This week I went to a UVEF meeting (Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum) lunch that honored inventors. The event was alive with the spirit of ideas and innovation. We had three choices to vote on as the best invention. All states should sponsor an event like this. Prizes were cash but also a lot of needed services such as time with design, patents, and marketing agencies. Overall I was impressed at the quality of the sponsors, ideas, and people who attended.

Often we’re worst at marketing our own inventions – we’re too close to them to be objective. Reading through all of the entries was frustrating. I really had to decipher what their invention was, who it was for, and its value. Their own descriptions were a bit cryptic.

I voted for Klymit (their web site needs love) and they also took first place. Their description talks about insulation – and at first glance I thought it was home insulation. Really they’ve invented a material that is like Thinsulate but thinner and warmer. It has chambers that fill with gas and adjust to your body temperature. They market it to the upscale outdoor rec/ski industry but the army has expressed interest. Imagine being able to stay warm wearing a coat as thin as a t-shirt. Their management team, potential deals with big brands like North Face and the like, ambition, and creativity was inspiring. They have patents and sub patents in the works. All this on an angel investment of $375k. If I were an investor in that industry, I’d want to talk.

The other entrepreneur invented a portable landing system to guide emergency helicopters. It forms a series of flashing lights to help the helicopter land and take off quickly at the scene of a crime or accident. The lights are visible from far away and distinguishable from other lights like police cars and street lights. The man who introduced the concept is in law enforcement. He told how shaving off a few moments getting to the hospital saved a little girl’s life. It was poignant. He wasn’t as far in development but I can see the potential.

Third place went to an ice cream maker that mounts on a kid’s bicycle. It makes a few cups of ice cream. His little girl demonstrated it for us and they were charming, but it just wasn’t as compelling as the other ideas. Notable though is that he’s the inventor of the Bice Cream Maker he has built a successful business. It’s called Shelf Reliance and they sell shelving that helps organize your canned food in the pantry or storage room.

I got to catch up with a few friends I haven’t seen in a while. I happily work for a company that buzzes with ideas and energy – and it’s so engaging. There’s a certain passion that livens up the world when an entrepreneur pitches their ideas. Especially when you see the vision and believe their potential.

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