The 2008 Chicago Innovation Awards
Past Winners 2003
Abbott Laboratories – HUMIRA™
HUMIRA™ is leading the fight against a terrible disease by creating an extremely effective drug.
HUMIRA™ is the first and only human monoclonal antibody drug to combat the debilitating disease of rheumatoid arthritis, which affects five million people worldwide. Other drugs created to combat RA currently use mouse-derived proteins that work for a limited time, but HUMIRA uses human-derived proteins that ensure the disease will not spread and also mitigates the crippling affects of the disease.
Archipelago Holdings, LLC – The Archipelago ExchangeSM
A stock exchange that treats an individual investor’s interests the same as a multi-billion dollar company.
Archipelago Holdings, LLC created the first totally open, fully electronic U.S. stock exchange, which brings fairness and transparency to all investors regardless of money invested. Currently, other exchanges and markets cater to larger investors, while The Archipelago ExchangeSM (ArcaEx) caters to everyone because it treats all investors equally. The NASDAQ is already experiencing the impact of Archipelago’s work because a significant percentage of the NASDAQ’s volume is traded via ArcaEx.
Authentify, Inc. – Authentify®
Authentify® raises the bar on security for Internet transactions and helps companies determine if you are “really” you.
Authentify is a platform which enables the telephone to be used as an authentication tool for Internet transactions and use of Authentify enables undeniable contact with an Internet user in real-time. In an age when identity theft has become an increasing problem, Authentify, Inc. has created a safer Internet transactional environment for consumers and businesses.
CoolSavings®, Inc. – Coupon Technology
A technology solution that can figure out exactly how much a consumer values a specific brand.
CoolSavings®, Inc.’s Coupon Technology is a printable coupon technology and promotional services platform, which is used to power the complete interactive and promotional elements of a manufacturer’s brand. This allows manufacturers to collect consumer attitude and usage information through custom surveys and then automatically vary coupon values based on consumers' answers.
Globus Alliance – Globus Toolkit
The Globus Alliance is setting the standards for Grid computing, which is one of the hottest fields in the technology realm.
Grid computing has been tabbed as the next wave of the Internet and the Globus Alliance has been called the “de facto standard” for Grid computing. Grid computing enables you to effectively compress time by expanding computing space and provides seamless, transparent, secure access to IT resources such as hardware, software, scientific instruments, and services across computer grids.
Motorola, Inc. – Motorola Canopy™ Wireless Broadband
Motorola, Inc. brings the Internet to some of the most remote locations in the world at an affordable price for consumers.
The Canopy™ system was designed to provide cost-effective “last mile” high-speed data access for customers previously underserved or who live in locations where infrastructure and return on investment previously have been unattainable. Locations such as Park City, Utah and Katmandu, Nepal now have affordable access to high-speed data in which to surf the Internet, email friends or transfer files.
PAWS Chicago – Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic
PAWS Chicago is hitting the problem of pet overpopulation head-on by attacking it in the neighborhoods where the need is greatest.
The Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic was the first-ever high-volume spay/neuter clinic located in and serving Chicago's most disadvantaged communities. By focusing efforts on high-volume, affordable sterilization of owned pets, PAWS Chicago significantly reduced the number of unwanted animals born and thereby slowed overpopulation, and the resulting euthanasia, at its source.
Shure Inc. – Shure E2/E2C Earphones
A new earphone that blocks out sound so well, it could almost be considered dangerous.
The introduction of Shure’s E2/E2C Earphones has taken the listening experience to new heights for the general consumer, giving them the kind of high-quality studio sound and professional-grade features that had previously only been available to professional musicians for their onstage use. The earphones focus on the inner ear and are much more effective than noise-canceling earphones that are currently available in the marketplace.
SmartSignal Corporation – Equipment Condition Monitoring™
A technology that allows companies to “Predict the Unpredictable” and save money through predictive maintenance.
SmartSignal Corporation provides a platform for predictive monitoring capabilities through its advanced enterprise software application, Equipment Condition Monitoring™, to enable a variety of industries and maintenance professionals to predict equipment failure, through early detection of changes in asset health. This advanced technology delivers insight to customers in real-time so clients can both understand the business implications and take action.
Wilson Sporting Goods Co. – Youth Batting Helmet
The Youth Batting Helmet has taken Little League baseball by storm with an innovative design that protects the head against the biggest threat in baseball, getting hit in the head by a ball.
Wilson Sporting Goods Co. designed a new generation of batting helmets that were featured during this year’s Little League World Series. The innovative design appearance and unique adjustment mechanism have created much turmoil in a very traditional product category. The competition is scrambling to create a new design and customers are asking for more; the batting helmet is now being offered in adult sizes as well.