2007 FiReStarters
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Altairnano pioneers the discovery, development, and manufacturing of low-cost, advanced ceramic nanomaterials of unique structure, performance, and quality. Altairnano’s leading-edge scientists are complemented by a seasoned management team with substantial experience in commercializing innovative, disruptive technologies. The company has developed nanomaterials for the alternative energy, life sciences, and performance materials markets based on its proprietary manufacturing process. This process also provides the foundation for its innovative AHP pigment process. Altairnano owns a robust, proprietary technology platform and a 100,000-square-foot facility comprising offices, laboratories, and semi-works facilities capable of manufacturing a variety of nanomaterials.
FiReSpotter: Investment Management Group: Jeb Terry, CEO, Aberdeen Investment Management, Inc.
Participating at FiRe 2007
Alan Gotcher, President and CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Robert Goebel, Vice President, Sales and MarketingVisit Altairnano online at: www.altairnano.com
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Founded in 2006, Amnestix is an early-stage biotech company which focuses on novel therapeutics for improving memory associated with a variety of human diseases. Cognitive dysfunction ranges from mild memory impairment to severe, debilitating deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other human conditions. The company was founded on the discoveries of Dietrich Stephan, Ph.D., Director of the Neurogenomics Division, at the Translational Genomics Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Arizona (www.TGen.org), and collaborators at the University of Zurich. Jeff Trent, Ph.D., director of TGen, a prominent geneticist, serves as the chair of the scientific advisory board.
Working with Amnestix is CEO Karoly Nikolich, Ph.D., who also serves as the executive director of the NeuroScience Institute at Stanford. The newly formed company is developing small-molecule drugs for memory-related disorders. The seed funding for Amnestix was provided by Brain Trust Accelerator Fund LP (www.braintrustvc.com).
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Rodel Foundations
Participating at FiRe 2007
Karoly Nikolich, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Dietrich Stephan, FounderVisit Amnestix online at: www.amnestix.com
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Hawaii NanoSciences (HNS) is a recently formed high-technology startup, bringing nanotechnology innovations to mature industries with existing mass markets. It has developed a strong technology portfolio over three selected industries: paper/pulp, oil/gas (i.e., fossil fuels), and consumer applied household products. In the paper/pulp industries, HNS has created a unique non-fluorinated, grease-resistant coating technology. It also has developed a novel approach to producing strong yet lightweight paper. Finally, it is pursuing foaming in paper manufacture.
In the area of fossil-fuel applications, HNS has discovered a natural extractant capable of purifying oil-contaminated soils and promoting extraction (thus recovery) of heavy crude. It also is working on lowering the viscosity of extracted crude so its transport over long-distance pipelines is facilitated.
Finally, opportunities abound for nanotechnology-led innovations in consumer-applied household products. The initial focus of HNS is a laundry additive that imparts stain repellency to washed garments and fabrics. The company is currently negotiating the commercialization of this product.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Michael Pfeffer; Managing Partner, Koholala Ventures
Participating at FiRe 2007
David Soane, Chairman and CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Donald Anderson, Vice President, Business DevelopmentVisit Hawaii NanoSciences online at: www.hawaiinanosciences.com
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iCAD Inc. (Nasdaq: iCAD) is an industry-leading provider of Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) solutions that enable healthcare professionals to better serve patients by identifying pathologies and pinpointing cancer earlier. iCAD offers a comprehensive range of high-performance, upgradeable CAD systems for the high-, mid- and low-volume mammography markets. iCAD is entrusted with the task of early cancer detection by over 1,000 women’s healthcare centers worldwide.
FiReSpotter: Investment Management Group: Jeb Terry, CEO, Aberdeen Investment Management, Inc.
Participating at FiRe 2007
Kenneth M. Ferry, President and CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Darlene Deptula-Hicks, Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial OfficerVisit iCAD online at: www.icadmed.com
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The Molecular Profiling Institute is a CLIA-certified specialty reference laboratory that helps patients by applying the discoveries of the human genome project to personalized medicine. Molecular Profiling provides cutting-edge testing facilities, prognostic testing services, and resources for genomic and proteomic profiling and treatment of cancer and other complex diseases.
The underlying cause of each patient’s disease is typically unique to the individual, and Molecular Profiling provides advanced analysis and tools to better help the physician determine the molecular characteristics of each patient’s disease so that they may tailor a more effective medical strategy specific to the individual.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Rodel Foundations
Participating at FiRe 2007
Robert Penny, Chair and CEO (FiRe Speaker)
David Mallery, Co-founder and PresidentVisit Molecular Profiling Institute online at: www.molecularprofiling.com
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Netvocate grew out of a company called Chipin (www.chipin.com). Chipin is interesting because the company lies smack-dab in the middle of the whole “Web 2.0 social networking” experience that is happening right now. Chipin has solved an interesting set of problems by creating a “widget” that enables secure monetary transactions, as well as secure branding of content (think videos to YouTube that have a branded widget around them to ensure proper credit to the source owner [media companies]). The Chipin widget enables anyone, from soccer moms to presidential candidates, to embed their fundraising efforts within each user’s personal experience (web pages, blogs, social networks, etc.). However, Chipin did not stop at providing fundraising widgets and a management platform. Rather, it has extended its core technology to create a unique solution for advertising within social media in general. The elements that made the Chipin system successful – namely, user-generated content and customizable widgets that can be placed within a user’s personal pages – provide a platform to extend user-centric advertising directly into the Web 2.0 user experience. The result of this epiphany is Netvocate.
Netvocate was born from an understanding that social media users are passionate and great advocates for their beliefs. These beliefs can be more than just fundraising events; they are part of the user’s ongoing life experience. Until now, the web in general, and social media sites in particular, have failed to address a major promise: the ability to self-direct the embedded media experience that surrounds each and every Internet user in the world. The ability to enable the user to advocate and promote products, to become what the media industry calls “super-fans,” will revolutionize the emerging Web 2.0 media experience and enable super-fans to unleash the power and creativity of the individual across the Internet.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Michael Pfeffer; Managing Partner, Koholala Ventures
Participating at FiRe 2007
Carnet Williams, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Visit Netvocate online at: www.netvocate.com
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TIPD is engaged in the development of optoelectronic devices, subsystems, and systems for government and industry. The prime activity of the company is in the testing / integration and packaging of optoelectronic components for applications in optical communication, sensors, and medical devices. TIPD LLC is built around some of the research of Dr. Nasser Peyghambarian at the University of Arizona involving fiber optics and hybrid polymer / sol-gel electro-optic modulators that can be used in a revolutionary new type of “active” glasses whose focal depth changes automatically.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Rodel Foundations
Participating at FiRe 2007
Nasser Peyghambarian, Founder, TIPD LLC;
and Professor in Optical Sciences and in Engineering (FiRe Speaker)
Pavel Polynkin, Director of Engineering -
USA Technologies (Nasdaq: USAT) was founded in 1992. The company is recognized as a leading provider of wireless, cashless micro-transactions and networking services. USA Technologies’ services make available unattended credit-card payment technology and networking of distributed energy management assets in a variety of industries, including vending, hospitality, commercial laundry, and energy management.
Inside the industry.
In an effort to continually improve and enhance its product and service offerings, USA Technologies has acquired two companies. In May 2002, it acquired Stitch Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary and operator of cashless networked services in the laundry and vending industries. In July 2003, it acquired the assets of Bayview Technology Group, an energy management equipment provider in the vending industry and several other industries.Inside technology.
The company’s patented technology for unattended credit-card-operated equipment was first implemented in USA Technologies’ “Business Express.” This technology enables self-service business centers where users can activate and pay for the use of personal computers, copy machines, printers, and fax machines using their credit card. This technology was built on a thin-client architecture, which is where centralized processing, storage, and applications occur on a server rather than at each end point. This thin-client architecture has enabled the company to network a wide variety of everyday devices, such as vending machines and commercial washers and dryers. The company has 65 patents and 28 pending.FiReSpotter: Investment Management Group: Jeb Terry, CEO, Aberdeen Investment Management, Inc.
Participating at FiRe 2007
George Jensen, Chairman of the Board and CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Stephen Herbert, President, Chief Operating Officer, and DirectorVisit USA Technologies online at: www.usatech.com
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Veracode is the industry’s first provider of on-demand application security reviews. A spinoff of Symantec Corp., Veracode is the industry’s first company to leverage two key technology breakthroughs: patented binary code analysis that inspects the entire application (including third-party components) at the object code level and a software-as-a-service delivery model. Veracode’s core service, SecurityReview™, enables organizations to quickly assess security quality in any application or software component by identifying security flaws, the absence or presence of critical security features, and/or malicious code embedded in software. Veracode’s mission is to make it so easy and cost-effective that all organizations are able to improve the security quality of internally developed or externally sourced applications. Veracode’s management team includes security experts from @stake, Guardent, ISS, VeriSign, and Symantec.
FiReSpotter: VC Partner: Simeon Simeonov, Technology Partner, Polaris Venture Partners
Participating at FiRe 2007
Matthew Moynahan, CEO (FiRe Speaker)
Ashish Larivee, Vice President, Product ManagementVisit Veracode Inc. online at: www.veracode.com
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Zix Corporation (“ZixCorp”) is the leading provider of hosted, easy-to-use-and-deploy email encryption and e-prescribing services that connect entities to protect and deliver sensitive information in healthcare, finance, insurance, and government. ZixCorp’s hosted email encryption service enables policy-driven email security with send-to-anyone capability that can scan outbound email traffic and automatically encrypt sensitive messages. It is interoperable with the leading industry communications protocols and offers unsurpassed value, with access to the ZixDirectory, the industry’s largest network of users, with more than 7 million protected email addresses.
ZixCorp combined its expertise in hosting applications requiring reliable, sensitive communications with a high-touch sales and support model to become the leader in the emerging e-Prescribing market with real adoption and results.
ZixCorp’s PocketScript® e-prescribing service enables physicians to order prescriptions through a secure wireless mobile PDA and deliver them electronically to retail pharmacies. Automating the prescribing process improves patient safety and convenience while increasing efficiency in the physician’s office and the retail pharmacy. More important, the handheld device becomes a unique portal into the “golden 10 minutes” when the doctor is meeting with the patient to provide clinical decision support at the point-of-care with real-time access to patient-specific information, the latest research, or other messaging. Alerting the physician to more efficacious care, potential adverse drug events, or lower-cost therapeutic alternatives further improves patient safety and reduces overall healthcare costs. E-prescribing is a low-cost, easy-to-deploy introduction of information technology with proven results which can provide the platform for future value through additional decision support.
FiReSpotter: Investment Management Group: Jeb Terry, CEO, Aberdeen Investment Management, Inc.
Participating at FiRe 2007
Rick Spurr, CEO, President, and COO (FiRe Speaker)
David Robertson, Vice President, EngineeringVisit Zix Corporation online at: www.zixcorp.com