Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/110509
���We���ve been able to train about 60 students from USF, and some of those we hired,��� said Dunleavy. ���The other undergraduates that have worked with us have gone on to start great careers at places like Harris, TriQuint and Texas Instruments, and some eventually lead their new employers to become our customers. It���s a significant pipeline from the university.��� Even startups located outside of university-based incubators can pull resources from the academic community. Launched in January 2012 by longtime Corridor Council partner Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce, the Ocala Power Plant has already helped a number of new startups like Ocoos, an online software company that helps service-oriented businesses better connect with their customers. The two UF grads who co-founded the company with a veteran technology executive have drawn on the university���s resources to license a patent from UF���s business school and hire business and engineering alumni to grow their company to nearly a dozen employees. Just 40 miles from Gainesville, the Ocala Power Plant location hasn���t stopped the Ocoos team from collaborating with UF researchers to study and test the company���s technology platform for further improvements. Moving from Idea to Commercialization Like Ocala���s Power Plant, other community-based incubators have taken root across Florida���s High Tech Corridor to serve growing companies and help them utilize the comprehensive assets in the region. For Timothy Barber, the decision to start his company, Altorr Corporation, as a tenant in the Tampa Bay Innovation Center meant he could free up time and financial resources by utilizing incubator staff for advising and referrals of consultants while he continued bringing Altorr���s technology to market. Called The Victory System, Altorr���s technology allows disabled people to control their room environment using patented voice-recognition software that is compatible with 95 percent of all electronic devices. Named the Tampa Bay Technology Forum���s Emerging Technology Company of the Year in 2011, Altorr will soon launch its Victory System after finishing beta testing in the home of a paraplegic veteran like those who originally inspired the company to further develop its technology. Another Tampa Bay Innovation Center graduate is Field Forensics Inc., started by Craig Johnson���s desire to make a difference after the attacks on September 11. His technology enables in-field analysis of evidence, drastically reducing the length of time from when it is collected to when it is tested. ���I wanted to do my part in the war on terrorism,��� said Johnson, president and CEO of Field Forensics. ���I formed the company a few weeks after [9/11] and landed our first major order from a Department of Defense (DoD) agency a few months after that.��� The company has since seen its explosives detection kits in use around the world by police agencies and other transportation companies. This year, Field Forensics introduced two product lines for narcotics identification and bio-weapons screening. Gr eg Gr imes UniKey President Phil Dumas created a feeding frenzy on ABC���s prime time show, ���Shark Tank��� 36 florida.HIGH.TECH 2013 fht_incubation_2013.indd 36 2/12/13 1:19 PM