Thursday, February 20, 2025 Dear ITC Members and Newsletter Subscribers, As February unfolds, we’re reminded of the incredible energy and collaboration that drives Idaho’s thriving tech community. We’re grateful for your continued support and excited to share updates on the initiatives and opportunities that lie ahead this month.
One of the most exciting events on the horizon is our upcoming Tech Expo, which will be hosted in Idaho Falls in late March. This event will showcase groundbreaking innovations, highlight emerging trends, and provide an excellent platform for networking with industry leaders and tech enthusiasts. Mark your calendars—we can’t wait to see you there!
We’re also thrilled to announce the launch of our new TechBridge Mentorship Program, a partnership with NATCAST aimed at bridging the gap for Idaho’s tech innovators. TechBridge connects students and aspiring tech professionals with experienced mentors from Idaho’s booming tech industry. Participants will benefit from personalized guidance, skill-building workshops, industry connections, and even financial assistance through the TechBridge Access Grant, which is designed to assist with barriers like housing, childcare, and transportation. This program reflects our ongoing commitment to fostering talent and building a more inclusive and dynamic tech workforce across Idaho.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are shaping the future of technology and innovation in Idaho. Let’s make this month one of progress, collaboration, and community. Stay tuned for more updates, and we hope to see you at the Tech Expo next month! "We love it when our friends become friends." Warm regards,
Diane Bevan, President & CEO Betsy Davies, Operations Manager
CLICK HERE FOR THE 2025 OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT GUIDE
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How a Top Chinese AI Model Overcame US Sanctions and Achieved Innovation By Moin Qureshi // January 27, 2025 Medium
The AI world is buzzing over the new open-source reasoning model, DeepSeek R1, developed by the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. This model is being hailed for its ability to match or even surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT o1 on several key benchmarks, all while operating at a fraction of the cost.
Hancheng Cao, assistant professor at Emory University, praises this breakthrough, noting that it could equalize access to AI for developers and researchers with limited resources, particularly those from the Global South. DeepSeek’s Resilience Amidst Sanctions DeepSeek’s success is particularly impressive given the increasing US export controls on advanced chips, which have posed significant challenges to Chinese AI companies. Instead of hindering China’s AI capabilities, the sanctions appear to be driving startups like DeepSeek to innovate in new ways, emphasizing efficiency, resource-pooling, and collaboration.
To create R1, DeepSeek reworked its training process to reduce. . .
FULL ARTICLE HERE
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| Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories to manufacture early autism diagnostic By Ross Law // January 24, 2025
Medical Device Network Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is expanding into the medical device sector to produce a diagnostic for early autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Known for building digital products and systems that protect, automate, and control critical infrastructure, Washington-based SEL has created a new medical devices team to develop the diagnostic.
Dr Georgina Lynch, who developed a prototype of the device while at Washington State University (WSU), has now joined SEL’s new team as principal scientist to support its production.
Designed to detect an atypical pupil light reflex and the likelihood of autism within 24 months of birth, SEL anticipates that the device will expedite the autism diagnostic process for families and improve outcomes for autistic children. Dr Lynch holds a PhD in neuroscience and psychology and has a background in speech-language pathology, as. . .
FULL ARTICLE HERE |
| Innovation Crossroads company Hempitecture receives $8.4 million in DOE funding November 11, 2024
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Although it’s been used in building materials for over one thousand years, one sustainable material still gives many builders pause: hemp. That hasn’t stopped Hempitecture, an innovative startup that creates hemp-based building materials and was recently awarded over $8 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, or MESC. The selected projects are led by small- and medium-sized businesses positioned to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in former coal communities. “It feels like a big affirmation of all the work we've done to date,” said Tommy
Gibbons, co-founder and chief operating officer of Hempitecture. “It feels like people are paying attention to how we're trying to shift the building sector to a more bio-based, circular economy through our products.” . . .
FULL ARTICLE HERE |
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Boise authentication tech company awarded at CES By IBR STAFF // January 22, 2025 // Idaho Business Review
Check out Jason Crawforth and Brice Sloan of SWEAR pose for a photo. The company received an award at this year's CES event in Las Vegas. |
A tech company in Boise with a goal of content authentication has been awarded an esteemed recognition at this year’s CES in Las Vegas.
The heavily attended Consumer Electronics Show awarded SWEAR as one of its honorees with the 2025 Human Security for All. The award is meant to highlight companies that are “safeguarding the human experience through technology.”
Established by Jason Crawforth in 2017, SWEAR uses blockchain technology to authenticate digital images, video and audio files.
According to Crawforth, his company was one of only a handful out of 4,500 companies that were awarded by CES. In its announcement, CES stated, “SWEAR’s patented technology captures and protects digital content at the point of creation. This means every frame of a video, every sound bite and every pixel is immediately. . .
FULL ARTICLE HERE |
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UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES |
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Launching Student Entrepreneurs in Idaho
As part of Boise State's College of Innovation and Design, Venture College cultivates and supports entrepreneurship to economically empower the campus community and beyond. The Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge (IEC) is a statewide university competition dedicated to student entrepreneurs with promising ventures and small businesses.
Donate Today to Support Student Teams with Proven Traction Your support provides funding to help teams with proven traction achieve their milestones and accelerate their entrepreneurial journeys.
LINK TO DONATE
LINK TO IEC SPONSORSHIP PACKET
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2025 PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES |
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ITC Board APPROVES 2025 Public Policy Priorities and urges Idaho elected officials to approve making Digital Literacy a HS graduation requirement. Visit our page to see more about our public policies. |
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NEW MEMBER ADVANTAGE PROGRAM (ITC MAP)! |
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What is the ITC MAP Our MAP program provides members of the ITC with discounts and member services for all your business needs! BIO Services Program
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the first organization to contribute to this program. For no fee, ITC members can participate in the BIO Services Program. This is an amazing opportunity for those in the BioTech space or just looking for a cost-savings program to join! Interested in Contributing
Think you have a program that could benefit ITC members? If you are interested in contributing to the MAP program, please reach out to Diane Bevan at diane@idahotechcouncil.org for more information. Please note: you must be a member to participate or create a discount.
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TECHBRIDGE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM |
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Dear Tech Leaders,
We’re excited to introduce TechBridge, a new mentorship initiative by the Idaho Technology Council (ITC) in partnership with NATCAST. Our goal is simple: to connect Idaho’s tech students with experienced professionals like you, bridging the gap through mentorship, resources, and financial assistance. Through TechBridge, you’ll have the opportunity to guide aspiring tech talent—especially students from underrepresented, at-risk, and in-need backgrounds—by providing industry insights, professional connections, and access to essential financial resources. Why Become a TechBridge Mentor?
Idaho’s tech industry is growing fast, but many students face barriers to entering the field. We would love to have you as part of this program! Thank you for considering this opportunity to mentor and advocate for Idaho’s tech community. Your leadership will make a lasting impact! Best, ITC Team |
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GET INVOLVED WITH THE ITC |
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Interested in becoming more involved? Please consider joining the newly formed Idaho Technology Ambassador Committee, where you will have the opportunity to assist in planning and execution of events, meet new and existing members, and become the welcoming arm of the ITC. Sign up by CLICKING HERE
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ADVERTISE IN ITC's TECHWIRE NEWSLETTER |
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