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New In Chicago: Now you can turn your iPhone into a billboard by Robert Loerzel

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http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140121/NEWS07/140129943/now-you-can-turn-your-iphone-into-a-billboard

Cyfr Chicago startup iLyngo is launching an Apple iOS version of this app for sending messages, which encourages users to create their own lingo and abbreviations to share with friends. Cyfr, which already is available for Android mobile devices, features self-destructing and hidden messages. The app's “Dazzl” function lets users make a statement in public by turning their phone into a scrolling billboard. People can add friends in the middle of a chat or drop out of a group chat whenever they want, and the app lets you send your location to friends to arrange a meet-up. Because Cyfr uses a device's data connection, users don't get charged per text on their cellphone bill. Sanjay Patel and Richard Kewitz founded iLyngo LLC in 2011. The iOS version of their app is expected to be available by early February.

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United Kitchen: Formerly known as From Scratch Marketplace, this shared kitchen space reopened Jan. 8 at 26 Calendar Ave. in LaGrange under the new brand United Kitchen. Co-owners Kelly Ford and Mark Phillips rent kitchen space — including ovens, a six-burner range and a 30-quart mixer — to startup food businesses and entrepreneurs, with facilities open 24/7. United also has a retail shop where chefs can sell their products, with online sales expected to launch later this week on an Artizone page. Food businesses using United Kitchen include A Playful Palate, Aggie's Broken Pretzels, Chewy's Gourmet People Chow, Fudge It, Jenz Southside Salsa, Kokku Distinctive Gourmet, Steve Buresh's Cheesecake, Sweet Myrtille and When in Rome.

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Commercial Connected: This website, which launched late last year, lists commercial real estate for sale or lease in the Chicago area. “Unlike other commercial real estate websites, our users post their listings for free, saving them thousands of marketing dollars,” co-founder Matthew Chapdelaine says in a press release. The website is designed to work with LinkedIn.

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Ohyo: This British company makes a reusable, collapsible water bottle designed to fit inside a small space such as a pocket, purse, gym bag or lunch box. The company recently opened its first U.S. office, in Downers Grove, as part of a push to market its “Collapsabottle” on this side of the Atlantic. The bottle's patented hourglass shape allows it to be collapsed and locked to a third of its expanded height. Available at Amazon.com, an Ohyo bottle holds 16 ounces and is made from recyclable polyethylene. The dishwasher-safe bottle is free of toxins, BPA, PET, phthalates and polycarbonates, and tests show it can be squeezed more than 10,000 times, the company says.

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Chicago Technology Advisors LLC: Mitchell Kranitz, formerly of the Mitchell Solution, has launched this information technology support firm for businesses with 20 to100 employees. “By taking advantage of (Chicago Technology Advisors') retained service, flat monthly fee model, our clients will spend less in a year than they would on full-time employees,” Mr. Kranitz says in a press release. The company provides 24/7, on-demand protection of systems, servers and workstations. It detects, troubleshoots and fixes problems as they occur. And Mr. Kranitz advises business owners on strategic decisions about their technology.

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Oval Fire Products Inc.: Chicagoan Kevin Kozlowski formed this company late last year, with plans to make an oval-shaped fire extinguisher. Mr. Kozlowski, who previously worked for Pepper Construction, says his patent-pending device solves two problems. For one thing, standard cylindrical fire extinguishers often are too wide to fit inside cabinets flush with a wall surface, as desired by architects, he says. Also, standard extinguishers often violate accessibility laws by protruding more than 3 inches from the walls of retail stores, posing a danger for blind people; and they are often mounted too high for people in wheelchairs to reach. “It's too high and it sticks out too far,” says Mr. Kozlowski, whose oval extinguisher is less than 3 inches thick, with a lever on the bottom that allows easy access. Mr. Kozlowski is seeking investors.

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Vintage Pine: This shop, which sells antique and custom home furnishings from Europe, moved Saturday to a new location, 1454 N. Dayton St., a block east of its former address.

New in Chicago spotlights new local ventures. Send your startup announcements to newchicagobusiness@gmail.com. Follow New in Chicago writer Robert Loerzel on Twitter: @robertloerzel. New in Chicago has a Twitter handle now, too. Robert tweets each week's picks as well as updates on a slew of other local launches. Connect with Crain's via Facebook and Twitter. Join Crain's LinkedIn group for Chicago entrepreneurs. And follow Crain's on Tumblr.