Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge Winners Announced! 5 Companies Take Home GLOBIE Awards as 2012’s “Most Innovative New Product” Winners Coming from Non-Metro Areas

5 Second Place Winners Also Announced

CHICO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Event producers have announced the 5 first-place GLOBIE award winners and the 5 second-place winners who competed from among 42 Finalists as part of the inaugural Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge held Thursday, June 21^st at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, CA. The statewide (and beyond) competition involved a compelling six-minute presentation format by the finalists in which they were tasked with providing a case as to why their product would change the world, an industry, the environment or people’s lives in some meaningful way. Businesses competed in five categories: Clean Tech & Environmental, Health Care & Medical, Sustainable Agriculture & Food, Web & IT, and Manufacturing/High Tech/Consumer Products.
Here are the winners and runners-up.

SUSTAINABLE AG AND FOOD:

GLOBIE AWARD WINNER - 1^st Place: Nuritas Nutraceuticals-(Davis, CA)
Nuritas, founded by Dr. Nora Khaldi-Delaney, discovers natural food ingredients that help people live healthier and longer. We do this using our proprietary software technology, that is proven, unique and cutting edge. Our technology allows us to scan through multiple food genomes to discover new peptides. We scientifically identify the peptides, validate them, and isolate them. Our peptides will be used in functional food, that is currently worth 128B.

2^nd Place: Aqua Cents- (Fresno, CA)
Aqua Cents was founded by Tom DeLany, CEO. It brings the newest and highest water saving technology to your lawn. By injecting water-absorbing polymers, that retain up to 400 times their weight in water, and holding that moisture until the root system needs it, Aqua Cents creates a resulting vibrant and healthy root zone and lawns that will require up to 50% less water. Aqua Cents(sm) has the capability to save enough water in California to supply a city of a half a million people with all their water needs for 10 years, every year!

CLEAN TECH AND ENVIRONMENTAL:

GLOBIE AWARD WINNER - 1^st Place: Sierra Energy-(West Sacramento, CA)
Sierra Energy's FastOx Pathfinder™ is a modular, turn-key system converting waste into renewable fuels or electricity. The system can convert up to 25 tons of waste per day and consists of 6-7 shipping containers. Designed with an “open architecture”, the FastOx Pathfinder allows layout and end product flexibility depending on customer needs and location.

2^nd Place: Signa Chemistry-(Davis, CA)
SiGNa Chemistry is an innovative chemicals company founded on the belief that advanced chemistries are essential to solve our world’s most serious challenges. Launched in 2004, SiGNa is headquartered in New York City and operates an alternative energy division in Davis, California. SiGNa’s cornerstone technology is a patented method to safely harness the energy potential in reactive metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, etc.), making them safer and more efficient. SiGNa entered the PowerPukk-a portable hydrogen generation system, into the Challenge. The PowerPukk is a fuel cartridge that is used to deliver hydrogen to a fuel cell. The PowerPukk contains a safe, non-toxic powder that instantly creates pure hydrogen when water is added. When paired with a fuel cell, these fuel packs are a safe and powerful source of portable electricity. The PowerPukk is the world’s first commercialized hydrogen-generation fuel cartridge.

WEB & IT:

GLOBIE AWARD WINNER - 1^st Place: SmartPay Inc.,- (Reno, NV)
SmartPay, Inc. is a Nevada corporation formed November 2010. Tom Heeter, the founder, is a pioneer in the field of optical payments. He obtained his first patent in the field of optical payments in 1999. Coming from a "tech" family, his sister Leslie worked directly under Dan Lynch, who founded Cybercash, Inc. with co-founder Bill Melton (who earlier founded Verifone). SmartPay an alternative to debit and credit cards that allows users to pay for things by simply typing in the amount they want to send, and then scanning the merchant’s QR Code®.

2^nd Place: SargesList, Inc. - (Seattle, WA)
Lisa Klinkhammer, CEO of SargesList, Inc., trusted militaryclassifieds, has been in marketing and product development for web technology for 15 years. Prior to launching SargesList.com, she led the development, sale and launch of a housing referral system (AHRN.com) that serves the Department of Defense which now receives nearly 1,000,000 visitors a month and helps military members find housing worldwide. SargesList is a veteran owned, free classifieds website for military communities at over 500 bases worldwide. It is a one-stop site where military, veterans and family members can not only buy and sell household goods, vehicles, real estate, pets, etc., they can also find jobs, promote spouse and veteran businesses, military charities and events while finding local base information for relocation.

HEALTH CARE AND MEDICAL:

GLOBIE AWARD WINNER - 1^st Place: Trevair-(Gardnerville, NV)
Trevair, Inc, located in Gardnerville, Nevada is a wheelchair/mobility product company that serves the multi-billion dollar market of 7.5million active and sports minded people who are mobility disadvantaged. Trevair offers a portfolio of revolutionary products empowering users with a new freedom to go anywhere, any time with speed, comfort, ease and affordability. The product that won the competition is the BMXAir. It features a combined wheel chair and powered front end. Using a unique magnetic quick connect device, the front end can be attached and detached from the chair with ease. This allows the user to have an all in one manual and powered mobility unit without having to purchase a separate manual wheel chair and expensive powered chair.

2^nd Place: NCP Inc.- (Chico, CA)
NCP Inc. (Nosocomial Containment Products) was formed in June 2012. Meredith Lloyd joined a group of business professionals with over 130 years of combined sales and marketing experience to form NCP Inc. The Cannula Protector reduces or eliminates the risk of cross contamination to patients from the use of Nasal Cannula’s during their stay at medical facilities.

MANUFACTURING/HIGH TECH/CONSUMER PRODUCTS

GLOBIE AWARD WINNER - 1^st Place: SPAARIO-(Santa Rosa, CA)
SPAARIO was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Santa Rosa, CA. SPAARIO is re-inventing binoculars as eyewear. SPAARIO’s product is eyewear that provides a magnified image. SPAARIO’s have the look and feel of sunglasses, but provide magnification like a pair of binoculars. Whether you are sitting in the nosebleed seats or the luxury boxes at a sporting event, now you can get up close and personal with SPAARIO’s. SPAARIO’s patent pending technology allows superlight ultra-compact designs that look just like a pair of sunglasses, with optics less than 4mm thick. Pull them out of your pocket and you are ready. The size weight and inconvenience of binoculars are a thing of the past. No longer do you have to hold your binoculars, or focus them, or deal with that nasty image shake

2^nd Place: SAFEPATH Products-(Chico, CA)
BigHorn Ramp, created for the expanding baby-boomer market, the BigHorn Ramp was created for ADA, safety and wheelchair access for the expanding ageing-in-place product supply markets. An advanced new polymer technology allows for less expensive material costs while offering advance product appearance and performance for the barrier removal and access transition marketplace.

All the entries were impressive, creative and innovative. But the judges gave the highest marks to two companies with products that stood out as being those that could really impact the world in which we live. Congratulations to the Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge Overall Winners:

GLOBIE AWARD WINNER 1^st place: SPAARIO
2^nd place: Nuritas Nutraceuticals

“We are pleased with the tremendous response we received from companies from all over non-metropolitan California, and beyond, who wanted to compete within this unique format that is very different from a traditional business plan competition,” stated Jon Gregory, co-producer of the Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge and a Managing Director at Innovate North State. Lisa Klinkenhammer, CEO of SargesList and second place winner said, “The conference was a power-packed day of learning and making connections. Everyone was supportive and helpful. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to excel in their chosen innovation.” AquaCents Founder and CEO Tom DeLany said the opportunity to participate in the Innovation Challenge and then place second in the Food & Ag category was the highlight of the company’s two year development of their product. “This was a truly first class event that put my company in front of investors and consultants that can take our company to market,” said DeLany. “The caliber of the entrepreneurs at the show was humbling and I would recommend this show to those that are truly ready for the next level.”

Throughout the day, contestants and other attendees had direct access to over 40 industry experts, funders and media representatives who participated as judges in the event. They also heard from entrepreneurs like Pamala Temple, founder of A Place For Mom - the largest elder care service in the nation, and Christian Friedland, founder of Build.com - the nation’s largest online-only home improvement retailer who shared their secrets of success.

For further information visit www.innovate-northstate.com/innovation-challenge .