Resident Appointed to State Business Development Agency

Greenwich resident Joseph Kaliko has been appointed to the board of directors of Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public agency that provides financing and assistance to growing Connecticut businesses.

Kaliko, who was appointed by Gov. Dannel Malloy, was sworn in Monday at the agency's meeting in Hartford. Kaliko's term coincides with the governor's. He replaces another Greenwich resident George Schiele.

Kaliko is an inventor, computer scientist, entrepreneur and intellectual property (IP) lawyer. For 30 years he has operated a successful IP law practice in Stamford and Greenwich, serving Fortune 500 companies and individuals. Since the early 1990s he has specialized in procuring and licensing gaming technology patents. Kaliko is president and CEO of Gaming Innovations International, LLC, which designs innovative gaming products and services for lotteries and their suppliers (including support vendors), internationally.

At his first meeting Monday, Connecticut Innovations committed funding totaling $650,000 through its Pre-Seed Fund to four startup companies focused on information technology, digital media and mobile technology:

• eBrevia Inc. of Stamford - $150,000;
• MedAdherence™ LLC of Norwalk - $200,000;
• MediaCrossing Inc. of Stamford - $150,000;
• NXT-ID Inc. of Shelton - $150,000.

"I am amazed at the talent and diversity of the people serving on this board," Kaliko said after Monday's meeting. Kaliko, who served as a special advisor to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), co-authoring a report on the state of state's intellectual property commercialization and monetization activities, added, "They are so articulate and passionate the time at the meeting flew by. It is also clear that while I may have some things to offer, I am going to learn a lot from my colleagues."

He added, "I’m really excited it was intellectual focused discourse on grants, on things that are important to the Connecticut economy."

Claire Leonardi, chief executive officer and executive director of CI, said in a statement, “These new investments reflect the strong startup activity taking place in Fairfield County. We are excited to support these promising ventures and look forward to seeing an even stronger pipeline of startups in the area as Connecticut’s new Stamford-based business accelerator, which is part of the state’s Innovation Ecosystem, gets underway."

Connecticut Innovations provides strategic capital and operational insight to push the frontiers of high-tech industries such as energy, biotechnology, information technology, and photonics. CI has helped more than 100 emerging companies research, develop, and market new products and services. This activity has attracted over $1 billion dollars in additional investments from private equity providers, according to CI.