level and above will not only lend a hand in bringing the Prescient AudioCase to market, but you will be among the first enthusiasts in the world to own one!

Visit Prescient Audio – Kickstarter today and help launch the world’s next great smartphone innovation. And, please – share this good news with friends!

Will Prescient Audio be Rockford’s next big thing?

Saturday, March 1st, 2014

ROCKFORD – By going small, Paul Niederman has developed some very big plans.

Niederman is the founder of Prescient Audio, a startup home-technology company launched with the idea of making a smaller yet more powerful subwoofer.

“I had this idea in college and thought about it again when I got a new car,” said Neiderman, who graduated from East High School in 1984 and then tried a variety of careers before getting a bachelor’s degree from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2000.

“I bought the premium audio system with the car, but there was no subwoofer, so the system was really weak,” Niederman said. “I thought I could put a subwoofer under the passenger seat, but I couldn’t find one that fit. That gave me the idea to make one myself that was small enough.”

A subwoofer is a loudspeaker dedicated to reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as bass.

He worked on the project for three years, with assistance from Rockford’s EIGERlab, and came up with the ThinDriver, which allows speakers to be thinner in profile, lighter in weight, more powerful and run cooler. He’s applied for patents in 14 countries to protect the invention. The speakers can be made for anything from smartphones to laptops.

Niederman touted the invention at several investor competitions and then showed it off in 2013 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas where it was named one of the top innovations at the trade show that draws about 150,000 people annually.

The hard work has drawn several local investors to Niederman’s idea, and the first of the products using the ThinDriver technology went into production in early February at a plant at 4904 Colt Road.

The ThinDriver 12-inch subwoofer – list price $999.95 – for the home audio system is available now. Later this year, Prescient will begin offering a ThinDriver loudspeaker for the car and for professional sound systems, a smartphone case with ThinDriver speakers, a dual subwoofer in a single cabinet and an in-wall subwoofer cabinet.

All of the products have to meet one clear standard.

“They have to have the wife-acceptance factor,” Niederman said. “You have to be able to hide it so it doesn’t mess with the look of a room.”

The market for his product is immense. Niederman said major electronics firms ranging from Polk Audio ($23.9 million in annual sales) and Harman International ($4.3 billion in sales) all the way up to Samsung Electronics ($188.4 billion in annual sales) have expressed interest in the technology.

“The biggest hurdle has been sourcing,” Niederman said. “I want to build it here and use as much Rockford and U.S. components as possible. The problem has been most electronics manufacturing has moved out of this country, so I had to start from scratch.”

Niederman’s ultimate goal is to have 200 employees within five years and take the company public. The Rock River Valley’s largest locally based public company is Foresight Financial, which owns a string of local banks.

“We want to have a full line of products, with different sizes and for different users, such as special subwoofers for guitar amps,” Niederman said. “We want Prescient Audio to become an electronics solutions company.”

Mark Podemski of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council said that it’s entrepreneurs like Niederman that keep a manufacturing community growing. Major local employers such as Woodward Inc. of Loves Park, Woods Equipment Co. of Oregon and Taylor Co. of Rockton all grew from one idea.

“Time will tell if Paul’s idea will be one of those that changes an industry,” Podemski said. “It has a chance. It has a market, and it’s disruptive technology. It’s exciting to see a company like this at the ground floor.”

Read more: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20140301/Special/140309991#ixzz2vaXJfIl3

Read more: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20140301/Special/140309991#ixzz2vaXGnNLg

http://www.rrstar.com/article/20140301/SPECIAL/140309991/0/SEARCH

Are you interested in ACCELerating your company’s growth? Increasing your profits? EIGERlab’s expert business coaches and partners will assist!

Friday, February 28th, 2014

PrescientAudioSmartPhoneL

Paul Niedermann, owner of Prescient Audio partnered with the EIGERlab’s leaders, and their business development associates, to start his business and commercialize his invention. During his recent press conference, Paul shared that he is ready to ramp up production of his music and smartphone-related products.

Where did he start?
Paul simultaneously met with business coaches from the EIGERlab and the IL Small Business Development Center at RVC. He received business development assistance—necessary for starting and running a business—and product development assistance for perfecting his invention. This included utilizing a portion of EIGERlab’s Center for Product Development services; engineering and additive manufacturing.

How did he acquire funding?
In the beginning, Paul bootstrapped the business including spending his savings, and, of course, contributions from “Family, Friends and Fools.” Winning second place in the 2012 FastPitch Competition assisted with services from the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center. But, during the 2013 FastPitch World Series event, Paul hit a home run when a local investor heard his pitch and decided to provide both financial assistance and guidance. On February 20th, Prescient Audio started its Kickstarter crowdfunding efforts, which will run through March 4th.

What additional ACCELerator services did EIGERlab’s coaches and partners provide?
After both his business and financial plans were started, Paul met with EIGERlab’s CTeam; C standing for commercialization. CTeam’s core group of professionals have owned, managed, bought and/or sold businesses and therefore bring solid expertise to start-up or existing businesses of any size. In addition, EIGERlab’s leaders reach out to the regional business community to seek the appropriate experts to address an entrepreneur’s specific industry-related issues. Paul and his management team received sound advice which refined his business development thought-process and next steps.

Where is Paul’s business today?
Paul and his partners have recently purchased a building in Rockford, and plan to manufacture and assemble their products locally. They had the forethought to buy a sizeable building with room for expansion, including a dedicated R & D space, which will allow Paul to continually work on the “next big thing.”