On Tuesday, October 21st, representatives from the Belgian-based Wallonia Foreign Trade and Export Agency (AWEX) stopped by the Innovation Underground as a part of their visit with the Research Valley Partnership (RVP).

AWEX is a Belgian government agency that specializes in stimulating local economic activity, specifically among universities and research centers. Similarly, RVP prioritizes economic development utilizing the Texas A&M University system; together, these two entities form the Research Valley International Gateway. This collaboration has allowed the efforts of both entities to be recognized and implemented on a global level, making the impacts reach an international audience.

The Innovation Underground’s mission to encourage entrepreneurship, both on a local and global level, makes us a proud supporter of AWEX. The IU was pleased to host our new friends in Historic Downtown Bryan for company presentations at the SEAD Gallery and later at Grand Stafford Theater for a happy hour.

Innovation Underground’s newest member, Kinzbach & Associates, is a business consulting firm specializing in inventory and logistics, as well as business operations and management. Their team provides a hands-on consulting approach that implements custom, cost-effective, long-term solution strategies for each business and individual.

Kinzbach & Associates genuinely has family values at heart, as the company was developed by a father-daughter duo. CEO and Principal advisor – Brad Kinzbach, CPC, ELI-MP – has more than 35 years of experience understanding business priorities and contributing to business development and revenue-producing activities. Sarah Kinzbach, Chief of Operations, provides a fresh outlook on business, combining her creative skills with a seasoned resume that includes Associate Editor of the local Insite Magazine.

Working alongside a talented team, Brad and Sarah are committed to serving the community’s business needs. Their consultants specialize in all areas of business operations and management, including accounting, warehousing, human resources, and more. “If we are unable to offer assistance, we’ll help locate someone who can,” says Brad. Kinzbach & Associates is committed to the success of every individual or business, regardless of size, location or profit-margin.

To learn more about Kinzbach & Associates and find contact information for a free, confidential assessment, visit our members page.

Today’s  Smartphones are powerful enough to put a man on the moon, but we usually limit their use to sending text messages and browsing the web. Additionally, when new models come out, we simply throw the current ones away. Imagine the possibilities if you could use the computer in your pocket to its full potential? With Innovation Underground’s newest member, Minio Labs, you can! Discover all the possibilities using your mobile device: control your DIY projects, take measurements using existing sensors and play games free from limitations.

Using a small, external attachment, Minio enables you to make your device into whatever you dream it could be. Traditionally, your phone is locked into the hardware installed by the manufacturer. With Minio, however, users can unlock the potential of hardware IO blocks instead of conforming to standard boundaries. The Minio SDK even allows you to incorporate your custom hardware blocks into your apps.

Customization has never been easier (or more fun): with Minio, you can connect your smartphone to hardware that you create. Not only will your projects become truly mobile, but your smartphone can now be an extension of your project and your imagination.

To learn more about Minio Labs, or any of our other Innovation Underground members, visit our members page.

The Innovation Underground is honored to introduce their newest non-profit member, Gratitude Initiative (GI). GI’s mission is to provide college scholarships and educational support to the children and families of military service members, veterans, disabled veterans, and those killed in defense of our country. Over a decade of conflict and involvement in two wars has placed a stress on military and veteran households that is unparalleled in our nation’s history. GI and its supporters strive to ease some of the burden on these patriot families by helping their children achieve life-changing opportunities through education. Their main activities are:

1. Award scholarship funds to children to attend college or technical school to help make their future dreams come true without the burden of many years of school debt.

2. Provide educational services and support to help military children achieve their educational and career goals.

3. Raise awareness and provide services to help children cope with the challenges brought on by having a mother or father deployed overseas for military service or dealing with the disability or death of a parent due to combat action.

4. Host summer camps at affiliated universities for high school students to help bolster college readiness, celebrate being a teenager, and relieve some of the burdens brought on by the weight of a family involved in war.

The Innovation Underground Team joined forces with Gratitude Initiative last summer after serving together as mentors for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities.

To learn more about GI, visit our members page.

On March 27th, SEAD Gallery was honored to host the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) of Central Texas. This bright group meets on a monthly basis to discuss best practices in cyber security. During this month’s meeting, David Orchel, Principal at Secuilibrium, LLC and a board member for the Central Texas Chapter of the ISSA, gave a presentation titled Comparing NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework with Best Practice. The presentation was well delivered and received with enthusiasm by the audience. In the week following, our friend Ochel wrote a blog post giving more insight to the topic and the struggles he encountered while gathering his thoughts for the event.

To learn more about ISSA, or to subscribe to be informed for future events, send an email to IU@AdventGX.com