What do you do if you, like the bioware company Life Technologies, have already created more than two thousand products since 2009? You could rest on your laurels, or you could work to make your technology faster and more affordable. With the introduction of the Ion Torrent, Life Technologies has done the latter, and in the process, changed the landscape of pandemic research.
Although technology for gene sequencing has existed for more than four decades, the process has traditionally been slow -- taking a week or more for results -- and expensive. The Ion Torrent takes only a few hours and costs only $50,000. A newer model, the Ion Proton, costs only $1,000 to sequence a genome thanks to proprietary technology.
The $3.6 billion company’s financial outlook keeps improving. With continual, scalable development, the future for Life Technologies and for medical and research facilities benefiting from its work looks bright indeed.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
PJP Health Agency: Defining a High Quality Health Insurance Plan
Established in 2008, PJP Health Agency offers a broad range of affordable healthcare plans to individuals, families, and small businesses. Some of these policies cost as little as $59.95 per month. Employing over 100 knowledgeable insurance specialists, PJP operates in more than 40 states across the nation and utilizes the latest in cutting-edge technology to facilitate quick and simple application and enrollment. Holding a firm commitment to customer service, PJP Health Agency will work with you to find a policy that ideally fits your medical and financial needs, coverage that can also lower out-of-pocket expenses related to vision and dental care, as well as prescription medication.
When you partner with PJP Health Agency, the company’s team of insurance experts will connect you with a top-rated provider in your area, taking the time to inform you about the protective options that you should expect to receive. If low premium payments are a priority, you might consider setting higher deductibles and co-payments, although this does increase the amount of money you pay out-of-pocket for regular doctor visits and minor emergencies. Lifetime payout caps also fall under the category of equating risk with cost. In general, you should select a plan with a lifetime payout of approximately $1 million, ensuring that your insurance company will equitably reimburse you in the event of a catastrophic illness.
Renewable provisions are another important factor to consider before you purchase a health insurance plan. A renewable provision essentially functions as a non-cancellation guarantee from your provider. To prevent loss of coverage in the event of a serious illness, make sure the policy you select contains a renewable provision. Likewise, you should carefully assess your options regarding coverage for emergencies and pre-existing conditions, in addition to the number of prerequisites an insurance company requires from its customers. PJP Health Agency encourages you to take action today. Your healthy future depends on it.
Polyvore: Fashion for Everybody
The trends of the future of entrepreneurship point many different ways. Scalable, quick-to-pivot companies with a strong tech and design hook will likely be the front-runners. However, there is one element that will overrule all others: the business’s social aspect. As “liking” becomes more and more common, tomorrow’s top companies will not only need to make room to incorporate social networking but to make it an integral part of their business plans from day one. Polyvore is one such company that has made its social aspect a main component of its business.
A fashion website where users create buyable fashion spreads called sets, comment on and “like” other users’ spreads, and engage with fashion companies, Polyvore boasts more than thirteen million monthly users. The sets are not limited to Polyvore itself; users can share them over a vast network of sites, including Facebook and Google+. They allow their users, rather than the fashion editors, to decide what constitutes good fashion. Due to the sheer size of its user base -- which has doubled twice in the past two years -- Polyvore is beginning to reshape parts of the fashion industry as editors and companies partner with the site for interaction, contests, and other promotional opportunities.
Although Polyvore was launched in 2007, it only recently began to turn a profit. A significant factor in its success is the return-rate of its users -- an eighth of users return to the site more than one hundred times a month -- which keeps people engaged in the site and its content fresh. Overall, Polyvore founder Jess Lee hopes to have an impact not only in how people look at fashion but how they buy it as well; with less than nine percent of fashion shopping done online, there’s plenty of room to grow.
A fashion website where users create buyable fashion spreads called sets, comment on and “like” other users’ spreads, and engage with fashion companies, Polyvore boasts more than thirteen million monthly users. The sets are not limited to Polyvore itself; users can share them over a vast network of sites, including Facebook and Google+. They allow their users, rather than the fashion editors, to decide what constitutes good fashion. Due to the sheer size of its user base -- which has doubled twice in the past two years -- Polyvore is beginning to reshape parts of the fashion industry as editors and companies partner with the site for interaction, contests, and other promotional opportunities.
Although Polyvore was launched in 2007, it only recently began to turn a profit. A significant factor in its success is the return-rate of its users -- an eighth of users return to the site more than one hundred times a month -- which keeps people engaged in the site and its content fresh. Overall, Polyvore founder Jess Lee hopes to have an impact not only in how people look at fashion but how they buy it as well; with less than nine percent of fashion shopping done online, there’s plenty of room to grow.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Signature HomeStyles Sells Its Way to the Top
A former junior high-school teacher, Madolyn Johnson founded her first business in 1971 with $1500 of her own money, $600 from a friend, and a burning desire to help parents at home have the same level of colorful, stylish organization she enjoyed in the classroom. The company, first called Wicker World, then Homemaker’s Idea Company, and now Signature HomeStyles, recently celebrated its forty-first anniversary.
What was once a simple company selling wicker crafts and baskets has become a nationwide powerhouse with $40 million in yearly sales. Those sales are driven by the more than ten thousand company representatives who either go from home to home or who host selling parties that entice others to purchase their wares. Each representative is encouraged to recruit others into the company, to ensure a constantly-expanding marketing area.
Today, Madolyn Johnson’s daughter Cari is the Chief Executive Officer of Signature HomeStyle, where she fulfills her mother’s vision of a more attractively organized home.
What was once a simple company selling wicker crafts and baskets has become a nationwide powerhouse with $40 million in yearly sales. Those sales are driven by the more than ten thousand company representatives who either go from home to home or who host selling parties that entice others to purchase their wares. Each representative is encouraged to recruit others into the company, to ensure a constantly-expanding marketing area.
Today, Madolyn Johnson’s daughter Cari is the Chief Executive Officer of Signature HomeStyle, where she fulfills her mother’s vision of a more attractively organized home.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Craig Newmark Connecting Charities
Craig Newmark knows the power of the internet. After all, he designed his first website in 1995 to help his friends put the word out about local events in San Francisco; today, Craigslist is now one of the top ten most-visited sites online. But Newmark is trying to harness the power of the internet for a new project: Craigconnects, which brings nonprofit groups and charities together to meet, share ideas, and work together to bring about change.
Craigconnects came about when Newmark tallied all of the nonprofit groups he had donated to or advised over the years and the total was more than one hundred -- far above the twenty or thirty Newmark had estimated. Craigconnects is Newmark’s way of making it easier for everybody to keep track of their nonprofits, and for the groups to benefit themselves. At the moment, Newmark funds the site himself; and he plans to continue to do so until he can determine an appropriate way to raise funds otherwise.
Right now Craigconnects features six different categories of charities and nonprofits: Military Families and Veterans, Back to Basics Journalism, Public Diplomacy, Open Government, Consumer Protection, and Technology for the Common Good. Each portal currently includes only charities and nonprofits that Newmark supports or advises himself. But he hopes to continue to expand the categories as more groups get involved; one part of his vision for Craigconnects is for it to be one-stop portal for everybody to research and contact charities.
Newmark’s overall vision for the site goes far beyond a simple portal, however. He wants everyone in the world to unite for the common good using the internet, with Craigconnects acting as one of the major tools. Judging by his previous success and his long-term commitment to Craigconnects, there is a good chance that Newmark will achieve exactly that.
Craigconnects came about when Newmark tallied all of the nonprofit groups he had donated to or advised over the years and the total was more than one hundred -- far above the twenty or thirty Newmark had estimated. Craigconnects is Newmark’s way of making it easier for everybody to keep track of their nonprofits, and for the groups to benefit themselves. At the moment, Newmark funds the site himself; and he plans to continue to do so until he can determine an appropriate way to raise funds otherwise.
Right now Craigconnects features six different categories of charities and nonprofits: Military Families and Veterans, Back to Basics Journalism, Public Diplomacy, Open Government, Consumer Protection, and Technology for the Common Good. Each portal currently includes only charities and nonprofits that Newmark supports or advises himself. But he hopes to continue to expand the categories as more groups get involved; one part of his vision for Craigconnects is for it to be one-stop portal for everybody to research and contact charities.
Newmark’s overall vision for the site goes far beyond a simple portal, however. He wants everyone in the world to unite for the common good using the internet, with Craigconnects acting as one of the major tools. Judging by his previous success and his long-term commitment to Craigconnects, there is a good chance that Newmark will achieve exactly that.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Plugging into Play
Chances are good that you’ve done it at some point in your life. Maybe alone, maybe on a team, maybe without thinking about, or maybe while thinking too much about it, you’ve kicked or thrown or bounced a ball. That was the beginning of Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman’s innovative energy company, Uncharted Play. Founded in 2011, Matthews and Silverman both spend time in developing countries before coming up with their key concept: a ball that doubles as a portable generator.
Dubbed the sOccket Ball, the invention uses the kinetic energy of play to create and store usable electricity. The newest iteration of the ball, which currently comes only in a soccer ball version, though a basketball is under development, can be used to power things like LED lamps, water purifiers, and other small, electronic devices. Uncharted Play has teamed up with local organizations to promote the ball and teach people how to use it; so far they have distributed more than 2,500 balls to Mexico, El Salvador, Nigeria, Haiti and Costa Rica.
Not only is the sOccket Ball innovative from a technical standpoint, but Matthews and Silverman had the foresight to address another common problem with sport balls, especially those that experience frequent use: wear and tear. The average sport ball can be punctured or otherwise destroyed in a matter of months. The sOccket Ball is not only made of ninety-five percent recycled materials, it can never be deflated and has a projected lifespan of three to fifteen years. And after only fifteen minutes of play, the sOccket Ball can power a light for up to three hours.
The founders of Uncharted Play are not resting on their success, however. A team of engineers is already hard at work on a new version of the sOccket Ball, working not only to make it more efficient and effective, but better inline with traditional soccer balls (it weighs slightly more and lacks some of the give). Whatever they come up with, Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman have already scored a goal for green, sustainable electricity.
Dubbed the sOccket Ball, the invention uses the kinetic energy of play to create and store usable electricity. The newest iteration of the ball, which currently comes only in a soccer ball version, though a basketball is under development, can be used to power things like LED lamps, water purifiers, and other small, electronic devices. Uncharted Play has teamed up with local organizations to promote the ball and teach people how to use it; so far they have distributed more than 2,500 balls to Mexico, El Salvador, Nigeria, Haiti and Costa Rica.
Not only is the sOccket Ball innovative from a technical standpoint, but Matthews and Silverman had the foresight to address another common problem with sport balls, especially those that experience frequent use: wear and tear. The average sport ball can be punctured or otherwise destroyed in a matter of months. The sOccket Ball is not only made of ninety-five percent recycled materials, it can never be deflated and has a projected lifespan of three to fifteen years. And after only fifteen minutes of play, the sOccket Ball can power a light for up to three hours.
The founders of Uncharted Play are not resting on their success, however. A team of engineers is already hard at work on a new version of the sOccket Ball, working not only to make it more efficient and effective, but better inline with traditional soccer balls (it weighs slightly more and lacks some of the give). Whatever they come up with, Jessica Matthews and Julia Silverman have already scored a goal for green, sustainable electricity.
ModCloth: The Internet's Fashion Spot
When most people want to get rid of clothes that no longer fit or were never quite their style, they donate them to a charity or have a yard sale. In 2003, Susan Gregg Koger took a different approach: she created a website to sell vintage finds from thrift stores that she had decided not to keep. The result was ModCloth.
Rather than a fairly static, staid website, Koger envisioned ModCloth as something much more akin to the experience of browsing a thrift store -- albeit an excellently organized one. Today the site still offers one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, but also offers clothes, accessories, and household supplies from current independent designers. There is also a social aspect to the company; the “Be the Buyer” section of the site where user votes determine collections that will later be sold through ModCloth.
With more than $15 million in revenue, Susan Gregg Koger’s ModCloth is maturing into not only a vital fashion portal, but a tastemaker.
Rather than a fairly static, staid website, Koger envisioned ModCloth as something much more akin to the experience of browsing a thrift store -- albeit an excellently organized one. Today the site still offers one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, but also offers clothes, accessories, and household supplies from current independent designers. There is also a social aspect to the company; the “Be the Buyer” section of the site where user votes determine collections that will later be sold through ModCloth.
With more than $15 million in revenue, Susan Gregg Koger’s ModCloth is maturing into not only a vital fashion portal, but a tastemaker.
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