Gateway picks building team for joint school of Nanotech
June 26th, 2009
Samet Corp. will be part of a three-firm joint venture that will lead the construction of the new $50 million Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, according to officials with the Gateway University Research Park where the school will be located. Both Gateway and the so-called JSNN are shared projects of UNC-Greensboro and N.C. A&T State University.
Nanobio Innovation Center to get $2.5M
June 17th, 2009
The N.C. Biotechnology Center has approved a $2.5 million, four-year grant for the Triad-based Center of Innovation in Nanobiotechnology, or COIN, according to an announcement. The new nonprofit COIN will use the funding to help develop the commercial potential of nanobiotechnology research at universities across the state. Wake Forest University, UNC-Greensboro and N.C. A&T State University and others have been planning for COIN for more than a year, using an initial $100,000 grant from the biotech center to hire Executive Director Brooks Adams and craft a business plan.
The Piedmont Angel Network Two Invests over $2,000,000 so far in 2009
June 9th, 2009
Greensboro, NC -- The Triad-based Piedmont Angel Network (PAN), announced today that it has invested over $2 million to date in 2009 in early-stage, high growth technology companies. These investments raise PAN’s total amount invested since 2002 to over $14 million. When asked about the high level of investment activity in an overall down-market, Troy Knauss, Fund Executive for PAN, stated, “Our investing model has provided us with the ability to take advantage of great opportunities in the marketplace while banks and other traditional sources of funds have had to sit on the sidelines.”
MacArthur Foundation awards grant to WFU
May 22nd, 2009
A team from Wake Forest University will work with the Center for Design Innovation and BioBotz, a new nonprofit founded by Wake Forest students, to produce a videogame called “CellCraft” to teach children about biology, according to an announcement.The project will be funded by a $25,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s 2009 Digital Media& Learning competition.
W-S firm investing $9.5M to expand data campus
May 8th, 2009
DataChambers, an information technology firm in Winston-Salem, is planning about a $9.5 million expansion to its campus for data storage. The project involves adding about 1,500 square feet of space to its original data center at a cost of about $1.5 million. The firm will add another 20,000 square feet of space to create a second data center, at a cost of about $8 million. The expansion comes on the heels of an addition of 1,200 square feet finished in January, bringing the current total square footage to 10,000.
Plans firm up as nanobiotechnology center seeks $2.5M
May 8th, 2009
A year and a half after plans for the initiative were first announced, the new director of the Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology has submitted a business plan that could secure $2.5 million in funding. The center, which would be known as “Coin,” is now operating on a $100,000 planning grant from the N.C. Biotechnology Center. The follow-on funding would come from the same agency as part of a statewide Centers of Innovation initiative.
UNCG plans entrepreneurship center
April 27th, 2009
UNCG plans entrepreneurship centerThe Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area* Print* Email* Reprints* RSS Feeds* Add to Del.icio.us* Digg This*CommentsUNC-Greensboro will open its new N.C. Entrepreneurship Center this fall, following approval of the project by university trustees earlier this month, according to an announcement.
Targacept launches Phase 2 study
April 23rd, 2009
Targacept has launched a Phase 2 study of a drug it calls TC-5214 as a potential therapy for resistant hypertension. The Winston-Salem biotech already has the same drug in a more advanced Phase 2b study for use against major depressive disorder. In both cases, TC-5214 is being studied as an “augmentation therapy” that could improve existing treatments.
Technology Companies Thriving in Winston-Salem
April 17th, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Science is the new frontier in Winston-Salem, where dozens of small startup technology-based companies are thriving and hiring, paying over $60,000 a year on average. The U.S. Bureau of Labor says nearly 7,000 people work in science-related occupations in the metropolitan area and at the 8th Annual Technology Briefing, they shared stories of success and growth instead of downsizing and layoffs."I think this is exactly what people need to see," said Gayle Anderson, wit the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce."There is a lot going on. A lot of new companies starting." The goal of Tuesday's briefing was to bring together these small companies to swap stories of growth.
N.C. unveils small business fund
April 14th, 2009
Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton on Tuesday announced the creation of the Small Business Assistance Fund, which will provide low-interest loans to help small businesses struggling to access capital. The new loan fund received $3 million from the budget passed by the Senate last week. The fund is modeled after the loan program the state implemented following natural disasters such as Hurricanes Fran and Floyd. Loans will go to businesses with fewer than 100 employees or annual revenues of less than $1 million. Loans may be used to guarantee commercial loans, emergency bridge loans and other uses related to job preservation.
Piedmont Pharma raises $5.2M
April 10th, 2009
Despite an equity market drought that is choking many biotechs in the Triad and elsewhere, Piedmont Pharmaceuticals has successfully brought home a $5.2 million round of new capital from CM Capital Investments, an Australian firm.
Triad Wet Lab Doors Open - North Carolina Biotechnology Center
April 8th, 2009
A newly equipped wet lab facility in downtown Winston-Salem has opened for business, supported by a North Carolina Biotechnology Center grant of more than $70,000.The Wake Forest University Babcock Demon Incubator Wet Lab, in the Piedmont Triad Research Park, offers low-cost, multi-user wet lab space and support for as many as six new biotechnology and bioscience companies annually.
Forbes ranks GSO, W-S on biz lists
March 27th, 2009
Both Winston-Salem and Greensboro are among the top 50 “Best places for business and careers” metro areas, according to a new ranking by Forbes.com, but are ranked well behind some other areas in the state. Winston-Salem ranked number 18 on the list, which took into account factors including the cost of doing business, projected job growth, educational attainment and population. Greensboro ranked number 41.
Council For Entrepreneurial Development Announces Venture 2009 Conference Presenting Companies
March 25th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Joan Siefert Rose, president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) , a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has announced the presenting companies for the 26th annual Venture 2009 conference, scheduled for Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23 at the Pinehurst Resort, located at 1 Carolina Vista Drive in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. CED’s Venture 2009 conference is the nation’s longest running financing event, bringing together investment opportunities in the life sciences, cleantech and technology arenas with investors.
Brooks Adams to Lead Collaboration To Develop State’s Nanobiotechnology Sector
March 19th, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM AND GREENSBORO, N.C. – The group working to make nanobiotechnology synonymous with North Carolina has hired an executive director to lead its planning efforts.The new hire, Brooks Adams, has worked for 14 years in innovation management in the life sciences. He’s held leadership roles in global business development and marketing with multinational and startup companies. It’s good training for leading the Center of Innovation in Nanobiotechnology (COIN), which is based in the Piedmont Triad but extends across North Carolina to create companies and jobs
Biotechnology Center Promotes Drug Discovery Effort With $100,000 Planning Grant
March 18th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Planning for a virtual Center of Innovation that aims to get products from research labs to market more quickly is getting started with a $100,000 award from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The Drug Discovery Center of Innovation, a multi-institution public-private partnership coordinated by The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, will initially focus on oncology to maximize its impact. This aligns with the N.C. General Assembly’s commitment to cancer research through its $50 million annual contribution to the University Cancer Research Fund. “This Center of Innovation will accelerate the development of new, safer drugs as we link cutting-edge research in North Carolina academic institutions with the needs of biotech and pharmaceutical companies,” said Rick Williams, chief business officer of The Hamner and a member of the planning team.
Want more jobs? Governor could spark wave of new ventures with a 'Founder’s Credit'
March 18th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — If North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue truly wants to spark the state’s faltering economy, she should insist the General Assembly adopt her ideas for a “Founder’s Credit” ASAP, as in"as soon as practical."
$2.5M Biotechnology Center Grant Boosts Advanced Medical Technologies
March 17th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has approved a landmark $2.5 million, four-year grant to help establish a new entity that will support job creation by growing the state’s medical device and related technologies sector.
SEVC: Deals still getting done, but taking longer
March 13th, 2009
ATLANTA - Venture capitalists at the Southeast Venture Conference say they're still doing deals-but fewer and spending more time on those they do.
Pappas Ventures Closes on Fourth Fund
March 11th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Pappas Ventures announced the final closing of its fourth fund, a $102 million venture capital fund focused on the life sciences sector. Like its immediate predecessor funds, Pappas Ventures IV will invest in product-oriented biopharmaceutical companies, with a secondary focus on medical technologies.
North Carolina Nanobiotech Innovation Center Has New Director, Cash, and a Game Plan to Grow | BioRegion News | Bioregionnews | GenomeWeb
March 10th, 2009
With a new director and the promise of additional funding the summer, the new North Carolina Center of Innovation in Nanobiotechnology has some challenges ahead of it.For now, the center is planning how to create a venue that would grow North Carolina's established biotech sector by capitalizing on the nanotech sector that has emerged in recent years in the state's Piedmont Triad region.
Biotechnology Center Launches Undergraduate Research Grants
March 6th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Research experience is an important step in a young scientist’s undergraduate training. But sometimes, that experience is hard to find.To help North Carolina universities create those opportunities, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center has launched the Undergraduate Research Fellowship. This program enables undergraduate science and engineering majors to work in an academic or industrial research setting under the direction of a mentor. In addition to gaining research experience, students get a glimpse of what a career in biotechnology would be like.
PTP to host Nanobio center
March 3rd, 2009
An ongoing effort by the three largest universities in the Triad to create a “Center of Innovation in Nanobiotechnology” has hired an executive director and will move into offices at the Piedmont Triad Partnership, according to an announcement. Wake Forest University, UNC-Greensboro and N.C. A&T University first received a $100,000 grant from the N.C. Biotechnology Center to begin planning the center in late 2007. That grant has been administered by the Partnership, the regional economic development arm.
Cook Medical Adds First-of-Its-Kind Closed Distal Loop Wire Guide to Comprehensive Line of Cannulation Products
March 2nd, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Cook Medical’s launch of Fusion® LoopTip™ sets a new standard for wire guide cannulation, the company announced today. LoopTip delivers potentially less traumatic access and navigation of the pancreatobiliary ductal system when diagnosing and treating conditions of the biliary and pancreatic ducts. These include gallstones, malignant and benign strictures, conditions gastroenterologists treat using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
PAN planning new round of angel funding
February 27th, 2009
The Piedmont Angel Network is nearing the end of its second round of startup investing and planning to start a third, which could provide a boost for a select group of startup businesses in the capital-starved Triad market.
Biotechnology Center Awards $400K to University-Corporate Projects
February 27th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – In the midst of a difficult economy, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center continues to award grants, this time for projects that bring together university and corporate scientists around the state.
Council For Entrepreneurial Development’s Biotech 2009 Shatters Attendance Record
February 23rd, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- Joan Siefert Rose, president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has announced that CED’s Biotech 2009 conference, held Feb. 16-17 at the Raleigh Convention Center, was the largest in the group’s history, welcoming almost 1,000 attendees.
Forsyth Tech's nano program attracting interest
February 20th, 2009
Corey Whitt likes school and he likes science, but he doesn’t like wasting time.That was the main reason Whitt became one of the first graduates of Forsyth Technical Community College’s associates degree program in nanotechnology, which launched four years ago and remains the only degree program of its kind the Southeast.
NC to appoint stimulus “Czar” and not satisfied with being number 3 in biotech
February 17th, 2009
RALEIGH, NC—North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue told a crowd of more than 900 at the NC Council for Entrepreneurial Development’s Biotech 2009 event yesterday that she would appoint a “Czar,” to monitor and invest money the state receives from the Congressional stimulus bill. Gov. Perdue also said she wants to double the size of the state’s biotechnology industry.
Council For Entrepreneurial Development Releases Podcast On The State Of Biotechnology In North Carolina
February 13th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Joan Siefert Rose, president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in the Triangle region of North Carolina, has announced the release of a new podcast discussing the current state of biotechnology in North Carolina and its crucial impact on the state’s economy.
Greensboro Partnership Unveils Entrepreneurial Support Structure
February 13th, 2009
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro Partnership announced plans today to create an entrepreneurial structure within the Partnership to implement the Strategic Plan elements related to entrepreneurism and the recommendations of the Entrepreneurship Committee. Rob Clapper, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce President will serve as the Director of Entrepreneurism for the Partnership and Kathy Elliott will be the Vice-President of Entrepreneurism and Small Business. An additional position will be added to the Entrepreneurism and Small Business department to support entrepreneurial initiatives in Greensboro. The reorganization comes as a mechanism to foster high growth entrepreneurial business, one of the main initiatives of the Greensboro Partnership’s strategic plan and the focus of the 2007 Entrepreneurism Report.
W-S startup taps the gap between spinal treatments
February 13th, 2009
VG Innovations, a medical device startup, is gaining attention for its new approach to treating spinal diseases that the company says offers doctors an important alternative to invasive surgeries. The year-old company’s product VerteLoc has been implanted in more than 200 patients, company officials said, and has already been cited as a leader in a sector of the spinal device industry that is expected to grow to nearly $400 million by 2012.
Second Round of Presenting Companies Announced for 2009 Southeast Venture Conference
February 13th, 2009
The Southeast Venture Conference today announces the second round of companies selected to present at the upcoming conference scheduled for March 11-12th, 2009 at the Intercontinental Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. A total of 40 showcase companies from the southeast and mid-atlantic regions will be presenting to an audience representing over $60 billion in private equity capital.
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Forms Partnership with Institute in Korea
February 13th, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a university hospital in Korea have formed a partnership with the goal of accelerating the development of regenerative medicine therapies to benefit patients.
Biotechnology industry expected to rebound
February 12th, 2009
NEW YORK - The biotechnology industry is expected to rebound and outperform healthcare and the rest of the market this year, according to findings from an investor perception study released by Thomson Reuters and the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
UNCG to offer entrepreneurship programs
February 12th, 2009
UNC-Greensboro plans to launch two new entrepreneurship programs this fall, the school has announced. The new programs are a minor for undergraduates and a post-baccalaureate certificate for college graduates. Both will teach entrepreneurial finance, how to create a feasibility plan and launch and grow a business.
Southeast BIO (SEBIO) presents the annual BIO/Plan Competition.
February 11th, 2009
This year-long program has been designed and developed to help foster the creation of new, venture-attractive life science companies based in the Southeast. Working closely with tech transfer offices and entrepreneurs throughout the region, the competition seeks out and pulls forward opportunities from our region's research universities, research centers and existing entrepreneurs.
New early-stage capital firm includes RTP-based partner
February 10th, 2009
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - Two successful entrepreneurs, one on the West Coast and the other based in the RTP, have started a new early stage capital fund called Freestyle Capital, according to PE Hub. Dave Samuel, who is based in the RTP, and Josh Felser, who founded and sold two startups, are looking for fledgling companies that raise less than $5 million from investors and get sold in less than five years, San Francisco-based Felser told PE Hub.
Venture Capital Investment Competition is the real deal
February 7th, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, NC—Lot’s of colleges and universities hold mock venture competitions in which students pitch their ideas to investors, but the in Venture Capital Investment Competition, real entrepreneurs pitch to students acting as investors with venture capitalists acting as judges.
CIT GAP funds actively looking for new deals
February 7th, 2009
HERNDON, VA—Tom Weithman, managing director of the Center for Innovative Technology’s GAP Funds in Virginia says, “We are absolutely looking for new deals and we’re seeing a really remarkable level of deal flow involving top notch companies and high quality entrepreneurs.”
Targacept to Present at BIO CEO&Investor Conference
February 7th, 2009
Targacept, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics, announced that J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the 11th Annual BIO CEO and Investor Conference at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on Tuesday, February 10 at 11:00 a.m. Dr. deBethizy's presentation will be webcast and accessible from the Investor Relations page of the Company's Web site, www.targacept.com. To ensure a timely connection to the webcast, it is recommended that users register at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The webcast will also be available for replay on the Company's Web site for at least two weeks following the conference.
Greensboro medical device maker ConvaTec expanding, hiring
February 3rd, 2009
GREENSBORO, NC - Bolstered by local governement incentives worth $225,000, ConvaTec, a medical device maker, will expand in Greensboro. The company says it will hire 30 machine operatiors and covert warehouse space to manufacturing, investing nearly $20 million in the expansion.ConvaTec sells ostomy care, skin care, and wound care products and product-related services to patients, supporting caregivers, and healthcare professionals in the United States and Europe.
Another early-stage venture fund launching in Atlanta
February 3rd, 2009
ATLANTA - Another early-stage venture firm - the third in the last few months - is launching in Atlanta. CEO Ventures, formerly VC South, expects to close a fund in the second quarter and plans to invest up to $4 million in about one SaaS company a quarter, founder Michael Price told the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Report says: VC outperforms public markets
February 3rd, 2009
NEW YORK - Venture capital performance showed positive returns across most investment horizons ending September 30, 2008, according to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).
Dr. Anthony Atala to speak at Wake Forest University Law School's regenerative medicine symposium
February 3rd, 2009
Dr. Anthony Atala, the head of the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, is the keynote speaker for the Wake Forest University School of Law Intellectual Property Law Journal’s symposium on regenerative medicine. The Feb. 6 symposium, “Regenerative Medicine – The Crossroads: Examining the Research from Every Angle,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Worrell Professional Center, Room 1312. It is free and open to the public.
Researchers examine strategies behind effective innovation
February 3rd, 2009
Raleigh, N.C. — Researchers at two U.S. universities are examining the long-term, strategic thinking used by industrial decision makers to build innovation capabilities and competencies for future competitive advantage.Their project stresses the data and information requirements for effective industrial innovation planning and management; taking into account emerging global trends in science, technology and management practices.
THE CREATIVE GALE: Tomorrow will not be like yesterday. This is no mere recession: it's a tectonic global shift.
January 20th, 2009
Ours is a time of profound change that holds the seeds of almost unlimited opportunities for those with the vision, courage, and ability to seize them.Tomorrow will not be like yesterday. This is no mere recession: it's a tectonic global shift in savings, consumption, and investment. Today's macropocalypse is a rupture in the global economic fabric - and the next half-decade will be spent reweaving it..Tomorrow's market leaders have new DNA. They look and feel radically different because they were built for 21st century economics, not 20th century economics. They are organized and managed according to new rules; and it is those new rules that make the difference between surviving - and thriving in - the macropocalypse, or being vaporized by it.
DataChambers CEO Named Vice Chair of the North Carolina Technology Association
January 19th, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – DataChambers, a North Carolina-based technology firm, today announced that its CEO Nicholas Kottyan has been elected vice chairman of the North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA), the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina.
North Carolina Research Parks Network Selects Bill Dean as Chairman
January 16th, 2009
Bill Dean, the Director of the Piedmont Triad Research Park has been named Chairman of the newly formed North Carolina Research Parks Network organization. As of January 2009, Bill will chair the Network, a coalition of seven leading science parks located across the state of North Carolina.
Biotech a Leader in Economy, Tolson Says
January 16th, 2009
When our economy recovers, it's a good bet that the biotechnology sector will be one of those sectors leading the way.Norris Tolson, President and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, recently discussed the results of North Carolina's 10-year, $1.2 billion investment in biotechnology, North Carolina's selection as the state with the best business climate seven out of the past eight years, and biotechnology sector development around the state.
Technology Included in Recovery Plan
January 16th, 2009
S&T Figures Prominently In Federal Recovery PlansSeveral years of virtually flat and occasionally declining federal funds for the nation’s research and economic development communities could end abruptly with passage of an economic recovery plan resembling either proposal released by President-elect Obama or Congressional Democrats. Both call for unprecedented public investments to stimulate the economy out of its worst recession since the Great Depression, while at the same time moving the country dramatically toward a national innovation strategy mirroring the priorities of most state and regional technology-based economic development programs across the country.
NC IDEA looking for startup grant applications
January 16th, 2009
Research Triangle Park, N.C. — NC IDEA, an economic development group that has backed 32 startups over the past three years, is accepting grant applications for its spring award cycle.NC IDEA offers non-dilutive grants up to as much as $50,000.
The Aurora Funds isn’t in ‘shutdown mode,’ co-founder says
January 16th, 2009
Research Triangle Park, N.C. — Venture capital firm Aurora Funds has gone into what the Triangle Business Journal described Friday as “maintenance mode.”
Microsoft survey says entrepreneurs optimistic about 2009 - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:
January 16th, 2009
Want proof that entrepreneurs are perpetually optimistic? Just ask Microsoft Corp.The Seattle technology behemoth has released a study, the results of which say that 60 percent of small-business owners said 2009 will be better than 2008.