STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The TechCelerator@State College is pleased to announce that Kevin Irick, CEO and founder of SiliconScapes, is the latest $10,000 winner of its 8-Week Boot Camp program for budding tech entrepreneurs.

Irick and his company developed SmartView, a smart-camera technology that can be attached to store displays. The system is capable of detecting shopper posture, attention and gaze, as well as interactions with the product. Display content can then be tailored based on customer demographics. Irick, commented, “We bring to in-store retail what online sales channels have inherently: The ability to measure a shopper’s impression to digital advertisements and proactively display the most impactful content.” 

Five other companies successfully participated in the eight-week program and made final presentations to a panel of local judges: ExH, Nittany Laser Technologies, Nittany System Research and tyallaTech. Don McCandless, director of the TechCelerator@State College, said, “All the companies we worked with in the past eight weeks are winners in my opinion -- not only because they have good ideas, but because they had the opportunity to hear from successful entrepreneurs, business support professionals, and even private and institutional investors on how to develop a solid, fundable business plan. In short, they came away from this experience with a list of best practices, lessons-learned, and a comprehensive toolbox that will help them if they decided to start their own tech-business.”

To learn more about the TechCelerator Program, contact McCandless at 814-865-2040 or dlm74@psu.edu.

About the TechCelerator@State College: Located in the Technology Center at 200 Innovation Blvd. in State College, the TechCelerator@State College is a partnership among several of the area’s economic development providers that offers budding entrepreneurs designated space, loan and investment programs, business support and mentoring services, and entrepreneurial training, all housed in one location. For more information, go to http://www.techceleratorstatecollege.org.