Tag: Innovation

Kicking off 2017: DMC puts you in the middle of it all

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The DMC vision is not one that can be accomplished alone – or overnight. But with the advancements that took place on the DMC Development Plan over the past year, Rochester is well on its way to becoming a premier global medical destination.

It doesn’t take an urban planner to recognize the qualities it takes for a city to be successful. DMC is in the middle of it all: growth, investment, culture, community, innovation… the list goes on. And Rochester is hitting the mark on each attribute, ensuring 2017 will be another year of success.

Growth: A map on the DMC website highlights the fourteen projects currently in various stages of development in the DMC district, including the Alatus Development Project in St Marys Place (#14), the Titan-OPUS Project in Discovery Square (#3), and the Lofts at Mayo Park in the downtown Waterfront (#9), just to name a few.

Investment: Private investment gained significant momentum during 2016 that put DMC on course to reach the $200 million threshold that unlocks $585 million in public funds spanning over 20 years.

DocuMNtary: The story of technology in Minnesota

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Though Minnesota’s most apparent economic generators were historically rooted in farming, logging, and manufacturing industries, the state also has a very strong – but less recognized – history in technology.

Following World War II, Minnesota attracted more computer engineers than any other state in the Midwest. Organizations like Cray, Medtronic, Honeywell, and IBM became national players and put Minnesota on the map as a center of innovation. But the story of our rich history of technology has more or less been left untold. That is, until now.

documntary-fi2Enter DocuMNtary, a project intended to build awareness of technology in Minnesota by telling our story through a documentary series. The series consists of a 30-minute high-level story about technology and shorter subsequent segments that highlight specific individuals, organizations, and initiatives.

Video: “Meet the Makers” for PlaceMakers!

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placemakersheaderOnly a couple days to go before the face of downtown Rochester takes on a new look during the PlaceMakers Rochester Prototyping Festival.

Want to meet the “Makers” behind the creative and innovative prototypes at the festival? Check out this video and learn more about many of the projects!

The three-day festival will be held from September 15 to 17 and was developed in collaboration with Downtown Rochester, Minnesota and the Rochester Art Center.

Hope to see you there!

Collider Core: A hub for local entrepreneurs

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Located downtown in Rochester’s historic Conley-Maass Building, Collider Core recently opened its doors for business.

1470694328739The co-working hub can be found in DMC’s Discovery Square sub-district and is designed to provide both fledgling and established entrepreneurs with a unique environment where they can work, connect, and learn.

Collider founder Jamie Sundsbak explains the difference between Collider and Collider Core. “Collider is the entrepreneurial ecosystem – think BioAM, but for all entrepreneurship in the Rochester area,” he explains. “Core is the physical hub – a hybrid of a traditional coworking and business incubator space.” In short, Core provides the Collider community with its operating space.

Strong start-ups and emerging ecosystems: Q&A with Jamie Sundsbak

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If you want to know just how far Rochester’s entrepreneurial community has come in a few short years, ask Jamie Sundsbak.

As a Senior Program Coordinator at the Mayo Clinic and the founder of BioAM, a meet-up group for bio-business startups in southern Minnesota, Sundsbak says Rochester has “come a long way.”

jamie sundsbak
Jamie Sundsbak

“I know that many people don’t see that, but for those of us in the trenches, it has been a monumental shift,” Sundsbak told Destination Medical Center in a recent interview. “I have worked with fantastic people from all over the city who share a fantastic entrepreneurial vision and who have worked tirelessly to expand our ecosystem.”

Troy Henikoff: Supporting a culture for innovation

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Chicago-based entrepreneur Troy Henikoff has a go-to recipe for fostering communities that supports innovation.

Ingredients include investors, co-working spaces for collaboration, and an inclusive attitude.

Troy Henikoff
Troy Henikoff

Henikoff should know. He is the Managing Director for TechStars Chicago, an organization that is part of a global entrepreneurial network helping people with good ideas start a business by giving them access to accelerators, mentors, and capital.

In fact, Techstars already has a presence in Rochester, allowing health care-oriented entrepreneurs who have been through the program to spend several weeks in the city exploring business opportunities with the Mayo Clinic.

A major milestone for Discovery Square: Think outside the box

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Mayo Clinic has officially launched its plan for Destination Medical Center’s Discovery Square, an urban bioscience campus in Rochester where doctors, researchers, and scientists will come together to accelerate new advancements in medical research, technology, and patient care.

Mayo Clinic’s announcement that it is on the hunt for a strategic real estate development firm to build out Discovery Square is a major milestone for the Destination Medical Center’s (DMC) plan to enhance Rochester’s reputation as the world’s premier destination for health and wellness, and to create a robust entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem that encourages start-up companies.

Q&A with Emily Benner, VP at Preventice Solutions

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A cornerstone of the Destination Medical Center plan is to position Rochester as a leader in the biotechnology and medical technology fields. The development of Discovery Square – a sub-district dedicated to advancing game-changing ideas in patient care – is a critical step in reaching this goal.

The groundwork is already there. Medical innovators have long flocked to Rochester to collaborate with the Mayo Clinic on new technologies that are making health care better and more efficient.

emily benner
Emily Benner

Preventice Solutions is among the companies that saw promise in collaboration early on. Emily Benner, who is Preventice’s Senior Vice President of Research and Development, sat down with DMC to talk about how her company is changing the way doctors care for cardiac patients, and what Discovery Square means for innovators.

Mayo Clinic’s recently awarded grant complements Discovery Square

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The Mayo Clinic has been awarded $142 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to create a research repository of biologic samples to advance precision medicine.

The grant complements the Destination Medical Center’s efforts to position Rochester – and specifically Discovery Square – as an international hub for medical innovation.

“Discovery Square is the economic engine for DMC. It represents the future of biomedicine, research, and technology innovation and is anticipated to be one of the largest drivers of job growth in Rochester,” says Lisa Clarke, executive director of the DMC Economic Development Agency.

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Photo credit: Mayo Clinic

Q&A with entrepreneur and TEDxZumbroRiver presenter Tori Utley

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With DMC efforts like Discovery Square intended to help launch new startups and grow existing ventures, enhancing the diversity of the entrepreneurial landscape for the region will help drive growth and ensure that we attract and retain professionals of all ages.

Ttedxhe resume of Rochester-based entrepreneur Tori Utley reads like it belongs to a seasoned veteran of Silicon Valley: mobile app enthusiast, tech start-up founder, and non-profit leader are all on her list of accomplishments.

But at 23, Utley has just started her career. You can catch her presenting at TEDx ZumbroRiver on May 5, but if you want to learn more about her in the meantime, read on.