VizKinect’s eye-tracking system changes advertizing game

Incorporated on Sept. 17, 2011, VizKinect’s cutting-edge biometric eye-tracking system is set to

VizKinect founder Norm Smith (right) and COO Ron Nichols flank the development team of Mbinya Ndonye, Bailey Hein and Ellin Nesbitt at their offices at C4Cube in Reno.

revolutionize the way advertisements, movies and other media get our attention.

The VizKinect system takes eye-tracking, which has been around for 30 years in various forms, and simultaneously expands and simplify the entire process. The value to advertisers is immense, said Norm Smith, VizKinect chairman and president.

VizKinect will test focus groups of up to 20 people at once, analyze the results quickly to produce nearly instantaneous feedback.

“This will be a game changer (in several industries),” Smith said.

Advertisers and product-placement specialists will be able to tell if consumers see their message before spending millions on actually airing the ad on television or paying for a product to be in a movie.

Up until now, eye-tracking was done one person at a time in a lab with elaborate equipment. Almost every research institution has a version, but it becomes obsolete, is expensive to buy and to train people to use, plus eye color and skin pigmentation can throw off the results, explained Ron Nichols, VizKinect chief operating officer.

Not so with the VizKinect system.

VizKinect uses no invasive equipment. Test subjects either wear special glasses, or have a special scanner follow their eye movements. They just sit and watch the screen. The system records (tracks) where individuals look at a video screen. Do they look at what an advertiser or movie director wants? The data will tell.

Smith, a successful serial entrepreneur, said $354,000 has been invested in developing and refining the VizKinect system so far. It has two patents pending and numerous trademarks on the unique programs and equipment. The company is seeking $3 million from investors to expand.

“Part of the beauty of VizKinect is that it will adapt and change over time and we can use (any type of) tracking technology,” said Nichols. The uniqueness is in the system, the code and the analysis process, which the team, including Ellen Nesbitt, Bailey Hein and Mbinya Ndonye, has spent months refining and streamlining to work out the kinks.

Focus groups can be run in VizKinect’s offices in Reno or at a client’s location – with results delivered in time to reshoot for more effectiveness. Basic focus group and analysis work starts at $5,000. For an agency spending millions on producing and placing an ad, it is money well spent, Smith said.

Data can be broken down by age, gender, race and other metrics, Nesbitt said.

VizKinect is being developed at the C4Cube offices inReno.  C4Cube is a non-profit business incubator started in 2006 to help entrepreneurs start companies and to bring jobs to this area, said Ky Good, managing director of “The Cube.”

It’s working. Several types of companies have offices within C4Cube, including Eye-Com, another business working with biometrics in a very different way from VizKinect.

“Reno is a great place to start a business,” Smith said.

VizKinect is ramping up its staff. This summer it will have 10 employees and interns on board, by the end of 2013, Smith expects to have at least 72 working for the company. Most will be inReno, though the company expects to go global.

Reno Rebuild invests in downtown

Founded in April by childhood friends who are now local business owners, Reno Rebuild Project captures a portion of every dollar spent at certain local restaurants and puts it into a fund that will eventually help others open a business.

RenoRebuild Guys – photo by Reno Gazette-Journal

Michael Connolly, Chris Kahl and Zachary Cage run the Legends Grill, Sierra Tap House and the soon-to-open Brewer’s Cabinet started Reno Rebuild. The group pledged 5 cents of every sale at these establishments to the fund.

They made their fist deposit into the account on May 1.

“We have a current cash balance collected of $5,485.55! It is definitely a great start with our goal being $20k for 2013, so we are on a great pace,” said Michael Connolly.

After a year of deposits, the fund will be used to award one loan to non-franchised, small, local businesses.  The Community Foundation of Western Nevada, which is helping make the Reno Rebuild Project a non-profit organization, will administer the fund and help establish eligibility guidelines. One guideline already set: Each application must include a detailed business plan.

As the fund grows, the trio hopes to award more than one low-interest loan per year.

Reno Rebuild grew out of the trio’s struggle to get funding to start their own venture. Banks and other traditional sources simply wouldn’t lend, so they tapped into family and friends for financing. Realizing that not everyone has family and friends who can provide such support, they developed Reno Rebuild to extend a hand to other entrepreneurs.

“Someone just needs to give them the opportunity to meet their goal if they want to open their own business,” Kahl said. “It’s a cool opportunity for them.”

Other businesses have already expressed interest in participating in the program.

“We also structured it to where other business owners and individuals in general can put money in,” Connolly said.

Find out more at www.renorebuild.com

Being part of the Conversation

Everyone has a role to play in bringing Nevada out of the economic doldrums — whether as a consumer, a business owner, an entrepreneur or an investor.  Changing the perception from doom and gloom to optimism — in real terms, not just wishful thinking — plays a role.

Being part of that conversation — having a seat at the table of Entrepreneurship Nevada — means helping celebrate that goal by creating and writing a newsletter called ENevadaNow.  Entrepreneurship Nevada  is a nonprofit umbrella coalition of the many groups trying to get northern Nevadans back to work.  The groups do this by supporting, promoting and educating neophyte entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs. Some members such s NSBDC, SCORE and others also serve some of the 6,000 businesses in Washoe County with 1 to 4 employees.

My role: Senior editor of eNevadaNow.org, the newsletter/PR arm of the coalition.  This month’s newsletter celebrates:

• Bumblebee Blooms — a flower shop breaking even less than one year after opening in downtown Reno.
• VizKinect — a high-tech start-up firm using patented bio-metric eye tracking systems in a way that will revolutionize advertising and movie product placement, all from their offices in Reno.
• Reno Rebuild — a novel give-back effort on the part of several young businessmen that creates a loan fund specifically for new businesses
• Updates on other efforts and successes in the community.

The voice I bring to the table celebrates each member organization and their successes. Businesses can — and do — grow and thrive in Reno, Sparks and the surrounding communities.  These trailblazers deserve credit and notice. That’s what the newsletter does — praise these companies, and the various groups that helped get them there.

I believe in the project and the community and salute the people leading the effort to grow jobs in the Reno area.

Take a look at our latest ENevadaNow issue here, and give us your feed back on anything that can move us forward!

Opportunity knocks — even when you don’t realize it

Doors open and close in our lives all the time.  People, places, jobs — changes leave us sad and simultaneously offer us a chance to grow, explore and evolve.

My journey includes opportunity and setbacks.  Small town and island-living in Maine,  led to great adventures in college at Boston University, thanks to scholarships, sacrifices by my mom and grandparents, as well as my own hard work …

Post college sadness at losing my mom and becoming a guardian to a teen sister with developmental issues, led to opportunity in Washington, D.C. at USA Today.  Which is where I met my incredible spouse …

Eventually that led to our journey west and three terrific offspring … and a career as a freelance writer, editor and photographer covering and exploring northern Nevada through family adventures, special events,   business and real estate writing, education and sports ….

Empty nesting coincided with downsizing at the newspaper, which opened so many doors to personal and professional growth.

I landed initially at ProNet, a non-profit organization devoted to helping professionals get back to work. There I grew through training and course work in personal branding, social media for business, train the trainer to name just a few. The bonus: the camaraderie  and support of the 100-plus top-notch professionals in the group and the leadership of the professional staffers.

I grew to understand some of the unique skills and talents I bring to the table.  My writing, editing, marketing and an openness to the wider world brought opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship and how businesses outside newspaper work.

Networking skills grew through attending Western Industrial Nevada and Chamber of Commerce events.  I teamed with incredibly talented and insightful  people at E-Nevada.org determined to get Nevadans back to work through entrepreneurship.

That led to the creation of eNevadaNow.org an online newsletter for Entrepreneurship Nevada that I developed — and a seat at the table with the tier-one people who can make this happen.  I have a voice, a viewpoint and a value to add …  and people hear me!

Along the way I learned to write marketing proposals; started writing for Northern Nevada Business Weekly, designed a display for Grappers, Inc. and made so many new connections.

I stubbed my toe a few times — didn’t get a few jobs I applied for, fell flat on a few proposals I made, learned some things I don’t want to do and some I’m just not suited for …

In the long run, and it does feel like a long eight months, opportunities are opening up!  Thanks to all who continue to believe in me …

Have you found your journey includes huge boulders, little streams and ultimately promise?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader
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Reno as a launching pad for entrepreneurs

My quest to reinvent myself in the post-newspaper world has taken a decidedly entrepreneurial turn.  Networking and continuing education open doors to opportunities that may blend my long history as a writer/reporter, editor and photographer — and bring in a decent amount of money!

Three elements play into this latest adventure.  Education from the non-profit ProNetjobs network has expanded my social media, personal branding and

Matt Westfield of Startup Growth Strategies teaches entrepreneur classes unlike any other organization around. Read about it at sgs101.com

leadership/adult training credentials (including a UNR certification).  Taking the Startup Growth Strategies 101 class opened doors to working with the Entrepreneur’s Assembly — an umbrella coalition of non-profits in Reno that help people start and grow a business.  I call the dozen or so members the “alphabet soup” group. It includes SCORE, NSBDC, NIREC, NMI, EDAWN, KNPB, UNR, SGS, etc — more than a dozen entities.

Working with Entrepreneurship Nevada (e-nevada.org), I developed, designed and created a newsletter celebrating successes already here.

Not being with the Reno Gazette Journal any longer has opened doors with Northern Nevada Business Weekly and other publications.  I have fewer conflicts of interest and no longer worry about crossing that invisible barrier between reporter and subject.  I am free to network.

Meeting with the Carson Area Marketing and PR Network is opening other opportunities …

Through it all, I am meeting terrific, professional people who really have a stake in making good things happen — and they’re contributing their talents to building a brighter economic future for northern Nevada.

Last week UNR selected six student-led business teams to compete in the Sontag competition — and for  $50,000 in grant money to start a business. The prize is winner-take-all, funded by a UNR Alum.  More than 35 groups submitted plans for businesses that ranged from a “made in the USA” snowboard company to high-tech innovative ways to reuse tar.

I wrote a story for eNevadaNow.org about a former corporate worker starting

Denise Bevard is turning her passion for quilting into a money-making business as Fiddlesticks & Humility after taking the Entrepreneur's class from SGS101.com and joining the Entrepreneur's Assembly (ea-nv.org)

a business as a quilting expert.  Denise Bevard will parley her hand-quilting expertise under the Fiddlesticks & Humility banner. Her mentors believe she’ll be self-supporting quite soon.

The point is that mentors WANT to help start businesses here … and many offer their advice for free … because their organizations are privately funded or operate under government auspices.

A staffing company owner today told me that his business is picking up — and that hiring temporary staff is a leading indicator of economic recovery …   all hopeful signs ….

GO RENO!
 

Reno medical-facility design firm goes global

Holly O’Driscoll, 2/27/2012

Marie Wikoff of Wikoff Design Studios in Reno is carving out a niche in profitable field of medical facility design — and she’s becoming a part of Nevada’s growing community of exporters in the process.

Wikoff specializes in creating welcoming, soothing healing spaces, often for children. Her 100-plus medical-related projects range from small waiting areas to full treatment centers.

Along with northern Nevada projects, she’s handling work in Brazil. That’s bringing fresh dollars into the region’s economy and helping to support local suppliers who are waiting out the long downturn in construction.

“(Studies show) color and design can help with the healing process,” said Wikoff, a graduate of the Design Institute of San Diego.

Designing spaces for children is a specialty within the specialty. “A lot of modern design has sharp edges (strong defined lines). Well that doesn’t work for children. They bump into things and could get hurt,” Wikoff said.

And when it comes to design, age matters a lot. “Designing for children means (considering) a range of sizes. Not everything for little ones will work for teenagers, and you need to take that into account,” she said.

Two current projects highlight her talents. Carson Medical Group selected architect Jeff Frame, contractor Shaheen Beauchamp and designer Wikoff to build a 20,000-square-foot office. They chose this team in large part because Frame brought Wikoff to meet the physicians.

“Marie really listened to us. She really understood what we wanted,” said Dr. Sandra Koch.

When completed in March, the building at 1470 Medical Parkway will house 16 physicians and two nurse practitioners for two types of practices: OB/GYN and pediatrics. The design has separate offices and a common break and meeting areas. The flooring and wall colors coordinate, yet have distinctive differences.

The pediatric office has two waiting areas: one for sick children, one for well-visits. A glass wall decorated with an underwater sea-life scene separates the two. Bright colors accent the sandy-toned walls.

The OB/GYN office has soft, warm feminine tones accented with tans and pastels.

Frame designed the building; Wikoff influenced the interior, suggested the central staff area and colors for the exterior and landscape.

“It’s even more impressive and appealing now that it’s nearly done than we imagined,” said Michael Lollich, the group’s administrator. “Marie brought an artistic view to the entire project. She was influential in all the details, right down to the furnishings,” he said.

Wikoff’s other current project is the Hospital de Cancer de Barretos in Brazil. The hospital hired her to do the complete interior design work for a 90,000-square-foot children’s cancer center in the state of Sao Paulo. The first phase of about 20,000-square-feet is scheduled to open March 24.

The firm’s Web site opened the door to the Brazilian project.

“Brazilians love American design,” Wikoff said. Her Web site intrigued one of the project’s local architects, who recommended her to the hospital’s director Henrique Prata, a member of the family that built the 50-acre, 20-building non-profit hospital.

Though far from the ocean, her design for the center features cheery beach colors, portholes, coral and sea scenes to entertain children. Every area is color-coded.

Working with an international client poses challenges, Wikoff said. The language (Brazilians speak Portuguese) was big. “Thank goodness for translate.google.com,” Wikoff said. The time difference (six hours), initially meant 4 a.m. phone calls. Brazil uses the metric system, so every measurement is converted.

Brazil’s love of America is helping the northern Nevada economy. Wikoff has shipped more than $500,000 worth of design products for the first phase of the project — much of it from local businesses.

“I am creating, or helping companies maintain, local jobs,” Wikoff said. Companies she uses include VIA Inc., Reno Business Interiors, SI Legacy Floor Finishing, Nevada Lighting Representatives and Graybar Services. She also contracts with five former co-workers on various phases of the design work.

Wikoff moved to Reno in 2003 to work with HMC Architects. When the housing market crashed in 2009, she struck out on her own. “It was an opportunity to reinvent myself,” she said.

She started with a tiny budget of about $5,000, which she invested in the Web site and top-notch photos of her work. It’s paid off.

Northern Nevada Business Weekly

Laughter can rock your world, Steve Rizzo tells Reno crowd

Perspective is everything. So said comedian and motivational speaker Steve Rizzo today in Reno. Shifting our perspectives can rock our world — and change our trajectory in life and at work.

As I listened to him, I was struck by how he used humor to communicate one of my deepest beliefs. Laughter, and being able to laugh, is the ultimate triumph. No matter what life throws at you, if you can eventually find something to be grateful for and to bring laughter into your life, or back into your life, things will be OK.

Bad things happen, yet the sun shines; puppies and children play.

Changing our attitudes in small ways can change an entire day’s outcome and open opportunities we never thought of, Rizzo told the crowd at the Western Industrial Nevada breakfast at the Peppermill Hotel, in Reno.

I believe it. I live it … most days.

Rizzo had the crowd in stitches. Humor cuts through our defenses and makes us open to change.

Rizzo encouraged specific actions.

“Make a conscious choice to enjoy yourself in whatever you are doing today,” he said.  Too many people wait for “someday” to be happy.  Wrong attitude, he said.

“Enjoy yourself in whatever you are doing, wherever you are in your life today. Find enjoyment during the process — don’t wait for someday,” he said.

Someday never really comes. People who put obstacles in the way of happiness – who tell themselves that they’ll be happy once they get that next promotion, or when they lose the weight, or whatever, miss the opportunity to be happy now, and ultimately throughout their entire lives.

“Don’t put happiness on hold,” he said. You’ll never have it if you do.

So to change the way we view our lives, Rizzo offered the following advice:

“Focus on something that makes you grateful. Feel it with your heart and soul as soon as you open your eyes,” he said. Do it as soon, or even before, opening your eyes each day. That, he said, will change the way you approach your day.

Changing this one thing, Rizzo said, can change how you think, and ultimately how you live your life.  That old saying about change your attitude and change your world is true.

The better your attitude, the more opportunity, whether for friends, family, a better (or any!) job will come – because you are more open to it.

Other points Rizzo made:

“See the funny side of life. It is everywhere,” he advised

“Laughter results in an instant mind shift,” he said.

“Laughter is positive energy,” he emphasized.

“Enjoyment is the spark that ignites passion and enthusiasm,” he promised.

Rizzo is an accomplished comedian with many professional accolades and television credits. He, of course, had a great delivery, many stories and one-liners. He also relayed sad and touching stories that motivate him.

My take: We all have tough experiences. Those who find something to laugh about, ultimately, will overcome.

Thanks Mr. Rizzo for reminding us of that, and for brightening my day.

Have you tried this? Did it work for you? Talk to me ….

Entrepreneurs find help under new Reno banner

Navigating the maze of rules, laws, pitfalls and deal breakers involved in starting a business can stump — or slow down – even the savviest potential entrepreneur.

A new umbrella coalition called Entrepreneurship Nevada (e-nevada.org) brings more than a dozen groups to the table to help any business find the help they need. E-Nevada provides the info for you to find the right help for your niche. SCORE? NSBDC? NCET? UNR? SBA? — all the “alphabet soup” organizations are part of the coalition. 

It’s an unprecedented effort to help build a culture of cooperation with the goal of helping Reno, Sparks dig out of our economic mess.

I am editor of E-Nevada NOW – the newsletter. We published our first issue! Find it at ENevadaNOW.org  

This month’s  Success Story:  Soak Nail Spa & Lounge – from one employee to 25 in five years. Read how owners Shannon and Darin Dunlap did it. 

Board member Rod Hosilyk explains the mission behind the  NON-PROFIT E-Nevada.org.

Business-Plan competitions vet ideas for startup companies, much like on the TV show “Shark Tank”  and provide money (up to $50,000) for the winners. 

 The newsletter will grow and add features each month. Follow us … this is  an unprecedented community effort!

Have a suggestion of a company to feature? Special advice? Let us know.