One Dozen Make the Pitch to Local Investors
Jennifer Watson of Surgical Tools talks about a device that will aid surgeons in making better predictions about breast cancer.
All Optronics has developed a solar concentrator that uses a smaller surface area than conventional photovoltaic solar panels to concentrate the sun's energy.
PlayAbility Toys does not adapt existing toys for children and adolescents with disabilities. It engineers them from scratch.
The UA's Arizona Center for Innovation held its first Investor Showcase connecting inventors and start-up company founders with the people needed to help take their ideas to market.
They want to make cancer detection easier and quicker, solar energy technology less expensive and toys for children and youth with disabilities easier to attain.
A dozen people presented ideas for new start-up companies and high-tech innovations to southern Arizona investors on Thursday as part of Arizona Center for Innovation's inaugural Investor Showcase at The University of Arizona.
The invitation-only event was meant to showcase the research-to-market potential of innovations developed both by UA researchers and others in southern Arizona and allow the creators to make the pitch to local investors who have the financial means to help move their creations to market or advance their research and reach.
"You get to see some of the best, the high potential and great things going on here," said Marie Wesselhoft, director of the Arizona Center for Innovation, or AzCI, a business incubator located at the UA's Science and Technology Park.
The presenters were:
Mary J. Wirth of bioVidria
Wirth, a UA chemistry professor, presented the company she founded and some of the technology and tools being developed in her research laboratory at the University that are meant to aid in the detection of diseases. "Early detection," she said, "is the big challenge of 21st century medicine." Wirth spoke about BrightSlides, testing slides that are extremely sensitive, and other technologies that will help detect diseases and advance medical diagnostics.
Ismaila Wane of Contactless Data
Wane described being able to redeem coupons at the retail counter with the swipe of a cell phone or USB storage drive. The founder and president, Wane presented Mobifetch, a digital promotion platform that would enable companies and merchants to use near field communication, or NFC, technology to dispense coupons. "This is the Holy Grail for the coupon industry," he said.
Michael Sember of LiPoint
Sember, the company's president and chief executive officer, presented a technology that would provide drugs through the nasal cavity. Sember noted that nasally delivered drugs absorb more quickly into the bloodstream over a shorter period of time. "We have unique, proprietary technology to improve existing drugs on the market," he said. LiPoint's formulations, he added, offer an alternative to injections and could be used with drugs meant to treat pain, inflammation, hormone replacement therapy and other conditions.
Katherine Lui of All Optronics
Lui, the company's president, spoke about the "optical solution to solar energy." Her company has developed a solar concentrator that uses less than 10 percent of the surface area of the conventional photovoltaic solar panel. In doing this, Lui said the sun's energy is concentrated and the cost of collecting solar energy is reduced.
Reena Zutshi of Luceome Biotechnologies
Zutshi, the company's president and chief executive officer, presented a testing and screening technology developed to aid in drug discovery by reducing the time at which "suitable" drug candidates are located. "It takes a long time and a lot of money to take a drug from the discovery phase all the way to approval," Zutshi said. The technology was developed by Indraneel Ghosh, the UA Emily Davis and Homer Weed Endowed Chair, associate professor of chemistry and BIO5 Institute member.
Ramesh C. Nayak of MSDx
MSDx is working to develop the first blood test for multiple sclerosis, said Nayak, who noted that the condition affects about 2.5 million people in the world, 400,000 of whom are in the United States. The test kit the company is developing, he said, would be a cost-effective and easier alternative to undergoing a spinal tap or MRI.
Mark Bamster of Medipacs
Medipacs produces medical devices for drug delivery. Bamster, the company's founder, spoke about the Mini-infuser, which is about the size of a pocket watch and administers medicine to patients. Bamster said the device, which would never leave the patient, would help reduce the number of errors committed in administering drugs, increase safety and also "put the pharmacist in control."
Jennifer Watson of Surgical Tools
Watson, a UA doctoral degree candidate in the biomedical engineering program and an intern with the company, presented a device to help surgeons make better predictions about breast cancer, particularly when performing lumpectomies. The "disposable specimen container," Watson said, would improve detection by offering a 3-D image of the specimen. It would also serve to reduce the risk of the recurrence of cancer cells by aiding in the accurate detection of malignant cells.
Mark Perlmutter of Expert Green Advice
With the emergence of "green" products, one company wants to be the "trusted adviser" for helping consumers make informed decisions about the purchase of such products. Perlmutter, the company's founder and chief executive officer, and his colleagues are developing a Web-based portal that would provide information, products and interviews with Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, Neal Barnard and other advocates of sustainable living.
Bud Fraze of PlayAbility Toys
Fraze, an engineer, designs toys for children and adolescents with disabilities. The company has not been adapting existing toys for those who have special needs, but creating toys specifically for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, autistic, or living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. "It's a blue ocean market because it's largely unexplored," Fraze said.
Susan Solomon of B2Binformatics
Solomon, the company's president and computing manager at the UA's Arizona Respiratory Center, said the priority of her company is to "translate research findings to public use." The company is developing a software system that would make data management easier for researchers in academics and industry. The software would essentially organize data "like a grocery store" though a Web-based portal.
Anna Price of TonerTub
"We're trying to create a new health craze in this country," began Price, "and the time for that is now." Price, who cited nationwide concerns about weight issues, heart disease and high blood pressure – among other preventable health concerns – went on to describe TonerTub. The deep water vessel, which is still in its conceptual phase, would enable its user to be submerged in water up to the shoulders, providing a nearly weightless feel and a greater range of motion for exercise.
All of the presentations were in various phases of development – from concept to market – with half of them being tied to the UA. In all, the range in desired investment was about $25,000 to millions of dollars.
"I'm confident that these companies will be adding new high-tech jobs to Tucson's economic base. It's a credit to AzCI in their nurturing of these [startups] and the support the community has shown for their growth," said Corey Smith, a local investor.
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