The portions can be big at Ocean 48—order the “colossal” roasted bone marrow appetizer if you want to make an impression—but discussions focused on small-sized matters during an Oct. 8 dinner at the upscale seafood and steak restaurant at Fashion Island, celebrating honorees of the Business Journal’s 11th annual Innovator of the Year event, held in September.
Irvine’s AtomICs, led by co-founder and CEO Dana Biechele-Speziale, is revolutionizing the way digital data can be stored and processed, via the use of small molecules.
The upstart’s technology aims to store digital data up to 100 million times denser than existing devices, without the need for cooling, and for longer periods of time. Applications for its technology include the authentication and tracking of physical items, using molecular IDs.
Biechele-Speziale, an accomplished Ivy League chemist, noted OC has one key thing going for it over East Coast science hubs like Cambridge, Massachusetts—much cheaper rents for chemistry labs.
The pair of winners from Renata Medical, Dustin Armer and Eason Abbott, are developing small heart stents for neonates and infants. Their product is designed to expand as the patients’ hearts grow, minimizing follow-up surgeries. Keep an eye on the paper for big news coming out of Renata in the coming months.
Also on hand at the dinner: Dan Cooper, distinguished professor of pediatrics at UCI School of Medicine, and Innovator winner Brett Wall of Medtronic, Ocean 48’s Oliver Badgio, and the Business Journal’s Richard Reisman and Yuika Yoshida.
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A feature in the Oct. 6 print edition of the Business Journal highlighted several prominent local execs who also moonlight as winemakers, such as Joe Kiani, Jim Mazzo, Gary Jabara, Hayes Drumwright, and Steve Contursi.
One winemaker not included: Open Claim Vineyards, a maker of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays with its vineyard and tasting room near Dallas, Oregon.
The founders of Open Claim are Innovator of the Year award winner Brett Wall, who oversees the $10B neuroscience division of Medtronic out of its Irvine office, and his wife, Marnie.
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You can find the new work of other recent OCBJ event winners at the bookstore, rather than a Total Wine store.
Newport Beach-based Mountain View Services’ Eric Goodman, who earned a Family-Owned Business Award in 2023, last month released “What’s Your Mindset?”
The memoir “is more than just a book; it’s a roadmap for anyone seeking personal growth and stronger leadership skills,” said a release for the book.
Also new to the bookshelves this month: “The Unexpected CEO: My Journey from Gas Station Cashier to Billion-Dollar CEO,” by Shirin Behzadi.
Behzadi, who came to California from Iran alone at age 17, and who counted a 20-year exec stint at Irvine’s Home Franchise Concepts, earned a Women in Business Award in 2022.
(See page 4 for a list of winners announced at the Oct. 15 event; profiles will be published in next week’s print edition.)
