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EKU Incubator News
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ICC Assists Harlan
Business in Gaining Loan from Commonwealth's High-Tech Investment
Pool
Data Futures, a software development company founded in 1983,
is a client of the ICC, located in the Business & Technology
Center on EKU’s campus. The West Liberty Innovation
Center (IC) also provided assistance. The ICC network
deploys a best-in-class commercialization model and provides
mentoring to assist growing entrepreneurs. The program assisted
Data Futures in various application reviews and proposal development
and has been beneficial in securing funding and addressing
future growth plans.
The High-Tech Investment Pool is used to build and promote
technology-driven industries in Kentucky.
“Typically the ICC works with new company start-ups
and novice entrepreneurs,” said Gary Marshall, Executive
Director, EKU ICC. “In this case, Data Futures
was already a very successful, well established eastern Kentucky
software company with experienced entrepreneurial management.
We were able to assist them in focusing their business plan
and financial projections to leverage their experience and
innovative product development to secure funding through innovative
state programs that assist technology development.”
Data Futures President Charleen Combs noted that “several
mentoring and training sessions have also proven very helpful.
The ICC/IC was able to identify and connect the applicable
economic development resources necessary to make us successful.
The program has clearly matured since its inception, as evidenced
by its proactive approach and comprehensive understanding
of the nature of businesses like Data Futures. It appears
that it is having a noticeable effect on the growth of technology
businesses in Kentucky.”
The award will fund development of the next generation of
the company’s CareScope and LunchBox software lines.
In addition to the funds allocated by KEDFA, Data Futures
will spend $240,000 on the hardware, software and technology
infrastructure necessary to the development efforts.
The project is expected to extend through 2009 and will require
hiring 20 new Kentucky-based employees paid an average salary
of $55,000 annually.
The funds will be used to purchase computer hardware, software,
network and communications equipment and supporting technology
to create the ideal climate for designing and developing advancements
to LunchBox and CareScope. Development, testing and quality
assurance tools are expected to speed up code generation and
software delivery to customers and to minimize defects. New
and upgraded computer and network equipment and communications
gear will increase efficiency and reduce or eliminate downtime.
Other upgrades will aid the company’s Help Desk processes.
In 2000, Data Futures began to explore developing software
for the health care industry, compelled by the challenge of
helping the underserved – the uninsured and underinsured
residents of southeastern Kentucky. This resulted in the creation
of CareScope software to assist communities and hospitals
nationwide with providing holistic care to the underserved
population, through health networks and electronic data sharing.
CareScope software is unique in that it focuses exclusively
on holistic care for the underserved. Social agencies, hospitals,
clinics, health departments and other organizations band together
in community coalitions that serve the uninsured and underinsured.
CareScope manages client and services data, provides access
to a community resources directory and coordinates reporting.
CareScope has a single point of entry, shares data securely
across community or other networks, is portable for field
workers and integrates with other medical and demographic
software and data. It is HIPPA compliant.
In a hospital setting, emergency department personnel use
CareScope’s resource directory to guide the client to
community resources, including primary care providers and
free or low cost medication. This helps to eliminate future
inappropriate emergency room visits and hospital stays, reducing
the millions of dollars written off annually for uncompensated
care and increasing funding for true charity care. The next
version of CareScope will feature advanced outcomes reporting
techniques and options for highly sophisticated user customization.
Data Futures has served K-12 school districts since its inception
and produces LunchBox for use by school nutrition departments.
LunchBox is a web-based software product with a full array
of functions that include point of sale, free and reduced
meal application management, inventory management and USDA-approved
menus and nutritional analysis. LunchBox offers touch screen
technology on the serving line, the option of on-line free/reduced
meal application entry and integrates with popular technology
such as biometric finger scanning (for student identification)
and vending machines used as point of sale devices. The next
generation of LunchBox will utilize developing technologies
such as free-standing kiosks that take deposits on account
anywhere on the school campus and offer students views of
school menus.
For more information about Data Futures, call 606-573-3883
or visit www.datafutures.com.
For more information about assistance available through the
ICC, contact Marshall at 859-622-8578 or gary.marshall@eku.edu;
or visit www.biztechincubator.eku.edu.
Click
here for more information
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