The Cade Prize for Innovation
First annual competition to recognize Florida innovators
On June 11, 2010, the first annual Cade Prize Prize for Innovation was awarded to Tutor Matching Service. The winning team was drawn from 4 finalists, who were selected on June 1, and previously from 16 semi-finalists who were announced on April 14. Over 100 entries from Florida were received by March 31.
Among the criteria used to judge each round were the degree of innovation, the readiness of the team to launch its idea, the ability of the Prize to take the team to the next level, and the innovation's potential impact on a national and global scale.
The initial screening was conducted by the following distinguished judges and subject matter experts from across the country:
- Dr. Pam Bird, Founder, Innovative Product Technologies, Sandpoint, Idaho
- Mr. Richard Fox, Partner, Astralis Group, Orlando, Florida
- Mr. Jim Frierson, Founder, Kruesi Center for Innovation, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Dr. Carrie Hartill, Chief Scientific Officer, RTI Biologics, Gainesville, Florida
- Dr. Cris Johnsrud, President Pathfinder Research, Gainesville, Florida
- Dr. Claire Kaufman, Patent Examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC
- Mr. Jonathan Lourie, Partner, Edwards, Angle, Palmer, and Dodge, Boston, Massachusetts
- Mr. Richard Seline, Principal, Regionnovate LLC, Washington DC
- Mr. Booker Schmidt, Director, Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center, Gainesville, Florida
- Dr. Robert Staat, Professor of Microbiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
The final round judges were:
- Ms. Eileen Bartholomew, Senior Director of Prize Development at the X-Prize Foundation;
- Dr. Larry Hench, Graduate Research Professor of Ceramics at the University of Florida, and the inventor of BioGlass;
- Ms. Jeannie Tennant, a technology transfer specialist and entrepreneur;
- Dr. Nan-Yao Su, Professor of Entomology at the University of Florida and the inventor of the Sentricon termite control system.
For more information contact Kathleen Davis at 352-381-7100 or or e-mail: kdavis@cademuseum.org
About the Cade Prize for Innovation
In 2010, the Cade Museum sponsored its first annual competition to recognize and promote Florida innovators. The award consists of a $50,000 cash prize, funded through a generous grant from the Gainesville Community Foundation, plus one year of in-kind support provided by the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce and access to the GainesvilleTechnology Enterprise Center (GTEC) and its programs. The competition was open to Florida-based innovators who were taking their first steps towards commercialization.