Gentag Inc.
Location: Potomac
Funding: From president and founder John P. Peeters and private investors as well as the Maryland Technology Development Corp. and the Maryland Venture Fund.
Gentag's top executives include (left to right) Steven Mayhall, president and founder John Peeters, John Melngailis and Marc Cohen.
(Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)
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Big idea: Add sensors to radio frequency-identification technology (RFID) to measure temperature, test for radiation and make medical diagnoses. Modify cell phones to serve as readers of the modified RFID sensors.
Example of use: If bottles of wine had RFID tags, consumers could use their cell phones to connect to a database that would provide information about a wine's vintage, cost and types of grapes used.
Big-name customers: Officials said 10 firms have expressed interest in deploying the technology but none are signed up yet.
Price: Gentag officials said a temperature tag will cost $1 and a radiation sensor will cost less than $2. Medical diagnostic sensors will be more expensive.
Founded: November 2001
Who's in charge: Peeters; Steve Mayhall, chief financial officer; and Marc Cohen, head of microelectronics
Employees: Seven
Web site:www.gentag.com
What the name means: General tags.
Quote: "It will enable customers to do absolutely anything with their cell phones," Peeters said.
