InnoVision Forum Series

Leading Beyond the Crisis

Prisma Health and Rapid Innovation

Sponsored by Upstate SC Alliance

On October 8th, Prisma Health’s Dr. Alain Litwin led a discussion about Prisma’s Rapid Innovation Task Force and the projects, partners, and lessons learned during this season of Covid-19.

Dr. Litwin was joined by Jerry Chang, CEO of Samaritan Biologics, Cody Reynolds, the Technology Transfer Manager at Prisma Health Systems, and other innovation task force collaborators.

Dr. Litwin is the Vice Chair of Academics and Research in the Department of Medicine at Prisma, a Professor of Medicine with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, and a professor in Clemson University’s School of Health Research.

Humimic’s Pivot to New Product Line and Market

Sponsored by Tetramer Technologies

We talked to Humimic Medical’s founder and CEO Joel Edwards about his company’s decision to respond to the national call for PPE.

Humimic Medical is a young company in Greenville SC that manufactures a synthetic tissue gel that simulates skin, fat, and even heart tissue – and is useful for many medical research purposes. Humimic pivoted from making synthetic tissue for medical research to also making face shields for personal protection (PPE).  Face shields were a wholly new product for a wholly new market – and speed of innovation mattered a lot.

 

Van Robotics

Van Robotics, headquartered in Columbia SC, develops social robots that teach skills-based lessons while collecting data about individual users and leveraging machine learning techniques to develop smart, social robot tutors. You can learn more about Abii, the engaging robot tutor by clicking here to visit Abii’s World.

Van Robotics builds smart social robots that use artificial intelligence and instructional content to help classroom teachers with small group activities and one-on-one tutoring.  After proving its robotic technology in 2018 and then conducting an extensive beta test with classroom teachers and students in 2019, Van Robotics was ready to launch its go-to-market strategy in 2020.  They had a full calendar of tradeshows and conventions planned for marketing to educators and the technology sector– all of which were canceled under the threat of the Covid-19 virus.  Laura Boccanfuso, founder and CEO, discusses Van Robotics, its mission and products, and how Covid forced them to change their marketing approach but opened up unexpected new applications and new marketing opportunities.

Contec, Inc: Pandemic Pivots

If you didn’t join our premier broadcast on July 28, you missed an inspiring story with lessons learned from the Contec leadership team.  You may click below for a replay of the team’s  discussion of the sudden, unexpected challenges they faced across the company when the COVID crisis emerged.  Contec, headquartered in Spartanburg, is a leading manufacturer of contamination control products for manufacturing and healthcare environments.  

You will learn the answers to the questions below and others asked during the Q&A session.

  • How did this leading SC firm handle the COVID crisis? 
  • What were the effects on their employees, production floor, supply chain and strategic customers?  
  • What role did each of the members of the Executive Leadership Team play?
  • What can their experience tell us about how to manage through a crisis?