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Tech Leader Continues to Support Lowcountry Digital Skills Training with a $10,000 Grant to the Charleston Digital Corridor

Comcast continues to further digital equity in the Lowcountry with a $10,000 grant to the Charleston Digital Corridor (CDC). The grant will support digital literacy education and provide practical, affordable, and inclusive tech and business classes for residents of all ages. In May, Comcast presented a $25,000 grant to the CDC and celebrated the opening of a new Xfinity WiFi-connected Lift Zone at the Charleston Learning Center, which provides free WiFi to the entire community.

"Through this grant, we are excited to expand our partnership with the Charleston Digital Corridor," said Amy Wright, Director of Community Impact at Comcast. "Supporting initiatives such as the Charleston Learning Center aligns with Comcast's dedication to promote digital equity and ensure that residents have access to the Internet as well as technical skills training to succeed in today's digital economy."

Lift Zones provide free Internet access outside the home and complement Comcast's Internet Essentials program that offers low-cost, in-home broadband connectivity. Lift Zones help students, veterans, and anyone who, for a variety of reasons, including homelessness or housing insecurity, need somewhere to go to get online. Lift Zones are part of Project UP, Comcast's $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity and economic mobility. There are more than 1,250 Lift Zones across the country.

Since the launch of the Charleston Learning Center in September 2023, the center has been a beacon of success, hosting nearly 600 attendees, 16% of whom are from underrepresented communities. This is a testament to the impact of Comcast's support to promote digital equity and expand digital skills training in the area.

"We are honored to have Comcast as a steadfast supporter of the Charleston Digital Corridor and the Charleston Learning Center since launch," said CDC Director Ernest Andrade. "Comcast has continued to support our efforts to provide educational resources and opportunities for the community."

Over the last four years, Comcast has donated nearly $100,000 to the CDC to support and improve economic mobility in Charleston through digital skills training. These contributions reflect Comcast's commitment to empowering communities through technology, teaching digital skills, and fostering digital equity, ensuring even more Greater Charleston residents succeed in an increasingly digital world through strategic partnerships and targeted investments.

FEATURED NEWS

Camgian Secures $8M Contract to Develop Next-Gen Onboard Diagnostic Platform for the Army

Camgian Corporation announces the award of an $8 million contract from the U.S. Army to advance the development of an AI-based onboard diagnostic platform (ODP) that supports High-Performance Prognostic and Predictive Maintenance (HPPPMx) for ground vehicles.

Building on previous efforts, Camgian and Parker Hannifin will develop advanced AI-computing capabilities to self-diagnose performance problems by continuously monitoring vehicles through real-time machine-learning models with self-awareness capabilities. This modeling approach is designed to provide both accurate and adaptable AI model performance to reliably detect early indications of failure, degradation, or anomalies, along with predictive capabilities that forecast the performance of vehicle components such as engines, transmissions, brakes, etc.

This next-generation ODP system will provide maintenance personnel with comprehensive diagnostics and intuitive decision-support capabilities, thereby improving the classification of problems, optimizing maintenance schedules, and enhancing vehicle readiness. Furthermore, this foresight informs logistics, allowing it to achieve higher efficiency, reduce costs, and improve readiness, ultimately strengthening the Army's overall operational capability.

"We are excited to secure this significant contract and continue our partnership with Parker Hannifin," said Dr. Gary D. Butler, Camgian CEO and Founder. "This project represents an important step forward in our mission to deliver next-generation diagnostic capabilities to the US Army. Collaborating with Parker, we will demonstrate new technologies in onboard AI edge processing that will greatly enhance vehicle sustainment in austere communication environments."

"We are proud to partner with Camgian on this initiative," stated Anne Marie Johlie, Head of Connected Products and IoT at Parker's Electronic Motion and Controls Division. "This contract underscores our commitment to developing advanced IoT and AI-driven solutions that enhance fleet management and operational efficiency. Together, we are poised to deliver groundbreaking technologies that will provide the U.S. Army with unparalleled diagnostic capabilities, ensuring their vehicles are always mission-ready."

Episode 43 of the CDC Tech Life Podcast features Kieran Beggan, CEO and Co-Founder of Fexillon

Episode 43 of the CDC Tech Life Podcast features Kieran Beggan, CEO and Co-Founder of Fexillon. Kieran talks about how Innovation and exploration of new technologies has fueled Fexillon's growth over the past two decades and shares insight into the decision to make Charleston their US Hub.

This episode is brought to you by SatQuote. With a full suite of AI-enabled desktop and mobile apps SatQuote is software for mapping, designing, estimating, and collaborating with customers and teammates.

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Episode 42 of the CDC Tech Life Podcast features Dave Ingram, Co-Founder and CEO Technology Startup, Querri.

Episode 42 of the CDC Tech Life Podcast features Dave Ingram, Co-Founder and CEO of Charleston SC-based Technology Startup Querri. Dave shares the vision behind Querri and we take a deep dive into the Generative AI technology at the heart of their reporting and analytics solution.

This episode is sponsored by Charleston County Economic Development Department. They're dedicated to recruiting new business, growing existing industry and improving Charleston's business climate.

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Charleston Learning Center Expands Education Offerings With Robotics Summer Camp For Kids

The Charleston Digital Corridor is pleased to announce the addition of a STEM summer camp for rising 7th and 8th grade students at the Charleston Learning Center. The weeklong (Mon-Fri) summer camp, featuring the LEGO learning system, will be offered twice – starting July 8 and July 15, 2024 respectively. The camp will be led by Lisa Muggeo, a former public school STEM educator with eleven years of experience.

The summer camp offering is in addition to the current mix of ongoing tech and business workshops, classes, and meetups. Further, the Charleston Digital Corridor is reviewing additional ways to provide STEM educational programs for kids throughout the year.

Thanks to the foundational grant from Google and a host of public and private partners including Comcast and the City of Charleston, the Charleston Learning Center was developed to offer pragmatic, affordable, and inclusive tech & business classes for Lowcountry residents of all ages.

The Charleston Digital Corridor is also pleased to report that the Charleston Learning Center, formerly CDC Learning Center, has exceeded its initial target of 500 attendees since the center was launched last September.

"Our goal is to leverage the relationships and brain trust in Charleston's tech community to provide affordable and accessible classes to make our residents a little more knowledgeable on topics that are relevant," said Charleston Digital Corridor Director, Ernest Andrade.

Learn more about the Robotics Camp HERE.

Workiva's,  Makenzie Martin

Episode 41 of the CDC Tech Life Podcast features Makenzie Martin, Principal Product Marketer at Workiva.

Episode 41 of the CDC Tech Life Podcast features Makenzie Martin, Principal Product Marketer at Workiva. Makenzie takes us on a deep dive into the practice of Product Marketing and shares her experiences and insights on why making a Product Marketer an early hire can be a key to success for Startup Ventures.

This episode is sponsored by SatQuote. With a full suite of AI-enabled desktop and mobile apps, SatQuote is software for mapping, designing, estimating, and collaborating with customers and teammates.

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Fexillon CEO, Kieran Beggan, Digital Corridor Director, Ernest Andrade and  Honorable William Cogswell

Charleston Digital Corridor Welcomes Irish Trailblazer Fexillon to Thriving Tech Community

The Charleston Digital Corridor is proud to welcome Fexillon, an innovative leader in digitizing the built environment, to its esteemed community as the company establishes its US office in Charleston, South Carolina.

This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone for both Fexillon and the Charleston Digital Corridor, highlighting their shared commitment to driving tech innovation and fostering growth in Charleston's dynamic ecosystem. As Fexillon embarks on its US expansion journey, the Corridor will provide the Irish firm with an ideal platform to thrive and innovate in Charleston's thriving tech scene.

Fexillon's entrance into the US market is complemented by ambitious revenue projections for the US market targeting an impressive $10 million by 2026. With a projected revenue trajectory reflecting confidence in its capabilities and market demand, Fexillon also intends to grow its US team from 10 employees in 2024 to over 30 by 2026. These initial 10 positions in 2024 will focus on supporting the rollout of Fexillon's technology platform in sectors such as Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO), as well as other verticals critical to the company's success. The company will recruit peer leadership roles in its Technology, Customer Success, Smart Buildings and Building Information Modelling teams. These projections underscore Fexillon's strategic expansion plans and commitment to achieving substantial growth and success in the US tech landscape.

"We are delighted to welcome Fexillon to the Charleston Digital Corridor community," said Ernest Andrade, Founder and Director of Charleston Digital Corridor. "Their decision to base their US operations here underscores Charleston's reputation as a leading destination for tech innovation and growth. Fexillon's presence within the Corridor will enrich our ecosystem and further solidify Charleston's position as a vibrant hub for tech companies seeking to thrive and innovate. We look forward to supporting Fexillon as they embark on this exciting journey and contribute to the continued success of our dynamic tech community."

"We are honored that Fexillon, an innovative and fast-growing building tech company, has selected Charleston for its US Headquarters," said City of Charleston Mayor William Cogswell. "We are committed to supporting Fexillon as they implement their ambitious business plans for the North American market," he added.

"Our expansion into Charleston marks a pivotal moment for Fexillon and the broader Irish tech community," said Kieran Beggan, CEO, Fexillon. "We're proud to bring Irish expertise and innovation to the global stage as we enter the US market. Basing our US operations in Charleston provides comprehensive coverage for our customer base, with promising growth opportunities in South Carolina and neighboring states.

"Charleston serves as a gateway to the US market and choosing the Charleston Digital Corridor underscores our commitment to collaboration and growth within Charleston's dynamic tech ecosystem. With South Carolina's tech-friendly environment and skilled workforce, we're positioned for growth while driving innovation, forming partnerships, and showcasing the prowess of the Irish tech sector worldwide."

With the support of the Charleston Digital Corridor, Fexillon is poised to make a significant mark in the US market, driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and propelling Charleston's tech ecosystem to new heights. With a strong reputation for quality and innovation built over 24 years, Fexillon has become a trusted partner for blue-chip firms across various sectors in the Irish, UK and wider European markets. The company's digital asset management solutions have garnered acclaim from blue-chip firms in both the public and private sectors, enabling more streamlined approaches to building and property management. By leveraging its platform, clients have been empowered to make data-driven decisions, reduce energy consumption, and enhance operational efficiency.

Avicenna Biosciences co-founders, Pieter Burger (left)  and Thomas Kaiser, MD.

Avicenna Introduces Machine Learning-Enhanced Medicinal Chemistry Platform to Accelerate the Last Mile of Small Molecule Drug Discovery

Avicenna Biosciences today introduced an extension to its machine learning (ML) technology platform to enhance medicinal chemistry and expedite clinical-stage drug discovery. The company has raised $14.5 million in funding to date, with DCVC Bio leading its 2022 seed round, and this month published a paper in the peer-reviewed Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling.

Co-authored with researchers from Schrödinger and Microsoft Research AI4Science, the paper outlines how combining Schrödinger's physics-based methods with Avicenna's novel ML methods can make the lead-to-drug optimization phase of small molecule drug discovery faster, less expensive and more successful – particularly when it comes to engineering potency and selectivity against a potential biological target.

"We're accustomed to hearing scientific success stories, but the countless failures that happen along the way often get overlooked. In medicinal chemistry especially, failure is prevalent. It can require hundreds of millions of dollars across many clinical attempts to bridge the complex gap from chemistry and biology to medicine, and successfully develop an approved drug," said Dr. Thomas Kaiser, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Avicenna. "Avicenna is applying novel ML methods to navigate the unknowns in medicinal chemistry and design around them. Our methods allow a drug design team to learn from years of failure and optimize against validated targets more efficiently. We're making the most critical phase of drug design –- the last mile of drug discovery –- substantially faster and more cost effective."

Technology Applications and Results

Avicenna is leveraging its technology to develop its own therapeutic programs, with an initial focus on neurodegenerative diseases. For example, Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors demonstrate potential in neurodegeneration and metabolic diseases. However, designing an orally dosed, central nervous system-penetrant ROCK inhibitor has proved extremely difficult. Fasudil, a promising ROCK inhibitor currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, must be dosed intravenously twice daily, precluding its use in illnesses like chronic kidney disease or neurodegeneration. To overcome these challenges, Avicenna has initiated its own ROCK Inhibitor Program. Using its novel ML technology to identify drug-like compounds with desired pharmacokinetic properties, the company has already achieved:

  • Faster Timelines: 9 months from idea to in vivo proof of concept
  • Reduced Costs: $220,000 from concept to initiation of Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies
  • Better Therapeutics:__Two development candidates discovered while only synthesizing 11 total compounds

Research Paper Implications

"Creating new medicines and safely delivering them to the people who need them is incredibly difficult and full of risk. Avicenna is working to make drug discovery straightforward and fast by creating new algorithms to identify molecules with ideal drug-like properties," said Dr. John Hamer, Managing Partner at DCVC Bio. "Avicenna's collaborative research with Schrödinger and Microsoft demonstrates how a physics-based augmentation of ML requires just tens of molecules to optimize small molecules against a new drug target, as opposed to thousands. We couldn't be more excited to support this potentially game-changing biotechnology company as it scales to its next stage of growth."

Titled "FEP-Augmentation as a Means to Solve Data Paucity Problems for Machine Learning in Chemical Biology," Avicenna, Schrödinger, and Microsoft's newly published paper describes how to use physics-based methods such as Schrödinger's free energy perturbation technology, FEP+, to generate virtual data, which can be used to augment the sparse data sets commonly found in early medicinal chemistry optimization. These augmented datasets can be used for ML training where it was previously impossible to train without the disclosed approach. The augmentation is comparably informative for ML training as going through the effort and expense of making and testing the needed compounds. Ultimately, this allows an early-stage discovery team to access ML which can then quickly query millions of lead-like compounds and identify promising leads for drug development. The paper outlines the key mechanistic considerations for augmenting such data sets and lays the groundwork for implementation, demonstrating that an initial series of 10-20 related compounds, accompanied by 3D structures co-resolved with a small set of ligands, can serve as an accelerated foundation for lead optimization.

The research shows that combining FEP+ with ML can accelerate the hit-to-lead phase of drug discovery, which can generate profound implications, including:

  • Shorten the time spent in hit-to-lead optimization
  • Significant reduction in synthetic effort

Team and Partnership Opportunities

The Avicenna team's collective background in mathematics, chemistry and medicine brings a uniquely comprehensive perspective to their core discipline of medicinal chemistry. Co-founders Drs. Kaiser and Pieter Burger met while working within theLiotta Research Group at Emory University. The group is well known for its successes in drug development across virology, oncology and neurology, creating more than 20 FDA-approved therapeutics. As a synthetic organic chemist, Dr. Kaiser led the Liotta antivirals group, and as a structural bioinformaticist, Dr. Burger led its computational group.

In addition to developing its own therapeutic programs, Avicenna partners with clinical-stage biotech startups and major pharmaceutical organizations to optimize their drug discovery campaigns and maximize risk-return profiles, easily fitting into partners' existing chemistry workflows. For more information on Avicenna and its technology platform or to inquire about partnership opportunities, visit www.avicenna-bio.com.

Upcoming Classes & Events

LEARNING CENTER
Aug 28, 9AM - 1PM

The Entrepreneur's Sales Playbook

Many entrepreneurs believe "if we build it, they will come". The reality is, selling well really matters when it comes to achieving sustainable double-digit revenue growth. If your company's revenue growth is stagnating or you aren't winning enough deals against your competition, this program will give you a whole new way of looking at your approach to B2B sales.

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Oct 2, 9AM - 10:30AM

The Entrepreneur's Legal Essentials

There is a saying in business - plan for the best but prepare for the worst. Failing to properly plan for business growth can could be very expensive to address later. This class taught by a vetted legal professional is designed to help entrepreneurs avoid the legal pitfalls that so many start-ups and growing businesses encounter.

LEARNING CENTER
Aug 13, 5:30PM - 7:30PM

Charleston Lean Proof Assistant

Lean is a functional programming language with a highly expressive type system. It can be used to produce performant programs that are guaranteed to meet their specifications, which proves that a large class of bugs cannot exist in your program. It can also be used to interactively prove theorems in mathematics. This meetup is for enthusiasts to join together to learn, code, and share their experiences with Lean.

LEARNING CENTER
Aug 28, 9AM - 1PM

The Entrepreneur's Sales Playbook

Many entrepreneurs believe "if we build it, they will come". The reality is, selling well really matters when it comes to achieving sustainable double-digit revenue growth. If your company's revenue growth is stagnating or you aren't winning enough deals against your competition, this program will give you a whole new way of looking at your approach to B2B sales.

EVENT
Aug 29, 6PM - 9PM

Charleston Riverdogs Technology Night

The Charleston RiverDogs are excited to host Charleston's Technology Community at the Joe! Enjoy a fun night of baseball with friends, family, and those in your local tech community. Get tickets HERE. 

LEARNING CENTER
Sep 4, 9AM - 11AM

ChatGPT for Coders

ChatGPT won't be replacing any software developers any time soon. It's not always correct, and it doesn't do a great job at understanding larger codebases. So should you be using it to help you write code? Absolutely! With the right guidance from a developer, ChatGPT can eliminate large amounts of time in creating boilerplate code, refactoring, adding new functionality and working across different languages. Know how to write some code in Java but not Python? Want to quickly add a unit test to some new functionality? Want to spin up a new API in Go but don't know where to start? All of these are great use cases, and if you can learn to use GPT effectively in your coding process you can move much faster and solve larger and more complex problems every day. Whether you are a seasoned coder or just starting out, this class should leave you with new tricks and faster process to build the things you're excited to build.

LEARNING CENTER
Sep 11, 2PM - 4PM

Introduction to ChatGPT

The "Introduction to ChatGPT" class offers an insightful journey into the capabilities, applications, and underlying principles of ChatGPT, a cutting-edge large language model (LLM) developed by OpenAI. This course provides participants with a foundational understanding of how ChatGPT works and equips them with practical knowledge to interact effectively with the model.

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Sep 17, 8:30AM - 6:30PM

AI for SMBs Conference

Join us for GCM's AI for SMBs Conference, a unique and practical event designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This AI bootcamp-style conference is the only one of its kind in the country, offering hands-on training and expert guidance to help you learn how to harness the power of AI to save time, boost efficiency, and grow revenue. Learn more and register HERE.

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Sep 24, 2PM - 4PM

The Tech Investor's Playbook

Interested in learning how to make money in tech stocks? Technology stocks comprise 43% of the weight of the S&P 500. 8 of America's 10 largest companies by market cap are tech firms.

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Oct 8, 8AM - 5PM

Secure Carolinas Cyber Conference

The Secure Carolinas Conference hosted by CyberSC will bring together experts to provide timely content and address a variety of cybersecurity issues impacting both, North Carolina & South Carolina. The two event is scheduled to take place in-person at the R2i2 Conference Center in Columbia, South Carolina.

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Oct 8, 8:30AM - 6:30PM

Venture Atlanta 2024

Raising capital? Passionate about emerging technology? Interested in supporting startups? Looking for startup networking opportunities? Venture Atlanta is the place to be for entrepreneurs, founders, investors, VCs, students, and vendors. Learn more and register HERE.

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Oct 16, 11:30AM - 1PM

ChatGPT Lunch & Learn

ChatGPT is ever evolving. The ChatGPT Lunch & Learn session will introduce the latest new features that have developed and explore how these developments can enhance your professional and personal interactions. The second half is dedicated to addressing your questions, providing a hands-on opportunity to apply ChatGPT to your unique needs. Lunch/drink is provided.

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