Point225. Courtesy photo Anthony Cormier, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation.
At the end of every month, we recap the biggest tech and startup happenings in Rhode Island. We have an archive of past roundups here. To get this info weekly (Tuesday afternoons, to be exact), sign up for the Rhode Island Inno Beat newsletter.
Let’s take a look.
- Disaster preparedness is in the headlines once more: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has granted the Rhode Island Department of Health $5.4 million, the majority of which will go toward public health emergencies and disaster prep via the Public Health Emergency Preparedness’ cooperative agreement. $445,000 of the total funding will be given to labs and surveillance systems that “help track infectious diseases and detect and identify high-priority public health threats,” Homeland Preparedness reports.
- In May, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce’s economic development division Connect Greater Newport hosted a ” Business Walk” to get a feel for the state of the region’s entrepreneurial community. 90 business owners throughout seven area towns participated, and the results are in. One finding illustrates that 92 percent of Newport businesses “report stability and growth.”
- On July 19, Gov. Gina Raimondo and other Rhode Island officials cut the ribbon of the Wexford Innovation Complex. The move marked the official debut of the space on the former I-95 land in Providence. The 196,000 square-foot building will house anchor tenants such as Brown University, the Cambridge Innovation Center, Wexford Science and Technology and Johnson & Johnson. Venture Café will also have a space in complex, which is situated within the heart of the city’s Jewelry District.
- Aquanis, Inc., a wind turbine solutions company out of East Greenwich, and Bouckaert Industrial Textiles of Woonsocket are the latest recipients of the state's Innovation Vouchers. Aquanis received $50,000 and Bouckaert received a manufacturing voucher worth slightly north of $49,000. For the unitiated, the Innovation Voucher program is facilitated by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation in an effort to increase research and development work in the Ocean State.
- The Newport Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Administration have teamed up for a new partnership, WhatsUpNewp reports. Together, the two entities will bring "comprehensive business tools, resources and training seminars to the region on a regular basis” said Executive Director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce Erin Donavan Boyle in the report.
- For the most part, it seems Uber riders and drivers find a happy medium during their jaunts around the Ocean State. If a driver is chatty, a rider can hint that they’re not in the mood for conversation, or vice-versa. But sometimes social cues go unobserved. And sometimes you might not want to hint-hint your way to quiet time. That’s where Uber’s new “Uber Comfort” feature, which launched in Rhode Island and 40-plus other cities last Tuesday, comes in. For a higher price, it allows riders to choose “quiet preferred” in their Uber app if they want to ride in silence. They can also choose “happy to chat” or “no preference.”
- Providence-based Maternova has debuted a new Spanish-language version of its website. The company’s mission is straightforward: “We develop, curate, and distribute the innovations that save maternal and infant lives.” The move, the team said, allows the company to “better reach with our partners in Latin America” and it was “thankful work with those who have helped us launch this project.” Check it out here
- The Community College of Rhode Island has purchased a new, immersive resource to better the care of those with dementia via tech-based instruction and insight. Created by author and gerontology specialist P.K. Beville, the Virtual Dementia Tour has users wear sensory-altering items in dimly lit rooms. Then, they’re required to complete a list of simple tasks during a set timeframe — all while struggling with impaired hearing, vision and/or sensation.
- The University of Rhode Island has announced that 62 undergraduate students will participate in its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program, which allows participants to conduct graduate-level research during the 10-week training. Said students represent nine different local colleges and universities, with 27 participants from the University of Rhode Island.
- On July 1, parts of Providence will receive Verizon Communication’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, Yahoo! Finance reports. It will follow the tech’s Denver, Colo. debut, which occurred last week. College Hill, Mt. Hope, Federal Hill, Providence College and Rhode Island School of Design are all covered by the rollout.
