After the 2007 shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech, many colleges and universities sought to modernize their emergency broadcast systems to circumvent common problems like text alert limits that could delay messages. Metis Secure Solutions in Oakmont, Allegheny County, created a notification platform where users could to send detailed alerts to specific locations in less than 10 seconds. The technology instantly updated emergency alerts for Carnegie Mellon and Slippery Rock, partnering with these PA institutions for testing and research assistance.
Cyber security has become a successful niche market for Pennsylvania. With business and technology incubators all over the state, Pittsburgh’s Technology Collaborative has sought to grow niche markets like cyber security, robotics and digital/analog electronics. Metis Secure Solutions is just one of many TTC success stories, and with $1.2 million in new start-up funding announced this month, this tech transfer team is on the hunt for the next big thing.
“The criteria for selection is innovative companies so it has to be something that is new and innovative,” says TTC President and CEO David Ruppersberger. “There is a large emphasis on commercialization, so does the person or team have a believable story for how they are going to commercialize the technology they have developed, thus creating jobs.”
Originally founded as the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse in 1999, The Technology Collaborative utilizes a member-driven atmosphere, so that business and start-up leaders are constantly contributing to collaborative research, education and training programs, networking opportunities, and employee recruiting services. Over the next six months, Ruppersberger and his team will not just be looking for a smart business plan, they will be looking for a partner to further the economy of one of the most dynamic sectors in Pennsylvania.
“We have done over 150 projects and, in the early days many of those were universities,” says Ruppersberger. “These days, we still do some direct funding of university students to try and get research to that commercialization stage but this technology commercialization funding is our flagship program, looking to create long-term, sustainable companies.”
Source: David Ruppersberger, The Technology Collaborative
Writer: John Steele
