Those of you who have ever been to the Indy 500 – or any big motorsports event – know that transporting a cooler from your car, to a tailgate, to your seat, and then back, can be a major pain.  Andrew Shelton, the founder of TrackPack Coolers, LLC, identified this need and figured why not make a cooler that takes the form of a backpack…and why not also make it so the backpack cooler dispenses drinks without having to take the backpack off.  Brilliant!  Thus, the TrackPack Cooler was born.

TrackPack Coolers, LLC manufactures a proprietary insulated backpack cooler called The TrackPack that is capable of dispensing beverage cans without the need for putting a cooler down, opening it, and rummaging through ice to find the cans. Founded in March 2006, TrackPack Coolers LLC has been retailing since January 2007. In its first year of operations TrackPack sold more than 8500 coolers through less than 100 retail locations.

I actually own a TrackPack Cooler – and let me tell you – the thing is awesome.  The TrackPack Cooler is a UNIQUE, proprietary backpack cooler – capable of dispensing 20 beverage cans. Each pack comes with 3 reusable freezer gel-packs (so there’s no leaking), a proprietary dispensing frame, and a water-proof liner (so the frame can be removed and the pack can be filled with just about anything…including ice). Inside each TrackPack an internal plastic frame holds beverage cans stacked on their sides in four vertical columns – a lot like a soda machine. To keep everything cool, the frame holds 3 REMOVABLE & REUSABLE GEL-PACKS so your drinks will stay cold all day –WITHOUT ICE!!! When you’re wearing the TrackPack, dispensing ports on either side of the bag can be opened to reveal the ice-cold beverages inside. It’s so easy! Just load it up and throw it on for a tailgate, party or event, all you’ll have to do is reach back and grab a cold one.

Maybe even more impressive than the actual product, is the way Andrew has built and runs his company…all…by…himself.  TrackPack is essentially a virtual business – design, manufacturing, and logistics are all outsourced.  The TrackPack founder handles most big event sales himself using an RV wrapped with TrackPack images and logos, as well as handling retail placement.  It is an impressive accomplishment to say the least.  The company has plans to expand its product line and begin increasing its workforce (to more than one), so it will be fun watching TrackPack transform from the model one-man virtual business to a big time player in the retail cooler market.

To learn more about TrackPack Coolers, LLC – or better yet – to buy a TrackPack – check out http://www.trackpackcoolers.com/.

Some great news for Bloomington, Ind software and technology start-ups – the Bloomington Technology Partnership recently joined the BizSpark program, which provides certain software technology companies with three years of free Microsoft software, including Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server, Visual Studio, SQL Server and more!  To be eligible for the BizSpark program, start-up companies must be:

• privately held
• have a software-based product or service at the core of their current or future business
• be in business for less than three years
• earn less than $1 million in annual revenue.

The entire press release follows:

Bloomington, Ind. — The Bloomington Technology Partnership announced today that they have joined BizSpark, an international program that provides software technology startup companies with three years of free Microsoft software.

“We are very excited to help bring cost savings to our local start up business community,” said Jeremy Sowders, Vice President of Business Development for the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) which manages the Bloomington Technology Partnership. “The BizSpark program by Microsoft is an innovative way to help companies during the critical early stages of development and for that reason we wanted to help make this resource available in Bloomington.”

The Bloomington Technology Partnership worked closely with the Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (IURTC) to bring the BizSpark program to the Bloomington area. “The Microsoft BizSpark program fits right into our mission of helping fledgling start up ventures successfully transition into profitable entities.” added Tony Armstrong, President & CEO of the IURTC. “By sponsoring this program the Bloomington Technology Partnership strengthens the position of both the Bloomington area and Indiana University-Bloomington in today’s ultra competitive start up business environment.”

Microsoft programs available through BizSpark include Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server, Visual Studio, SQL Server and more. To be eligible for the BizSpark program, startup companies must be privately held, have a software-based product or service at the core of their current or future business, be in business for less than three years, and earn less than $1 million in annual revenue. A company may take part in the program for up to three years unless it goes public or is acquired by another company. There are no initial fees to join the program, but $100 is due from the company when it exits the program.

Companies can solicit the Bloomington Technology Partnership to be their BizSpark sponsor by visiting the program’s web page at http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/ and entering the section labeled “Startups.” After selecting the proper region, click on the Bloomington Technology Partnership as the sponsor organization.

About Bloomington Technology Partnership

The Bloomington Technology Partnership fosters the growth of Bloomington’s emerging high-tech economy. A public-private partnership established in 2008, it draws on the “best and brightest” to meet the needs of high-tech companies and their employees.

The Bloomington Technology Partnership is a program of the BEDC, a not-for-profit corporation funded through memberships from private industry, City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington. The Bloomington Technology Partnership is funded in part by the City of Bloomington. For more information go to www.bloomingtontech.com

Source: Bloomington Economic Development Corp.

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Pain.   Anyone who has ever had a surgical procedure knows that after the procedure there is lots of postoperative pain.  Medical care facilities have historically relied on the administration of narcotics to treat post-surgical pain, which sometimes includes side effects such as grogginess and nausea.  Enter Symbios.

Symbios is a medical device company that designs, manufactures, markets and sells pain management solution; Symbios’ current products, commonly known as disposable pain pumps, deliver post-operative anesthetic pain medication (non-narcotic) to surgical sites, which according to Symbios is an economically an clinically superior way to treat pain management. Its products are used routinely on a daily basis by more than 65 medical care facilities (a number that is growing fast) as a post operative pain management solution for a wide variety of clinical procedures.

According to Symbios, a $3.2 billion opportunity exists in the acute care market for incisional surgeries and continuous peripheral nerve blocks. Published studies indicate that less than ten percent of this $3.2 billion market is currently using disposable pain pumps. The balance of the market is either still prescribing systemic narcotics or is unaware of the relatively new development and advantages of pain pumps for post-surgical pain management. Because of this, Symbios President Herb Senft is excited about the company’s potential:

Symbios is at an exciting point in its evolution. Our market is huge, and is growing 25% or more annually. We have a very competitive product with features that our customers really like and prefer. With national coverage through a series of independent distributors, our products are being introduced to hospitals nationwide. And we have an exciting new product in development that is already catching the attention of several large industry players

A solid product – and a huge and relatively untapped market – make Symbios an Indianapolis start-up to watch!

Carmel, Indiana based start-up ChaCha raised $4,o00,000 earlier this month according to a recent SEC filing.   According to the filing, $2,000,000 of the capital raised will be used to pay off approximately $2,000,000 in debt owed to Citi Smith Barney.

The original incarnation of ChaCha never really made much sense to me – but the newer mobile search service is fabulous.  I am a HUGE fan of all things Google, but the ChaCha mobile/SMS search service is waaaaay better than than Google’s SMS search.  With Google I usually get back garbly goop – but ChaCha SMS sends back coherent, understandable  (and usually very helpful and accurate) responses. Example – I sent a message to each service  with the following question:   “What time does the Indianapolis Children’s Museum open?”  Google sent me a list of useless results that went on for 3 text messages.  I may have the time and screen space to rummage through lots of results when searching Google on my laptop – but not on my blackberry.  Cha Cha sent me exactly what I needed and more – the hours of operation and the phone number for the Children’s Museum.

I have seen Cha Cha take some heat online, most notably from TechCrunch.  Maybe some of it is deserved, who knows.  But you can’t deny that they keep on chugging (or Cha Cha-ing).  They redefined themselves by ditching what was probably a bad idea and diving into mobile search.  And they continue to raise capital.  Still not really sure what is up with the office space right in Clay Terrace – but then again I guess it is walking distance to Qdoba.

Nico Corporation, an Indiana medical device start-up located in Indianapolis, announed on July 20 that they have closed a $10MM round of funding.  Congratulations to Nico.  Here is the entire release:

NICO Corporation, founded by several experienced Indiana life science executives, announced today that it has secured $10 million in Series C funding from more than 45 new investors. NICO is a privately-held medical device company holding exclusive worldwide patent rights to the newest automated minimally invasive neuro and spinal tissue and tumor removal instruments to hit the commercial market in more than a decade. The investment round was led by familiar names to the Indiana life sciences community Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Twilight Venture Partners, River Cities Capital Funds, Clarian Health Ventures, and The HALO Group.

“NICO is one of those companies that has all the right ingredients for a success story, said Carter McNabb, managing director of River Cities Capital Funds. “Innovative technology, compelling clinical applications and experienced leadership are all components of the NICO story line. NICO’s leadership team produced outsized results in the past with Suros Surgical Systems, and we believe they are poised to do it again with NICO.”

Indiana’s life science sector continues to show signs of strength even during challenging economic times. NICO is part of that Midwest sector growth and launched its first product, the NICO Myriad™, in May. The company has raised more than $12 million in total investments with over 60 investors. NICO President and CEO Jim Pearson said this most recent funding round will allow the company to expand the product line and prove out the sales cycle while building market momentum into 2010.

“Securing this level of commitment from investors who understand the importance of integrating reliable and industry-changing technology with a solid business plan indicates an unprecedented level of confidence during unpredictable economic times,” said Pearson. “These investments will allow NICO to ramp-up production and ultimately provide patients with new minimally invasive surgery options.”

The NICO Myriad is designed for all soft tumor tissue removal in the central nervous system and offers surgeons significantly more control for delicate tissue shaving on and around critical structures while drastically reducing surgical procedure times. It can be inserted down the working channel of an endoscope and is uniquely capable of cutting, aspirating and dissecting tissue without removal from the surgical field.

“This device has tremendous potential to play a significant role in enabling access and ensuring safety in the removal of brain tumors near critical structures and in tight spaces,” said Dr. Troy Payner, neurological surgeon and president of the Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group. “It offers several advantages over existing technology, especially for minimally invasive neurosurgery and endoscopic neurosurgery. It may also have applications in the spine, which could be revolutionary.”

The NICO product line is unique in its ability to advance the industry towards more minimally invasive approaches because it uses no heat and can eliminate patient risk from heat damage to adjacent critical structures such as nerves or blood vessels. They are capable of being used in all open and endoscopic procedures, allowing the physician superior access with a tool that is about the size of a pencil. NICO products are also completely automated, which improves the rate of tissue removal during open and endoscopic surgery.

The NICO technology offers a unique advantage that can shorten the duration of surgery, preserve critical structures, and improve the extent of resection of certain brain tumors, all of which will improve patient outcomes,” added Dr. Payner.

More than 200,000 people in the United States and 2 million people worldwide are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year. They are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children under the age of 20, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in male adults ages 20-29, and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in females ages 20-29. The Myriad device has clinical applications for both adult and children patient populations.

To learn more about NICO Corporation and the NICO Myriad, visit www.niconeuro.com.

NICO Corporation, founded by several experienced Indiana life science executives, announced today that it has secured $10 million in Series C funding from more than 45 new investors. NICO is a privately-held medical device company holding exclusive worldwide patent rights to the newest automated minimally invasive neuro and spinal tissue and tumor removal instruments to hit the commercial market in more than a decade. The investment round was led by familiar names to the Indiana life sciences community Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Twilight Venture Partners, River Cities Capital Funds, Clarian Health Ventures, and The HALO Group.

“NICO is one of those companies that has all the right ingredients for a success story, said Carter McNabb, managing director of River Cities Capital Funds. “Innovative technology, compelling clinical applications and experienced leadership are all components of the NICO story line. NICO’s leadership team produced outsized results in the past with Suros Surgical Systems, and we believe they are poised to do it again with NICO.”

Indiana’s life science sector continues to show signs of strength even during challenging economic times. NICO is part of that Midwest sector growth and launched its first product, the NICO Myriad™, in May. The company has raised more than $12 million in total investments with over 60 investors. NICO President and CEO Jim Pearson said this most recent funding round will allow the company to expand the product line and prove out the sales cycle while building market momentum into 2010.

“Securing this level of commitment from investors who understand the importance of integrating reliable and industry-changing technology with a solid business plan indicates an unprecedented level of confidence during unpredictable economic times,” said Pearson. “These investments will allow NICO to ramp-up production and ultimately provide patients with new minimally invasive surgery options.”

The NICO Myriad is designed for all soft tumor tissue removal in the central nervous system and offers surgeons significantly more control for delicate tissue shaving on and around critical structures while drastically reducing surgical procedure times. It can be inserted down the working channel of an endoscope and is uniquely capable of cutting, aspirating and dissecting tissue without removal from the surgical field.

“This device has tremendous potential to play a significant role in enabling access and ensuring safety in the removal of brain tumors near critical structures and in tight spaces,” said Dr. Troy Payner, neurological surgeon and president of the Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group. “It offers several advantages over existing technology, especially for minimally invasive neurosurgery and endoscopic neurosurgery. It may also have applications in the spine, which could be revolutionary.”

The NICO product line is unique in its ability to advance the industry towards more minimally invasive approaches because it uses no heat and can eliminate patient risk from heat damage to adjacent critical structures such as nerves or blood vessels. They are capable of being used in all open and endoscopic procedures, allowing the physician superior access with a tool that is about the size of a pencil. NICO products are also completely automated, which improves the rate of tissue removal during open and endoscopic surgery.

The NICO technology offers a unique advantage that can shorten the duration of surgery, preserve critical structures, and improve the extent of resection of certain brain tumors, all of which will improve patient outcomes,” added Dr. Payner.

More than 200,000 people in the United States and 2 million people worldwide are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year. They are the leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children under the age of 20, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in male adults ages 20-29, and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in females ages 20-29. The Myriad device has clinical applications for both adult and children patient populations.

To learn more about NICO Corporation and the NICO Myriad, visit www.niconeuro.com.

If you are like me, you probably live in a community with an HOA.  You know the drill – you elect a board, they have board meetings and do HOA board stuff, you get a bill for HOA dues, and maybe you complain to your HOA about something or another once in awhile.  No real interaction or communication with your HOA – or anyone in your community outside of your immediate neighbors.  My community actually has a monthly print magazine that goes out, which is helpful, but I have always thought it would be so cool to have a community/neighborhood website.

Enter Neighborino.com.  Neighborino.com is an Indiana based start-up that provides HOA / Community websites which facilitate communication, socialization and commerce between homeowners, renters, managing associations and businesses. It is a sweet web based application that allows residents to interact with each other and their HOA.  It has a slick, simple to use interface.  And it has a very affordable price point.

Some of the highlights of the application, as described on the Neighborino.com website:

• Improve communication, community, visibility, and the value of your neighborhood.
• Reduce management time and questions by sharing forms, documents, and procedures.
• Communicate with the HOA Board through private blog sessions.
• Post messages, schedule events, share HOA meeting notes and more in a central location.
• Stay up to date and in the know with blogs, events meetings and more.
• Clean out your garage while making money selling items through your free classifieds.
• Connect with neighbors through a secure directory. Even list your services, from babysitting to landscaping.
• Download your covenants, architectural request form, and other important HOA documents.

They also have option for property management companies that work with multiple HOAs.

Pretty cool.  Now I just need to talk my HOA into signing up.