Roch. tech start-up to close operations

Citing a "brutal economy" that has investors being very cautious about early stage companies, the board of Hylas Inc. decided this morning to close up operations.

This is the company founded by Dale Crist and Rick Olmsted that was working on a device to be worn by seniors that would remotely track if they fell or had a medical issue.

While it did develop a working prototype, it could not raise the necessary $1 million to move the project on to the next level, says Crist.

The pic of Gov. Tim Pawlenty shows him wearing a Hylas prototype during a visit to the company.

I'll have more on this in print.