UTEK Corporation’s Strategos and The wRatings Corporation Launch the SW Innovation Index

UTEK Corporation (NYSE Amex: UTK), a leading IP licensing and innovation services company, and The wRatings Corporation, an independent stock research firm, announced today the results of their inaugural SW Innovation Index for the consumer electronics industry. The study was conducted in a collaborative effort between The wRatings Corporation and Strategos, the strategic innovation consulting division of UTEK. Major highlights from the innovation capabilities study include LG and Nintendo ranking #1 and #2, respectively, and Apple rounding out the top 10.

Based on the principle that the end-customers are the final arbiter of a company’s innovation performance, the SW Innovation Index is based on end-customers’ feedback on tangible benefits and emotional rewards they received from a wide range of consumer electronics manufacturers. The SW Innovation Index combines wRatings’ robust and rigorous consumer feedback data with Strategos’ deep expertise in helping companies innovate and grow. Going forward the index will be published on a quarterly basis, covering a range of industries.

Ranking lower on this edition of the SW Innovation Index are some former industry leaders, including Motorola and Dell Computers. Peter Skarzynski, Managing Director of Strategos and author of Innovation to the Core: A Blueprint for Transforming the Way Your Company Innovates (Harvard Business School Press, 2008), noted, “Companies that can successfully challenge industry orthodoxies and innovate at the level of the business model have the best chance of thriving in this turbulent time. Ultimately, innovation, not current market position, is the best offense and defense against unforeseen competitions.”

Gary A. Williams, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of wRatings said, “While companies can be competitive for many reasons, innovation is becoming an ever more important factor. The SW Innovation Index can provide foresight into a company’s future competitiveness.”

40 companies were reviewed in his edition of the SW Innovation Index, ranging from 0 to 100, with 100 equaling the most innovative. The top 10 performers are listed below:

Rank

Company

Strategos/wRatings Innovation Index

Ticker

        
      
      
        
          1
        
        
        
        
        
        
          LG
        
        
        
        
        
        
          91.8
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NYSE: LPL
        
      
      
        
          2
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Nintendo
        
        
        
        
        
        
          85.9
        
        
        
        
        
        
          OTC: NTDOY
        
      
      
        
          3
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Microsoft
        
        
        
        
        
        
          84.6
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NASDAQ: MSFT
        
      
      
        
          4
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Sony
        
        
        
        
        
        
          83.1
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NYSE: SNE
        
      
      
        
          5
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Hitachi
        
        
        
        
        
        
          83.0
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NYSE: HIT
        
      
      
        
          6
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Canon
        
        
        
        
        
        
          82.6
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NYSE: CAJ
        
      
      
        
          7
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Sharp
        
        
        
        
        
        
          82.5
        
        
        
        
        
        
          OTC: SHCAY
        
      
      
        
          8
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NetApp
        
        
        
        
        
        
          82.3
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NASDAQ: NTAP
        
      
      
        
          9
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Audiovox
        
        
        
        
        
        
          82.2
        
        
        
        
        
        
          

NASDAQ: VOXX

        
      
      
        
          10
        
        
        
        
        
        
          Apple
        
        
        
        
        
        
          82.0
        
        
        
        
        
        
          NASDAQ: AAPL
        
      
    
    

The report is available at www.strategos.com or www.wratings.com. Detailed ranking and score data are available to wRatings subscribers.

About UTEK Corporation

UTEK® is a leading global IP licensing and innovation services company. UTEK’s services enable its clients to enhance their innovation capabilities, rapidly source externally developed technologies, create value from their intellectual property and gain foresight into marketplace and technology developments that could affect their business.

Strategos® is the strategic innovation consulting division of UTEK. Strategos helps clients innovate and grow by bringing innovation to their core business and organization. For more information about UTEK and Strategos, please visit: www.utekcorp.com and www.strategos.com.

About The wRatings Corporation

The wRatings Corporation provides executives, investors and consultants with the only system that measures 5,000 stocks every week based on how well each company meets customer expectations. Created by Harvard Business Review author and research expert Gary A. Williams, each score blends a ranking of the company’s economic profit with their ability to create moat barriers that prevent rivals from taking their customers. Since 1999, the patented wRatings system has never failed to outperform the S&P 500 and other common investment benchmarks. For more information about wRatings, please visit: www.wRatings.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words, such as UTEK or wRatings "expects," "should," "believes," "anticipates" or words of similar import. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Certain factors could cause results and conditions to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. These factors are not exhaustive. New factors, risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time that may affect the forward-looking statements made herein. These forward-looking statements are only made as of the date of this press release and UTEK and wRatings do not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. This press release is available on the Company’s website at www.utekcorp.com.