As published in Toledo Business Journal - September 1, 2010
DenDroCo tech honored
for innovation
DenDroCo, LLC, a northwest Ohio startup firm, was recently selected as a semifinalist in the Cleantech Open in San Jose, California. The company is a Rocket Ventures client company and has been working with the organization to develop and use its technology.
DenDroCo has developed a pheromone (chemical factor secreted or excreted that triggers a social response in members of the same species) derivative for pine beetles, which have destroyed about 35 million acres of western North American forests. The beetle control technology is designed to create a barrier between the insects and forest, protecting the forests from imminent infestation. The DenDroCo pheromone aims to prevent the spread of the Pine Beetle without removing the insect from the ecosystem. DenDroCo works to combat the increasing rate of infestation in the US as well as Canada.
“The participants in the Cleantech Open represent the best-of-the-best in the cleantech innovation arena. We are honored to be considered part of this group of elite companies and look forward to showcasing DenDroCo’s amazing pheromone mimicking technology,” stated Ray Prill, DenDroCo president.
The Cleantech Open semifinalists were selected from a pool of more than 50 cleantech entrepreneurs from across the Rocky Mountain Region. The semifinalist teams will compete for regional prizes including combined cash and in-kind services worth up to $30,000. The top entrepreneurs will advance to compete at the national level for a grand prize of $250,000 in investment and services.
Over the next few months, semifinalist teams will receive coaching from the Cleantech Open network of business mentors, one-on-one consulting with specialists, the aid of an intensive business boot camp at the Cleantech Academy and local supporting events, training, and materials. This support aims to help each team develop a comprehensive business plan and investor pitch to be presented to professional investors and experts.
The national awards will be presented in mid-November.
To accelerate its time-to-market, DenDroCo was awarded a $50,000 Rocket Ventures Ignite! Grant in 2009 and receives business counseling from Jon Klotz, Rocket Ventures entrepreneur in residence. The company marked the 24th grant the Rocket Ventures program has awarded since its inception in 2007.
DenDroCo “involves a compelling technology, which could have significant commercial application and business success,” explained Greg Knudson, director of Rocket Ventures.
The Ignite! grant program is designed to help companies develop and use technology to create new products or improve processes that have an impact on revenues and ultimately jobs within the Rocket Ventures footprint.
“This is an exciting project, because we can, without adversely affecting the ecological system, solve a problem that has plagued the western pine forests for decades,” stated Klotz. “The technology, once fully developed, holds the promise of being applicable to problems caused in our area by insect infestation.”