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The Innovation Class of 2007 posted on Monday, 14 January 2008

Meet some of the winners of the 2007 CONNECT Most Innovative New Product Awards.

Lots of bright ideas made CONNECT’s 2007 Most Innovative New Product Awards a hit.

By Dave Thomas

Most often in business, the goal is to produce the best product or service possible, and turn a profit along the way. And, if you win an award or two, it is icing on the cake.

Such is the case for a number of San Diego area companies who walked away with awards last month at the 20th annual CONNECT Most Innovative New Product (MIP) show in La Jolla. The show celebrated two decades of technological products that have made a difference not only in San Diego but worldwide.

Among the award winners were:
-Luxtera (Communications Technology and Hardware)
-Seacoast Science (Security technology)
-Artes Medical (Life Sciences - Medical Products)
-Regene Med (Life Sciences - Diagnostics and Research Tools)
-Airsis (Software & IT) and Senomyx (General Tchnology)

A new award for Clean Technology went to Advanced Transit Dynamics.

Luxtera Vice President of Marketing Marek Tlalka says the company was honored that it was recognized for its technological breakthrough product, Blazar.

"Luxtera was nominated among many high-caliber technology companies, and to be singled out as the Most Innovative New Product in Communication Technology and Hardware is an honor," Tlalka says. "Our team has worked very hard to bring the benefits of silicon photonics technology to the market. We introduced our first, as well as the world's first CMOS Photonics product to the market, years ahead of our competition. Systemically, Luxtera is changing the face of high performance computing. Being named a winner at the CONNECT MIP's Awards further secures our position at the forefront of the industry."

Tlalka adds that Luxtera, which was formed in 2001, was nominated for its ability to enable direct "fiber-to-the-chip" connectivity with its breakthrough product, Blazar. "Until recently, customers had a choice of selecting from prohibitively high-cost, high-performance optics and low-cost, low-performance copper connections," Tlalka says. "Blazar is changing this equation by producing an optical solution on a monolithic CMOS chip – ultimately enabling high performance at low costs."

Tlalka believes Luxtera’s continuous innovation has contributed significantly to the San Diego community. In addition to the CONNECT MIP Award, Luxtera was also named the winner of the AeA High Tech Award, the second San Diego award recognition this quarter. In December, EDN Magazine also named Luxtera’s Blazar as one of the Hot 100 Products of 2007.

"The recent award recognitions are underscoring Luxtera’s position as technology leader in Southern California," Tlalka adds.

Now in the New Year, Luxtera will reportedly ramp Blazar to production and speed its shipments worldwide. "We expect this will be the first of many milestones for the company," Tlalka says. "Realizing the benefits of Blazar, Luxtera’s ultimate goal is to be adopted by all data centers."

Leading “Trailer” Innovation
Another award winner was Advanced Transit Dynamics, which won the first-ever Clean Technology award.

The company was noted for its TrailerTail product, which is a tractor-trailer rear drag reduction device providing fuel savings of more than 5% for tractor-trailers traveling at highway speeds.

ATD Engineering Manager Chuck Horrell says the company was honored with the award and the company remains focused in 2008.

"The company is continuing to focus on making sure that this is a device that will meet the everyday operational requirements of a trucking fleet," Horrell says. "We know that having a durable, easy-to-use product is essential to gain widespread acceptance among America's trucking companies."

Tasting Victory
Winning an award in the General Technology category was Senomyx Inc. for Senomyx Savory Flavor Ingredients.

Gwen Rosenberg, vice president, investor relations and corporate communications, says the award was an honor for the company, which was founded in 1998.

"We are proud of our scientists’ accomplishments, which have led to new ingredients that are now incorporated into products being marketed by Nestlé in four countries," Rosenberg says. "It was meaningful to us that the CONNECT panel of distinguished judges recognized Senomyx’s innovation and scientific expertise."

The Senomyx Savory Flavor Ingredients were discovered and developed in-house using the company’s proprietary taste receptor-based assays. These ingredients are intended to reduce or replace monosodium glutamate (MSG) in foods and beverages and to enhance savory tastes such as those associated with meats, cheeses, and mushrooms.

The Senomyx Savory Flavor Ingredients may be used in numerous products including soups, ready meals, sauces, beverages, and snacks. They may also be combined with other ingredients to create new flavor sensations. Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, is currently marketing foods containing the Senomyx Savory Flavor Ingredients.

"San Diego is a center of innovation for biotech, high tech, and other industries," Rosenberg adds. "We believe that Nestlé’s commercialization of products that were discovered and developed by Senomyx, a local company, is a testament to the excellent science and innovative spirit in the San Diego community."

Just last week (Jan. 3), Senomyx announced the initiation of its new Cool Flavor Program and a new collaboration with Firmenich SA, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and flavor company.

"We now have collaborations with seven of the world’s foremost food, beverage, and ingredient companies: Ajinomoto, Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, Firmenich, Nestlé and Solae," Rosenberg says. "Moving forward, we will be continuing to work on all of our discovery and development programs and we will be looking for opportunities to establish additional collaborations with global or regional market leaders seeking to create a competitive advantage for their products."

The New Scientific R&D Breed
Dawn Applegate, president and CEO RegeneMed Inc., says their company was equally proud of being named the winner of the Life Sciences - Diagnostics and Research Tools award for the RegeneTOX product.

"In any market sector, financials define corporate success," Applegate says. "While innovation is often a driver for prosperity, the path to profitability for novel and complex technologies is often too long and risky to attract investment, especially in weaker economic climates.