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Geeks rule in the heartland + More excellence from Flyover U
"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing." - Emo Philips
Today’s itinerary:
TECH TRIPS
Kansas City tech company gears up to add 300 jobs
Over the next two or three years, KC’s Homebase plans to significantly increase its workforce, adding as many as 300 jobs in the areas of “customer support, software development, sales, operations, and technology implementation.” The company currently has a staff of 20 employees, but CEO and founder Blake Miller says it will bring on 50 or 60 new workers in 2020 alone.
Homebase develops smart building management software that integrates with devices like smart locks and access control services—a growth industry if there ever was one. Miller says the company has tripled its customer base over the past year.
And just last week, Homebase announced a partnership with LG Electronics USA that will allow integration of LG appliances with Homebase’s software. They’re currently rolling out their services at a luxury senior living community, where residents will be able to control smart appliances, locks, and thermostats using the Homebase smart home management platform.
Take a peek at Louisville Geek
Since its start in 2004, Kentucky IT company Louisville Geek has been helping businesses take advantage of the technologies that can help them grow. Flyover Future spoke to Ben Lawrence, Managing Partner of Louisville Geek to learn about their road to success.
How did Louisville Geek come about?
Louisville Geek started with Bobby Bailey and Patrick Mann in 2004. Computer viruses were beginning to make a name for themselves and, at the time, not many people knew how to fix infected computers. 
Since its start in 2004, Kentucky IT company Louisville Geek has been helping businesses take advantage of the technologies that can help them grow. Flyover Future spoke to Ben Lawrence, Managing Partner of Louisville Geek to learn about their road to success.
How did Louisville Geek come about?
Louisville Geek started with Bobby Bailey and Patrick Mann in 2004. Computer viruses were beginning to make a name for themselves and, at the time, not many people knew how to fix infected computers. They recruited a handful of savvy engineers, opened an office the size of a closet in St. Matthews, a suburb of Louisville, and began fixing computers for friends and family. Word began to spread, and they quickly found themselves supporting IT for small businesses. Over the years, they made a few acquisitions and before they knew it, they were providing IT support to businesses across the country.
What kind of growth have you experienced?
We’ve experienced steady growth since our inception in 2004, and we don’t plan to slow down anytime soon. Business First of Louisville has recognized us as one of the Fastest 50 Growing companies for 8 straight years (the list ranks private companies in the Louisville area by revenue growth). We recently moved into a 20,000 square foot office space that we purchased and renovated, which houses the vast majority of our 92 employees.
Your business was founded locally. What obstacles did you face growing a tech business in Louisville?
When we were first getting started, our biggest obstacle was finding suitable talent. The pool in Louisville is not as big as a large metropolis like New York or San Francisco, so we had to find creative ways to find and retain talented engineers. We developed relationships with local colleges and made a commitment to providing ongoing training for our employees, which is a must if you want to succeed in the technology sector.
What factors worked in your favor?
Louisville is home to a lot of growing businesses, and we’ve been fortunate to partner alongside some of the most innovative companies in the city. As they’ve grown, we’ve grown.
KC seed fund to help KC entrepreneurs bring technology to market
As innovators and academic researchers know, even the most groundbreaking tech discoveries can languish during the process of commercializing them. The so-called “valley of death” is littered with promising concepts that fell short on their journey to the market.
That’s where BioNexus KC’s seed capital fund plans to help. The KC Nexus Fund will use between $6 million and $10 million to bridge the funding gap and help life sciences entrepreneurs show possible investors and partners that their technology has “market viability.”
Fund director Tony Simpson said BioNexus KC is the right champion for the initiative because of its deep involvement with healthcare innovation in the region. “To do this you need to have access to the early stage companies, to the universities to be able to see research, to clinical research organizations, to clinical trial facilities, to financial partners and investors, and a full connection to the industry. Because of their role at the center of the life sciences ecosystem in Kansas City, BioNexus KC is the right organization to incubate this.”
Disrupting the marketplace with infrared cameras A North Carolina infrared camera technology startup has raised $1 million in debt capital to launch its new camera. SWIR Vision Systems got its start in RTI International, the research and tech services nonprofit housed in the Research Triangle Park. SWIR, which stands for “short wave infrared,” hopes to commercialize its camera technology for automotive and consumer electronics applications. The company has developed sensors for infrared cameras that it believes can disrupt the marketplace.
FLYOVER U INNOVATION
Pfizer names University of Louisville Center of Excellence 
The University of Louisville has been designated as the first Center of Excellence by Pfizer Vaccines and will be collaborating on research to related to vaccine-preventable diseases affecting adults, particularly the elderly, worldwide.
Pfizer selected UofL because its exceptional capabilities for “conducting population-based surveillance and clinical research that engages multiple health care facilities, health care personnel, industry and communities-at-large.” UofL president Neeli Benapudi said during the press conference, “This collaboration will provide increased visibility for the university on a global scale, making UofL attractive for high-caliber researchers and research grants.”
Two of the research initiatives that have launched so far are:
For more information, visit https://www.ceridlouisville.org/research.
Editor's Note: Story originally appeared in Louisville Future on January 28, 2020
IBM partners with NC State on quantum computing Quantum computing, based on quantum physics, is the next frontier in computing technology. Quantum computers have the potential to solve problems that would take conventional computers years to finish. But so far, there aren’t really any practical applications for the technology.
So what will Delta do with the technology? Perhaps figure out a way to provide passengers with a decent cup of coffee or seats that don’t cause sciatica? Actually, Delta isn’t saying much, other than it “hopes to use the technology to create new innovations and reduce stress across the travel day.” Whatever happens, it’ll be fun to follow the development of quantum computing. Experts say its current stage of development is comparable to that of conventional computers in the 1940s.
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Useless information that is strangely fascinating.
Can you match the famous person with the city of his birth?
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