Improving physical therapy with digital connections and tech dominance in the Midwest
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” - William James, American philosopher and psychologist
Today’s itinerary:
APRIL 30, 2020
FLIGHT TRAINING
Advancing next-generation musculoskeletal care and training 
IncludeHealth CEO and Founder Ryan Eder
Ohio-based IncludeHealth is a digital health and performance company delivering next-generation musculoskeletal care and training for people with and without disabilities. Fast Future spoke with CEO Ryan Eder about how his startup has evolved since its inception in 2009.
What was your inspiration behind IncludeHealth?
Eder: It all started through the lens of physical accessibility when I witnessed a man in a wheelchair relentlessly struggle while exercising. As a design student at the time, I thought there had to be a better way for him to stay healthy and focused on solving this problem for my senior thesis.
The initial project won some significant global design awards and created the spark to make that original concept a reality. Over the years, our technology has vastly expanded, but the initial focus remains the same: lowering barriers to achieve optimal health and performance.
What is IncludeHealth in its current form?
Eder: IncludeHealth provides a medically driven, comprehensive musculoskeletal platform. Through an integrated suite of sensors and software, we digitally connect physical therapy clinics or athletic training facilities to deliver next-generation care and training.
Can you walk us through ways you’ve had to adjust your business plans over the years?
Eder: Every time we’ve expanded our products and capabilities, it is always with the intention to help more people in their road to recovery from a variety of movement-related injuries, while also bolstering efforts for sports performance training.
What is IncludeCloud?
Eder: Commercially launched in early 2018, IncludeCloud is a cloud-based platform that pairs HIPAA-compliant data capture and analysis software with connected equipment and sensors to guide providers and their clients toward optimal health and performance.
Available through any device with a secured login, practitioners and trainers can build digital protocols and routines in a matter of minutes and send those to any connected equipment on the platform, regardless of location. When it’s time for a session, we autonomously deliver the program with instruction and live guidance through paired tablets.
During a routine, we passively build a detailed digital profile of someone’s performance (looking at velocity, force, work, power, and more) and send that back to the cloud to review individual sessions or analyze progress over time.
Pairing with our product IncludeConnect, IncludeCloud can live on any strength or cardio equipment regardless of manufacturer or type. Using our technology enables facilities to leverage their existing equipment and deliver breakthrough digital services to expand their capacity, objectively measure outcomes, and create a better client experience.
Our platform is utilized in a multitude of industries including but not limited to long-term care, athletic training and sports performance, orthopedics, and neuroscience.
What advantages were there in developing a company in Cincinnati?
Eder: IncludeHealth started as my senior thesis in DAAP at the University of Cincinnati back in 2006, so we’ve always been deeply rooted in the Midwest. Over our 14-year journey to date, we have received unwavering support from key partners across the region, ranging from academia, corporations, investors, vendors, and many more.
The strategic partnerships we’ve established and exceptional supply chain we’ve created has allowed us to develop a powerful and intuitive solution. We’re proud to be based in Ohio and think it’s an advantage for us as we continue to grow.
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TAKEOFF AND CLEAN SKIES
How Garmin dominated the GPS market 
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The massive building that houses Garmin headquarters just off Interstate 35 south of Kansas City seems almost as if it has been there forever, so much has the GPS company become part of the fabric of the Midwest tech scene.
A lengthy story in Fortune describes how Garmin founders Gary Burrell and Min H. Kao took the company from startup in 1989 to success story—in particular, how it managed to take on established rivals Google and Apple. Now, the company is much more than simply a maker of GPS products. Garmin produces watches and tracking devices for athletes ranging from runners to cyclists to swimmers.
The company still produce automobile mapping, but also technology for boats and planes. It has even sponsored cycling and soccer teams as it continues to build its customer base.
The result? That building in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe is a hive of activity these days, and Garmin has become a Fast Future country success story in the face of corporate tech giants.
Minneapolis recycling efforts may lead to innovative solutions
With the decline in the prices for recycled materials, recycling programs across the country have hit hard times—and that includes Minneapolis. One local company, Eureka Recycling, said that 1,200-pound cubes of aluminum cans used to sell for $2,000. Now they're getting less than half that.
But despite the dismal outlook, residents are urged to keep recycling. In fact, some recyclers and officials suggest that the industry downturn may lead to innovations that make recycling more efficient and sustainable. Improved machines for sorting and separating recyclable materials are coming online.
New technologies in processing plastic have led to production of “ultra-pure” polypropylene. And uses for recycled products continue to innovate and grow.
“You see headlines that recycling is dead. Well, no. Recycling is not dead,” said Wayne Gjerde, recycling market development coordinator for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. “We have use for that material. We're making valuable products. We're contributing to the economy.”
GM will run all its Detroit operations on green energy It’s hard to imagine a more perfect symbol of air pollution and climate change than the automobile. But cars are on a path to environmental redemption, thanks to the ascent of electric vehicles (EVs), especially when they are eventually charged on a green grid. To underscore that goal, General Motors is moving all of its facilities in southeast Michigan to solar and wind power. The transition will be complete in 2023.
GM is also investing heavily in EVs. It has made the Chevy Bolt for years and is moving into an all-electric lineup, which will include its Hummer, Cruise and Cadillac brands. The company’s chief sustainability officer Dane Parker described the company’s vision as a world “with electric vehicles, built by renewable energy … charged by a green grid.”
FUELING THE FUTURE
Indy AgTech startup gets $250K in funding
Indianapolis-based startup The Bee Corp has received a $250,000 investment from the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund. The Bee Corp helps beekeepers determine hive strength and offers pollination solutions.
Durham medical device startup raises $414,500
Durham startup InnAVasc Medical has raised $414,500 in debt, on its way to reaching a $1M cap for the round. The company, founded by Duke University surgeons and scientists, is developing devices for patients with kidney failure.
NC’s AvidXchange lands another $127.5M
FinTech company AvidXchange, based in Charlotte, NC, has raised $127.5 million in equity capital. The funds bring total investment to more than $800 million.
Billiyo receives investment from Indie.vc
HealthTech startup Billiyo, based in Minneapolis, was among eight US companies recently receiving investment from Indie.vc. The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed, but Indie said the average check for this cohort was about $400,000.
Carnegie Mellon University spinout raises another $10M in VC
Pitchbook has announced that Pittsburgh’s Duolingo has raised $10 million in funding from undisclosed investors. To date, the language-learning platform has received $148.3 million and is valued at $1.5 billion.
FINAL APPROACH
Building a better berry Most people bite into a luscious blueberry and coo, “Mmmm, that’s tasty.” A biotech scientist bites into a blueberry and goes, “Ya know, that could be even better.” And so the scientists at a Research Triangle company called Pairwise are on a quest to build a better berry.
These intrepid scientists will work their magic through gene editing. Using the germplasm provided by Plant Sciences, Inc., Pairwise will edit the plants’ genomes to create new varieties of berries that offer more choice and flavors. Ultimately, the two companies will license farmers to grow the berries for the commercial market.
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
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