10 companies receive IQ awards - August 15, 2007

• Business - TechStars, Boulder.
  Innovation: Providing a combination of mentoring, education and seed-funding to 10 startups during the summer in exchange for 5 percent equity of the company.
  
• Communications - Aztek Networks Inc., Boulder.
  Innovation: The Aztek 5000S Emergency Stand Alone switch is a small 911 emergency-backup voice switch that provides telecommunications carriers and their subscribers access to emergency services in the event of a natural disaster or other phone-line failure.
  
• Computers - DPHI Inc. (dba DataPlay), Longmont.
  Innovation: MovieWriter, a DVD burner that lets consumers, retailers and distributors download and legally burn copy-protected movies on DVDs for playback on existing DVD players.
  
• Consumer - AeroGrow International Inc., Boulder.
  Innovation: AeroGarden is a kitchen appliance that grows fresh herbs, tomatoes, salad greens and other produce indoors, all year-round with just water - no dirt, weeds or mess.
  
• Internet - Lijit Networks Inc., Louisville.
  Innovation: The Lijit Search Wijit lets blog publishers allow readers to search their blog posts, bookmarks, photos and more all from one search box installed on their blog.
  
• Medical & Health - Otologics LL C, Boulder.
  Innovation: Carina is a hearing aid implanted under the scalp that offers convenience, comfort, cosmetics and better sound quality than traditional hearing aids.
  
• Nonprofit - Intercambio de Comunidades, Boulder.
  Innovation: Coordinates and manages English classes, resource education and intercultural events for more than 800 adult immigrants each year through the ongoing help of more than 300 volunteers.
  
• Software - Lingoport Inc., Boulder.
  Innovation: Globalyzer is software that helps software development teams "internationalize" their products accommodating users' preferences for language, culturally appropriate interfaces, numerical formats, currencies and variations in distribution and legal conditions.
  
• Sports & Outdoors - EarthRoamer, Broomfield.
  Innovation: EarthRoamer XV-JP is an off-road Jeep vehicle that lets campers have all the comforts of home including inside toilet and shower, queen-size bed and refrigerator-freezer.
  
• Sustainable Business - Range Fuels Inc., Broomfield.
  Innovation: A two-step, thermo-chemical process that converts biomass (any plant and plant-derived material such as wood, switch grass, corn stover and miscanthus grass) into fuel-grade ethanol.