Since the beginning of the year, Innovation Works has invested $1,050,000 in promising technology companies in Southwestern PA. Four early-stage technology companies were added to the portfolio as first-time investments from the Innovation Works seed fund, three existing portfolio companies received additional investment, and six pre- and seed-stage companies were selected to receive investment and other assistance in the AlphaLab program for software and entertainment technology companies.

New Investments

Carmell Technologies
Northside (Pittsburgh), Allegheny County
Approved Investment: $200,000
Carmell has developed a method of manufacturing biologically active plastic materials from blood plasma. These plastics are sterile and off-the-shelf; are easy to handle, shape and suture; have controlled degradation rates; contain known levels of bioactivity; and exhibit mechanical properties designed to match the repaired tissue. Carmell is focused on products for the sports medicine market with devices for the repair of tendon and cartilage injuries.

Industry Weapon
Dormont (Pittsburgh), Allegheny County
Approved Investment: $200,000
Industry Weapon has developed a novel digital signage software application. This application provides users with an inexpensive and easy-to-use interface to design, schedule, and deploy digital signage. Industry Weapon provides the software tools necessary for non-technical personnel to quickly and creatively communicate with their target audience through information displayed on electronic displays placed in public and private areas and utilized to entertain, inform or advise a target audience.

SMART Warning Systems
Oakmont, Allegheny County
Approved Investment: $200,000
The SMART Warning System uses a combination of wireless technologies to deliver alert messages to the public in emergency situations and manage crisis communications with emergency responders. For example, college campuses, malls, office buildings and others can use the system to send text messages to their constituents with emergency instructions, initiate electronic signs, flashing lights, sirens or other warning signs, and coordinate information required by multiple first responders to resolve an emergency affecting large numbers of people.

Thar Pharmaceuticals
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
Approved Investment: $150,000
Thar Pharmaceuticals focuses on the identification and development of new forms of widely prescribed drugs that solve clinical opportunities such as improved bioavailability, efficacy, absorption, safety or toxicity. It is estimated that the clinical performance of 70 percent of currently marketed drugs can be improved.

Re-Investments

Impact Games
Southside (Pittsburgh), Allegheny County
Approved Investment: Recently re-invested $50,000, bringing the total BFTP investment committed to Impact Games to $250,000.
ImpactGames is best known for PeaceMaker, the award-winning simulation game of the Middle East conflict. PeaceMaker was sold in over 60 countries around the world, and received critical acclaim from media like The New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC and Time Magazine. ImpactGames is working to expanding its products and business to encompass a model of online participation in current events. The community-driven experience is titled "Play the News."

ShowClix
Oakmont, Allegheny County
Approved Investment: recently re-invested $50,000, bringing the total BFTP investment committed to ShowClix to $300,000.
ShowClix is a live music search engine and online ticketing company created to connect musicians, venues and show promoters with live music fans around the world. The website combines an open, live music database with an online ticketing platform, giving users an innovative, affordable way to promote their shows and sell tickets to music fans that search for, track and share concert information on the site.

WhereverTV
Southside (Pittsburgh); Allegheny County
Approved Investment: recently re-invested $50,000, bringing the total BFTP investment committed to WhereverTV to $200,000.
WhereverTV delivers 1,200+ live, international television channels over the Internet directly to any TV in the world via a customizable Global Interactive Program Guide. The Guide can be accessed through a PC, set-top box or cell phone and travels with you wherever you go.

AlphaLab Investments

All AlphaLab companies are located in the Innovation Works AlphaLab facility in Pittsburgh's Southside neighborhood (Allegheny County). Each company receives a $25,000 investment in addition to office space and intensive hands-on business support services.

AJAX Street
AJAX Street is developing user-friendly web-based software that enables organizations to preserve and extend their brand identity. AJAX Street's conversion engine creates style guides from web styles, and helps organizations enforce their consistency across different media. This saves time and money by repurposing existing design, allowing for more frequent, in-house production of quality communication materials.

Bueda
Bueda optimizes online ad placement in rich media and user-generated content via its innovative matching engine. Leveraging research from Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute, Bueda uses semantic analysis to match ads with the most relevant images, video, text and other web-accessible content.

InnomiNet
InnomiNet allows consumers and businesses to protect their online activities by eliminating any restrictions on their Internet access. Innominet's software allows private, anonymous Internet communication by using a distributed network.

iTwixie
iTwixie Inc. is developing the ultimate online "hangout" for "tween" girls. Today's parents, educators and caregivers worry about how marketers approach their 8-14 year-old girls. Messaging is too sexy, too grown-up or too boring and babyish. iTwixie will engage, inspire and unite tween girls on a site that's safe, age-appropriate and loads of fun.

Stockcastr
Stockcastr is a next-generation financial media platform that will power a global community of producers and consumers of quality financial analysis.

The Resumator
The Resumator is an on-demand, web-based service that eliminates, automates and simplifies every manual task associated with collecting and reviewing resumes. The Resumator can be added to any company's website in just a few minutes, replacing static job listings and flooded HR email addresses with a system that is efficient, cost effective and simple to use.