Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Innovation
    • Innovation
    • IT Management

    IBM Helps Startups Set Course to a Smarter Planet in Silicon Valley

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    December 20, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Two startups, New Jersey-based Coriell Life Sciences and OnFarm from Fresno, Calif., are taking very different paths on their journeys to help create a smarter planet. But in February, their paths will merge as both startups head to the global SmartCamp Global finals event in San Francisco.

      Both Coriell Life Sciences and OnFarm were recently crowned finalists in the North American SmartCamp event, part of the IBM Global Entrepreneur program. The event was fittingly held in the hotbed of U.S. innovation, Silicon Valley.

      Coriell Life Sciences uses advanced analytics to help doctors prescribe the right medicines, and in the right dosages, based on a patient’s DNA. OnFarm employs cloud computing to provide farmers with real-time analytics that can help them conserve water and improve yields.

      High-tech medicine and agricultural analytics couldn’t be further apart as industries go. Yet these companies share one common thread: IBM tech.

      As one of the world’s most prolific patent holders, IBM is no stranger to innovation or Silicon Valley. (The company runs a startup-friendly Innovation Center in Foster City, Calif.) Now, the IT systems and services giant is helping technology startups bring their own innovations to market by leveraging the company’s cloud-enabled, enterprise-grade IT solutions in novel ways.

      Innovation Is in Their DNA

      Coriell Life Sciences’ technology is already showing results. “Better than 80 percent of patients screened with our 23-drug panel find at least one actionable result,” said Coriell Life Sciences CEO Scott Megill. The cost-savings, not to mention the life-saving potential of the platform is staggering.

      “Prescription medicine global costs annually top $850 billion. Drugs don’t work for all individuals,” revealed Megill. For example, “27 percent of the world’s population can’t metabolize Plavix, the second best-selling drug in the world.” Worse, he explained, “Adverse reactions are the fifth leading cause of death, the fourth leading cause of all hospitalizations.”

      Today, the company is poised to help reverse the current state of affairs. Coriell Life Sciences, said Megill, was “built upon six years of research to provide a genetic diagnostic that can inform doctors what drugs will work for their patients and which might be dangerous—all delivered in a simple way that doesn’t require the physician to become geneticists in order to use.”

      IBM’s WebSphere Business Process Management system serves as Coriell Life Sciences’ “core orchestration engine for all transactions between health care providers, genomic sequencing labs and genome interpretation providers,” said Megill. “DB2 is the central warehouse for process state management and storage of genome data,” he added.

      Security and role management are managed by Tivoli directory services. The entire platform “is hosted on the IBM SoftLayer cloud,” Megill told eWEEK. His company plans “to provide a more robust data interchange layer with our partners and customers” by adding WebSphere Message Broker to the mix.

      Harvesting Breakthroughs

      Today’s farms are leaving money on the table, according to Lance Donny, CEO of OnFarm Systems. He told eWEEK, “Weather and predictive data today have significant flaws; IBM’s technology will allow OnFarm to significantly address these shortcomings for farmers everywhere.”

      “Better insight and prediction capabilities can help growers save an average of 10 percent of their water and fertilizer use while increasing crop yields,” added Donny. OnFarm’s cloud takes into account a host of factors, including weather data and satellite imagery, to provide farm-based businesses with these insights.

      Already, there are some encouraging signs of progress. OnFarm is currently being used by growers in California, Arizona, Washington and Texas. While it’s a little early for documented results, “initial reviews support better decision-making and productivity,” Donny said. The company plans on implementing Cognos, IBM’s business intelligence and performance management platform, and SoftLayer cloud to extend its capabilities.

      Learn More

      Coriell and OnFarm are the two North America-based startups competing at the IBM SmartCamp Global Finals event in San Francisco Feb. 6, 2014. Learn more about them and the six other startups from around the world that will go head-to-head for the title of IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year.

      The event at the Bently Reserve will bring the venture and entrepreneurial communities together with academics, representatives from government, the press and all who support entrepreneurship for what is positioned to be a phenomenal day of networking and celebration.

      Learn more and sign up for this complimentary event.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×