Toomah, an ATDC company based in Atlanta that automates the interviewing process, won the 2010 GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition. Toomah got $50,000 cash and more than $200,000 in donated services from the Atlanta business community.

Two of the three finalists in the fifth annual competition were also ATDC companies: Khu.sh, a music intelligence application company, and Transaction Tree, a green company. The third company, SolidFire, is a cloud computing company. The three will split the remaining $200,000 in pro bono services, a first for the competition.

So what if Stephen Fleming threw a party, and everybody came – including Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson? That was just about the experience at Monday’s ATDC Startup Showcase, which doubled as both the 2010 commencement event for a new class of graduates, and a celebration of the ATDC’s 30-year anniversary. In addition to featuring more than 40 ATDC member companies, the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center was filled with investors, professors, entrepreneurs and local startup celebs. It was an afternoon of innovation wrapped up by a special edition of the monthly Startup Drinks event – truly something for everyone who attended…  And as if on-cue for the anniversary, the ATDC was also recently named one of the “Ten Technology Incubators Changing the World” by Forbes Magazine – alongside such luminaries as the new-generation Y Combinator, and the world-renowned Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Forbes noted the ATDC has launched more than 120 companies over the last 30 years and has helped raise more than $1B in outside funding for member companies.

To read the full TechDrawl story, click here.

The Advanced Technology Development Center celebrated its 30th birthday by launching four more companies during a May ceremony.

Since starting in 1980, the center, which incubates businesses, has had 120 graduating businesses that have created more than 4,000 jobs in Georgia. It has generated an estimated $13 billion in revenues and more than $100 million in profits. Stephen Fleming, Phys 83, ATDC director and vice president of Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, thanked the state, ATDC employees and volunteers for their support over the years.

To read the full article in the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, click here.

When Tony Stark – a genius engineer and the hero of Marvel Studios’ new film Iron Man 2 – needed to train for the Monaco Grand Prix, only a top-notch racing simulator would suffice. Although Stark lives in a world inhabited by superheroes, he obtained the innovative technology in Atlanta from SimCraft, a member of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

The SimCraft APEX racing simulator is visible on the left side of Tony Stark's workshop/garage (Prologue Films VFX for Marvel Studios).

The SimCraft APEX racing simulator is featured prominently in the Iron Man 2 film, along with a number of unique cars and a folding wing aircraft. SimCraft produces a low-cost, military-grade, full-motion simulator that provides a simulated G-force for SimRacing and FlightSim at home. The system features a patent-pending chassis that rotates around three degrees of freedom. At its most advanced setup, the system allows the cockpit’s occupant to yaw up to 50 degrees to the left and right, pitch up to 30 degrees fore and aft, and roll up to 50 degrees port and starboard.

“The simulator shows up in three scenes, and in one scene in particular it takes up almost half the screen,” said Sean Patrick MacDonald, SimCraft’s co-founder. “The property master of the film, Russell Bobbitt, asked if they could have Tony Stark use the simulator as a prop and mark it as a Stark Industries creation. My response? Absolutely!”

Iron Man 2 marks a measure of success for an innovator’s son who is, like Stark, carrying on with his late father’s cutting-edge technology company. SimCraft was originally a retirement business for MacDonald’s father William; however, after his death in early 2002, Sean Patrick decided to expand upon his father’s mission. That expansion has brought SimCraft to its present day growth and cameo appearance in the film.

In this sequel to the blockbuster film based on the legendary Marvel superhero, the world is now aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is the armored Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. However, he doesn’t let these concerns stop him from racing at Monaco, where he confronts this fear in the form of evil genius Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) armed with energy whips.

In anticipation of the premiere, SimCraft hosted a simulated racing event with those who helped make the film possible. The SimCraft APEX shows up in the background and foreground of the workshop scenes in the movie.

About SimCraft:

SimCraft’s core innovation and technology is the simulation of vehicle movement. The company’s proprietary software and patent pending hardware provide realistic, zero latency motion™ for racing and flight simulation. This high performance system provides an unparalleled virtual environment from training applications by honing technical skills and experimentation with vehicle setups to the ultimate in pure entertainment. For more information about SimCraft’s advanced motion technology, visit http://www.SimCraft.com.

About the ATDC:

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is a startup accelerator that helps Georgia technology entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. Founded in 1980, ATDC has helped create millions of dollars in tax revenues by graduating more than 120 companies, which together have raised more than a billion dollars in outside financing. ATDC has provided business incubation and acceleration services to hundreds of Georgia startups – most of which are not based on Georgia Tech research, but which benefit from the close proximity to the university.

Recently ATDC expanded its mission by merging with Georgia Tech’s VentureLab and with the Georgia Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Assistance Program.  This change has enabled ATDC to greatly extend its reach to serve more technology companies along multiple growth paths and at all stages of development.  ATDC has opened its membership to all technology entrepreneurs in Georgia, from those at the earliest conception stage to the well-established, venture-fundable companies.

ATDC is part of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²) at Georgia Tech, which helps Georgia enterprises improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation.  ATDC currently has three facilities; two at Georgia Tech’s main campus in Atlanta, and one at Georgia Tech’s satellite campus in Savannah.

Research News & Publications Office
Enterprise Innovation Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 314
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA

Media Relations Contacts: Michael Boardman (877-746-2723); e-mail: (moc.tfarcmisnull@rp) or Nancy Fullbright (912-963-2509); e-mail: (ude.hcetag.etavonninull@thgirblluf.ycnan).

Writer: Nancy Fullbright

Stephen Fleming, vice president of EI2, was interviewed by TechDrawl about the upcoming ATDC Showcase. The event, to be held on Monday, May 24, at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center, will celebrate the class of 2010 and its 30th anniversary.  Founded in 1980, ATDC has helped create millions of dollars in tax revenues by graduating more than 120 companies, which together have raised more than a billion dollars in outside financing.

Watch the interview here.

For more information about the Showcase, click here.

ATDC company Khush was recently featured in Techview Atlanta for its intelligent music application LaDiDa, a reverse karaoke iPhone application that analyzes sung vocals and composes matching accompaniment. Using artificial intelligence, the application analyzes the voice of the person singing into the phone and plays it back with appropriate music.

Khush was founded in May 2009 as one of Shotput Ventures’ first class of eight companies. It raised a total so far of about $129,000 from a Shotput seed investment, a grant from Georgia Tech’s VentureLab , and an angel investment from Rackspace executive Pat Matthews.

To read the entire article, click here.

Suniva, a Georgia-based manufacturer of advanced solar cells, was recognized by Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu as “An American Success Story” on his White House blog.

The entry followed Chu’s visit to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where Suniva’s technology was developed.

The company, which designs, manufactures and markets advanced solar energy cells, is the brainchild of Ajeet Rohatgi, director of the University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research and Education at Georgia Tech. Suniva is a graduate member of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a start-up accelerator that helps Georgia technology entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies. ATDC is part of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) at Georgia Tech, which helps Georgia enterprises improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation.  ATDC currently has three facilities; two at Georgia Tech’s main campus in Atlanta, and one at Georgia Tech’s satellite campus in Savannah.

To read Secretary Chu’s full blog entry, click here.

Forbes Magazine has named ATDC to its new list of the “ten technology incubators that are changing the world.”

Forbes Magazine has named Georgia Tech’s science and technology startup accelerator, the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), to its new list of the “ten technology incubators that are changing the world.”  ATDC is the only incubator in the Southeast to be included on the Forbes list.

In its brief description of ATDC, Forbes noted that the program has graduated more than 120 companies since 1980 and that companies associated with ATDC have collectively raised more than $1 billion in outside financing.  “The companies are heavy with Georgia Tech alumni,” the magazine noted, “but that’s not a requirement.”

According to Forbes, the United States has more than 300 incubators that host approximately 6,000 companies.  Many of them associated with universities, the incubators provide a broad range of support, from shared laboratory equipment to accounting and secretarial support, the magazine said.

Incubators like the ATDC, Forbes added, “are increasingly drawing intellectual capital from around the world.”  The magazine said it worked with CB Insights, a New York firm that tracks private-company funding trends – including venture capital private equity and government-backed deals – to select 10 “especially crackling innovation hubs.”

Forbes is the third leading U.S business publication to cite ATDC’s record of success in helping Georgia entrepreneurs.  Inc. Magazine and BusinessWeek had earlier included ATDC on their lists of leading incubators.

Part of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, the ATDC now has more than 300 companies in its program.  ATDC helps Georgia technology entrepreneurs launch and build successful companies.  As part of its incubation and acceleration services, ATDC helps Georgia Tech faculty members and researchers form new companies based on intellectual property developed in the Institute’s $500 million-per-year research program.  ATDC also helps companies compete for and win federal grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

“Startups play an essential role in creating new jobs and growing the economy,” noted Stephen Fleming, Georgia Tech vice provost and executive director of the Enterprise Innovation Institute.  “We are proud of the many companies that have emerged from ATDC – and those currently in our program that are Georgia’s technology leaders of the future.”

On May 24^th, ATDC will celebrate its 30^th anniversary at its annual startup showcase and celebration.  That makes the Forbes honor especially timely, Fleming noted.

“As ATDC prepares to celebrate its 30^th anniversary, this recognition demonstrates that it remains relevant and important to the entrepreneur community in Georgia,” he said.  “As we enjoy this attention, we thank those who have supported ATDC over many years: the Georgia General Assembly, the Georgia Research Alliance, the Georgia Tech administration and all of the volunteers who have shared their time and expertise with companies.  Becoming one of the top programs in the world required long-term investment by many people and organizations.”

Other incubator programs cited in the Forbes list were:

• The Environmental Business Cluster (San Jose, CA)

• Houston Technology Center (Houston, TX)

• The IceHouse (Auckland, New Zealand)

• Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (Worcester, MA)

• Palo Alto Research Center (Palo Alto, CA)

• The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (Champaign, IL)

• The Technology Innovation Center (Evanston, IL)

• University Research Park & MGE Innovation Center at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI)

• Y Combinator (Mountain View, CA)