 UB Technology Incubator Welcomes New Companies (Posted July 27, 2006)
UNYTECH Holds 4th Annual Venture Forum (Posted July 27, 2006)
NYSTAR, Reichert Fund Work to Develop Microfluidic Detector (Posted July 26, 2006)
Out of the Lab and into the Marketplace (Posted June 22, 2006)
Team Developing R&D Software Wins Panasci TEC Competition (Posted May 31, 2006)
STOR Attends Biotechnology Conference (Posted April 20, 2006)
AMBP Tech Graduates from the UB Technology Incubator (Posted March 31, 2006)
UB Faculty Inventors Named on Patents (Posted March 13, 2006)
Workshop to Move Forward High-Tech Business Ideas (Posted January 20, 2006)
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Construction on Sweet Home Road isn’t the only thing being talked about these days at the University at Buffalo Technology Incubator at Baird Research Park. The facility, located on Sweet Home, has welcomed four new companies into its program. Newton LED, an innovative signage company, and Oncology Research Therapeutics, Inc., life-sciences company that specializes in offering cancer-based diagnostics to physicians, joined 23 other associate companies in calling the Incubator “home”. Additionally, BioHammer and VertaSource are taking advantage of the Incubator’s resources as affiliates of the program.
“These two associate companies are a great addition to our Technology Incubator program,” said Woody Maggard, UB Associate Vice Provost and STOR Associate Director. “Both Newton and ORT are carrying out research and development of their products here at the Incubator’s laboratories.”
Moving into the Incubator last summer, ORT has established a laboratory testing service, and research and development facilities to further develop its novel cancer drug delivery system.
“ORT identified the Incubator as the optimal place to conduct our clinical and research operations,” said John M. Moran, Jr., ORT chief executive officer. “It offers GMP quality facilities that are necessary for the clinical and research diagnostic testing we will be offering the greater Buffalo medical community. ORT is a new wave of companies offering personalized medical treatment.”
ORT is currently working on launching a new diagnostic test called Chemofit®. This test is performed on a wide array of solid tumors including lung, breast, colon, pancreas, and bladder cancer tissue in order to predetermine which patients will respond to chemotherapy and avoid drug failure in the treatment of such cancer. Moran noted that the company will also begin development of a novel biomarker blood test aimed at diagnosing cancer years before it evolves into a tumor mass.
Newton LED specializes in the research, development, and use of LEDs in outdoor signage. The company, headed by Dennis Ryan, moved into the incubator in the winter of 2005. They are currently wrapping up a lighting project at the Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel located in Niagara Falls.
The two new affiliates of the Incubator are start-up companies who are not yet currently housed at the facility, but which are part of the services and family. VertaSource is a web design and hosting company that has moved quickly into media advertising using aggressive design and marketing technologies. Recently, it launched its AtHome products nationally with CBS Radio, and its first site, BuffaloAtHome (www.buffaloathome.com) has become extremely popular in a short period of time.
UB Panasci Technology Entrepreneur Competition winner, BioHammer is a student start-up specializes in open source software in the biotech arena, and is licensing this technology from UB.
“Open source software fits well with bioinformatics since it is collaborative. BioHammer will enable access to the various tools becoming available in this space, and will also provide access to other tools of critical importance to the biotech community,” said Maggard.
Development continues on other properties along Sweet Home Road, leading to a demand for better traffic flow on the road and around the university. Sweet Home Road is being widened to four lanes with a raised median. There will also be some modifications to Chestnut Ridge Road, including an additional entrance to Baird Research Park. The construction, which began in April, will continue through to 2007. In the meantime, staff and visitors to the Incubator will have to bear with minor traffic delays.
“Plans for the expansion of Baird Research Park continue to develop,” said Maggard. Adding that current growth by existing incubator companies will provide the impetus for the expansion over the next few years.
In other Incubator news, Teeter Marketing Services, LLC recently opened an office in New York City to help facilitate delegations to and from China. Fred Teeter, president, has made four trips over the past 18 months to China and signed a marketing agreement with a Provincial Government and Chinese trading company, and also addressed a Chinese delegation in Albany. Teeter Marketing has also secured a contract with GlobalSpec.com based in Troy, NY, to produce two on-line newsletters covering Coatings & Surface Engineering and Glass & Ceramics each month. GlobalSpec is the largest engineering search engine in the world.
Emerging companies from upstate New York’s universities present business plans to investors
Eleven colleges and universities throughout upstate New York have joined together to host UNYTECH06, the fourth annual venture forum. The event which connects university-based start-up companies with potential investors that can help grow their business will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 19 and Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006 in Rochester, NY.
“UNYTECH helps to bridge the funding gap for start-up companies on our upstate campuses,” said Robert J. Genco, Ph.D., D.D.S., Vice Provost and Director of the University at Buffalo Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach. “The pathway to commercialization requires different sources of investment to bring a product to market. UNYTECH has been successful in helping our spin-off companies raise $20 million in funding and grants. We expect continued success of the venture forum in reaching out to potential investors and entrepreneurs.”
UNYTECH06 is designed to give venture capitalists, seed and angel investors access and insight into technologies and companies being developed on the university campuses of Upstate New York. A planning committee consisting of university technology transfer officers and investors pre-screen and select the presenting companies based on their market opportunity, development stage and intellectual property protection. The presenting companies will be selected later this summer.
“Our upstate universities are a tremendous source of intellectual capital,” noted Genco. "At UNYTECH, we will be showcasing companies with proven technologies that represent the strongest growth opportunities.”
This year, UNYTECH has secured Kevin Parker, Ph.D., Dean of the University at Rochester School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as the luncheon keynote speaker. He was the inventor of a technology called the "Blue Noise Mask" which allows for increased speed and quality of images created by printers and fax machines. This technology has been licensed to almost all of the big computer equipment companies. Parker is also a founder of Virtual Scopics, Inc., a university start-up that recently went public. His talk will focus on his experiences in commercializing his research.
Participating schools include: Alfred University, Binghamton University, Cornell University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, State University of New York Research Foundation, University at Albany, University at Buffalo, and University of Rochester.
UNYTECH06 is sponsored in part by the New York State Science and Technology Law Center, include Nixon Peabody, Harris Beach, Phillip Lytle, and Hodgson Russ, LLP.
Attendees can register online at http://www.unytech.org/registration.html for a fee of $75. For more information please contact Lorraine Stinebiser at 716-636-3651 or info@unytech.org.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a microfluidic device that rapidly tests live cells for responses to any stimulus by using electrical resistance to measure changes in cell volume. The device can measure the volume of organelles, vesicles and any other insulating objects such as the latex beads used in various biochemical assays. The chip has numerous potential applications, including the detection of drug/cell interactions, bacterial sensitivity to antibiotics and cancer cell susceptibility to chemotherapeutic agents.
The project is funded by a $750,000 Technology Transfer Incentive Program (TTIP) grant from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), and matching funds from Reichert, Inc. of Depew, which is licensing the technology. Reichert sees this technology as a major opportunity in its growing business serving the emerging bio-research market.
“The TTIP program is designed to partner universities with New York State companies in commercializing leading-edge technologies, and provides critical resources to develop technologies so that they are ready for licensing,” said Robert J. Genco, UB Vice Provost and director of the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR). STOR worked with the researchers and Reichert to submit the grant application and license the technology.
Frederick Sachs, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Susan Z. Hua, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, are the primary inventors of the technology.
Cell volume is a universal measure of cell metabolism. However, it has not been used for cell-based screening because conventional methods to measure cell volume, such as microscopy, are complex and time-consuming. The UB invention can measure the volume of a small number of cells in real-time with unprecedented resolution.
“Cells are electrical insulators.” said Hua. “When they are immersed in electrically conductive salt water within the sensor, the cells displace some of the water and reduce the current. If the cells swell, as might happen in the presence of a toxin, the sensor resistance increases providing a quantitative measure of the cellular response.”
The prototype device is a microfabricated chip made of silicon, glass and platinum that is inexpensive and reusable.
“The combination of New York State support, the easy collaboration with UB, and Reichert’s ability to serve the market with a product makes for very strong growth potential,” states Robert Carey, general manager of analytical instruments at Reichert. Cell volume measurement is complementary to Reichert’s Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) instruments that provide real time measurement of molecular interaction.
The invention has applications in both the diagnostic and research markets. In the health-care industry, for example, current methods for testing bacterial resistance to antibiotics are labor-intensive and costly. Moreover, these methods often require 24 to 48 hours, during which time physicians prescribe a “best-guess” treatment for their patients. With its ability to detect antibiotic sensitivity within 15 minutes, the microfluidic sensor has the potential to save lives and reduce health care costs.
In the research markets, pharmaceutical companies need methods to screen drug candidates rapidly. A fast, small-volume, high-throughput detector for drug-cell interactions would save companies time and money.
Reichert Inc. is a world leader in ophthalmic instruments, laboratory refractometers, and microscope services.
STOR helps turn research into commercial products
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer
With the opening of UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, UB has created a flashpoint for innovation and research in downtown Buffalo.
But it is the business-support services UB provides its researchers and their scientific breakthroughs through the Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR) that will create the start-up businesses that establish the city as a center for the biotechnology and life sciences industries, according to Robert Genco, vice provost and director of STOR.
Genco, who also is SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine, explained yesterday how research goes from the laboratory to the businesses sector—as well as some of UB's recent success stories—in "Accelerating Economic Development in the Buffalo Niagara Region: Transferring UB Inventions to Society," the last lecture in a special miniseries celebrating the grand opening of the Center of Excellence. The miniseries is part of the UBThisSummer lecture series.
"In the United States, universities have become a major drive of the biotech industry," Genco said. "It's estimated that 75 percent of biotechnology innovations—drugs and diagnostic devices—have come from universities."
Genco said university-driven development is on the rise due to changes made to federal law in 1980 that now enable universities to own intellectual property developed with federal funds—with the mandate that best efforts are taken to commercialize the discoveries and share proceeds with inventors. He said that 2,200 new commercial products—"many of them in your pharmacy right now"—have been developed from university research between 1998 and 2003.
UB is keeping pace with other institutions in terms of innovation, Genco noted. The number of patents obtained by UB researchers has increased from 58 in 2003 to 69 in 2005 and "invention disclosures," which indicate new discoveries that could turn into patents at a later date, are up from 82 in 2003 to 92 in 2005.
"We are at the national average," said Genco. "In other words, our faculty are good inventors."
Sixteen new licenses and options in 2005 place UB near the national average in this area as well. Moreover, eight new start-up businesses in 2005 and seven in 2004 set UB far above the national benchmark for universities with academic health centers. The average is one start-up per year. There have been 24 new start-ups at UB since 2002, Genco added.
The Buffalo area also is above average in terms of regional development. About 39 percent of UB start-up companies remain in Western New York, compared to the national average of about 20 percent.
"We have emphasized local companies in Buffalo because we think Buffalo needs local companies and local jobs," said Genco.
One such company cited by Genco is the SmartPill Corp. Founded on the work of Jerome Schentag, a UB professor of pharmaceutical sciences, SmartPill has developed a small diagnostic device a patient can swallow. It has the potential to replace more invasive procedures that diagnose diabetes and colonic illnesses. So far, is has raised about $25 million in private capital and Genco said Federal Drug Administration approval is expected this summer.
SmartPill isn't just a dynamic homegrown venture; the company is committed to staying in Buffalo as well, he said.
Genco also talked about Kinex Pharmaceuticals, a start-up company that develops cancer drugs founded by David Hangauer, UB associate professor of chemistry. Some of the several million dollars Kinex has raised in venture capital came through UB and its partners in the WNY Business Development Fund, he said.
"It's a long process, but [Kinex] has as good a chance as anyone to develop a billion-dollar drug. And it can happen right here in Buffalo," said Genco.
Baird Research Park on Sweet Home Road, adjacent to the North Campus, provides office space to 19 start-up businesses and supports eight affiliate companies, said Genco. "It's more than just real estate," he said. "There are a lot of free services." In addition to conference rooms and UB's network of libraries and computers, companies in the incubator have access to funding groups, local venture capital organizations and UB's "Execumatch" program, which matches CEOs with scientists so researchers can return to the lab faster while trained business experts take over their start-ups' day-to-day operations.
There have been 60 companies that have "graduated" from Baird Research Park in the past 10 to 15 years. Genco said, and Technicor Inc. and Aquasol will move out in July. These companies have grown so large that the facility can no longer contain them. "Our building is about 45,000 square feet. These two companies are going into a building that's 55,000 square feet. That's a success story for us."
Buffalo has great opportunity to become a center for biotech industries, thanks to some major advantages over other universities, said Genco. UB's Center for Computational Research—one of the most powerful supercomputers in the nation—has the power required to drive the calculations needed for bioinformatics research.
Moreover, Genco points out, UB is partnered with Roswell Park Center Institute and the Hauptman-Wood Medical Research Institute—institutions that are at the forefront of cancer and structural genomics research, respectively.
"We want [our children] to stay in Buffalo and this is going to keep them here," said Genco. If we have a cluster of these life sciences jobs, then young people can stay. That's wonderful. That's what drives us every morning when we go to work."
To view Dr. Genco's presentation click here
BUFFALO, N.Y. - - Providing products and services to biotechnology firms was the common denominator for the two teams that won more than $60,000 in cash and services in the University at Buffalo's annual Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Competition (Panasci TEC).
Panasci TEC awards seed money and business services to the teams that present the best plan for launch of a viable new business.
Two UB students comprised the first-place team. Justin Call of Amherst is in the JD/MBA (law/management) program, and Alfonzo Cutaia of Clarence is a law student. Together with Yaoqi Zhou, associate professor in the UB departments of Physiology and Biophysics and Chemical and Biological Engineering; Alan Walczak, a research assistant in the Toshiba Stroke Research Center, and Taher Hegab, a doctoral candidate in UB's Chemistry Department, they will launch their proposed venture, BioHammer, which is developing software to help biotech companies and pharmaceutical firms be more efficient in their research and development processes.
"We are very confident in our business model and our product, but we were still somewhat surprised to win after seeing the great business plans and presentations of our competitors," said Call.
His teammate, Cutaia, was pleased with the results and with the process.
"Preparing for the competition really helped us move the company along. We met with leaders of Fortune 500 companies and smaller firms and made some great connections for when we are ready to move into the sales phase," he said.
The first-prize package, valued at more than $50,000, includes $25,000 in seed funding, one year of office space from North Forest Development and one year of legal services from Jaeckle Fleischmann and Mugel.
The second-place prize of $10,000 in start-up funding went to KbTwist Inc., which will develop unique probes for atomic force microscopes that will help make them suitable for routine screening of drugs.
The team was made up of UB JD/MBA students Jason Lee of Jericho, N.Y., and Karin Abu-Middain of Amherst, UB medical student Arthur Beyder of Kenmore and two additional members, Buffalo resident Chiara Spagnoli and Jordan Lema of East Amherst.
Twelve teams participated in this year's competition, and five teams of finalists presented their business plans publicly in the competition's final round on April 26 at the Jacobs Executive Development Center.
The other finalists presented a variety of new venture ideas, including a line of bone regeneration products for the dental and orthopedic markets; an investment research firm that would use computer technology to help investors and analysts make investment decisions, and a company that would provide colleges and universities with a software tool to help student groups.
Serving as judges for the event were Robert H. Fritzinger, CEO, Zenhire; Thaddeus H. Grasela Jr., president and CEO, Cognigen Corp.; James Hengst, president and CEO, ZeptoMetrix; Marnie LaVigne, director of business development, UB's New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; and Brian Pearson, president, Valuation Advisors, LLC.
Panasci TEC was created by the University at Buffalo School of Management and the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach, and is funded with a $1 million endowment from the late Henry A. Panasci Jr. to facilitate and promote the commercialization of UB-generated technologies. It also is designed to provide a mechanism for bringing students from science and technology disciplines together with students from the School of Management to maximize their business and scientific potential and create viable businesses in Western New York.
Written by Jacqueline Ghosen
Biotechnology Industry Organizations’ annual conference, BIO2006, was one of the world’s largest gatherings of biotechnology leaders in the world, attracting approximately 18,000 life sciences professionals, and UB STOR was there. STOR partnered with the Research Foundation of the State University of New York (SUNY) and the Buffalo-Niagara region to showcase the University’s research and innovative discoveries in the field of biotechnology.
Woody Maggard, Associate Vice Provost and Associate Director, Jeffrey Dunbar, Intellectual Property Director, and Lorraine Stinebiser, Community Relations and Outreach Manager, attended the conference held in Chicago during April 10-12, 2006.
“BIO is a great opportunity to meet with a number of companies who may be looking to establish a location in the region, partner with our faculty for sponsored research, or potentially license technologies,” noted Maggard. “STOR has participated in BIO for the past four years, and feel it is a great opportunity for UB.”
The Research Foundation of SUNY organized individual meetings with decision makers in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries in an effort to develop licensing and other commercialization opportunities. Dunbar met with more than a dozen companies, including biotechnology and pharmaceuticals companies from the U.S., Japan, United Kingdom, Australia Canada and Belgium, to discuss the university’s biotechnologies available for licensing.
“Licensing executives from many top companies in the industry attend BIO,” said Dunbar. “Having time to meet face-to-face at the conference is invaluable in establishing a productive licensing relationship with them. We were able to discuss specific UB technologies that fit their research and development profiles, and gain a better understanding of their pipeline.”
Next year’s BIO conference will be held in Boston during May.
AMBP Tech Corporation graduated this past fall from the UB Technology Incubator, located in Baird Research Park in Amherst, NY.
The Incubator provides an environment that assists start-up technology-based companies in becoming independent, thriving businesses. UB STOR provides support services including management counseling, networking opportunities, assistance with capital sourcing, access to university expertise, access to university business databases and library facilities, and university purchasing power.
“It is these types of invaluable services that help incubate start-up companies and turn them into successful businesses that ‘graduate’ and move into a space of their own,” said Woody Maggard, Associate Vice Provost and Associate Director of STOR.
UB STOR likes to keep in touch with incubator graduates and follow their success. AMBP recently moved from Baird Research Park into a new facility located at 275 Cooper Avenue, Suite 112 in Tonawanda, NY. This move enables the company to manufacture up to three Laser Assisted Molecular Beam Deposition systems at one time and also gives the company ample space to continue development of their current three product lines.
“The incubator provided invaluable help in getting AMBP Tech up and running,” said Nehal Chokshi, VP of Business Development at AMBP Tech. “This included not needing to deal with facilities management, having easy access to business counsel, easy access to the university, and an environment to interact with other start-up companies.”
Since leaving the incubator, AMBP has focused on designing and building a LAMBD turnkey system. LAMBD stands for Laser-Assisted Molecular-Beam Deposition and is used to create uniform, high-purity thin films from 50 angstroms to 1 micron thick. These films have been shown to outperform films deposited by other techniques such as sputtering due to the nanocrystalline nature of the films deposited. Applications demonstrated thus far include tungsten trioxide electrochromic films and Zinc Oxide thin film transistors. There are many other potential applications including dielectrics (high and low) for the integrated circuit industry as well as nanocrystalline thin films for other niche markets such as solar cells and superconductors.
AMBP Tech has also completed two additional Phase I programs, brought the PAMBD prototype system up to operational status, provided laser annealing services to various customers, and has signed agreements with international representatives.
Chokshi believes that within the next year, AMBP Tech will experience a 200% - 400% explosive growth followed by steady 40% - 50% growth rates in the following four years. He expects to have a staff of 20 at the conclusion of three years. “We expect to establish AMBP Tech as a leading advanced process and material developer in the nation by empowering our employees to generate new innovations,” said Chokshi.
To find out more information on AMBP Tech Corporation, visit their website at www.ambptech.com or call them at (716) 447-2587.
To learn more about the University at Buffalo Technology Incubator located in Baird Research Park
click here.
Eleven University at Buffalo faculty members were named on eight patents issued to The Research Foundation of State University of New York in 2005. Two of these patented technologies have already been licensed to companies that will bring new products to the market.
“Being awarded patents on new technologies and inventions is an important aspect of technology transfer,” said Robert J. Genco, Ph. D., D.D.S., vice provost and director of the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR) “In most cases, patent protection provides the opportunity for exclusivity that companies need to justify the investments required for product commercialization.”
STOR files patent applications on behalf of the Research Foundation of State University of New York. Filing patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is a multi-step process that can take four to five years before a patent is actually awarded. STOR receives more than 90 new technology disclosures per year. With the increased investment made by UB in intellectual property protection, STOR files 35-40 new U.S. patent applications per year, including provisional applications.
The following faculty members named on patents in 2005 will be recognized at the annual STOR Scholars, Inventors and Entrepreneurs Reception to be held in May:
Ali El-Solh and Brydon J.B. Grant, both of the Department of Medicine, for patent 6,839,581 - Method for Detecting Cheyne - Stokes Respiration In Patients With Congestive Heart Failure. This patent and related software have been licensed to Sleep Solutions, Inc., of Maryland.
Jui H. Wang, Department of Chemistry, for patent 6,863,942 - Free-Standing and Aligned Carbon Nanotubes and Synthesis Thereof. Collaborators include Zhongping Huang, Dezhi Wang, and Zhifeng Ren all formerly of UB. This nanotube technology has been licensed to NanoPolaris of California.
Daniel J .Metzger, Michael W. Russell, Terry D. Connell, all of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, for patent 6,846,488 - Chimeric Antigen-Enterotoxin Mucosal Immunogens.
Joseph A. Gardella, Department of Chemistry, for patent 6,864,090 - Method for Testing the Degradation of Polymeric Materials. Collaborators include Jiaxing Chen and Joo-Woon Lee both formerly of UB, and Norma L. Hernandez de Gatica.
Michal K. Stachowiak, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, for patent 6,878,858 - A Rodent Model for Parkinson's Disease.
Aidong Zhang, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, for patent 6,882,997 - A Wavelet-Based Clustering Method for Managing Spatial Data in Very Large Databases. Collaborators include Surojit Chatterjee and Gholamhosein Sheikholeslami both formerly of UB.
Dennis Higgins, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, for patent 6,949,505 - Morphogen-Induced Dendritic Growth.
Huw M.L. Davies, Department of Chemistry, for patent 6,962,891 - Solid Support Dirhodium Catalyst Compositions and Methods for Making and Using Same. Collaborator is Tadamichi Nagashima formerly of UB.
STOR is the commercialization and technology transfer office of the University at Buffalo. It identifies, protects and commercializes the outcomes and discoveries of research conducted by UB faculty and students for the public good. STOR also provides a continuum of business-development support for the university's technologies, entrepreneurs and start-up companies, and enables joint development of inventions with industry.
The University at Buffalo School of Management, in partnership with BuffLink, the Health Care Industry Association and several other community resources, will present a three-day Pre-Seed Workshop, designed for people in the concept stage or early development of a technology company to help them move their ideas to the point where seed-level financing can be considered.
The event will be held on Jan. 24, 25 and Feb. 1 in the UB Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, in the Jacobs Executive Development Center, 672 Delaware Ave.
The pilot workshop will involve six high-tech business ideas from UB and the Western New York area. The overall goals are to determine the extent to which each idea is of commercial merit, test each team's start-up fortitude and organize each idea to move forward.
The program will be 20 percent lecture and 80 percent hands-on working sessions. It will be a high-energy, fast-paced and motivational program with a slight competitive flair. The teams will be aligned with a known start-up coach from the area who will assist them during the workshop.
Each team will address the 20 most fundamental questions to be considered before starting a company. They will answer questions in a series of eight break-out sessions related to their technologies, their markets, their competition, their business potential and other key considerations.
Participants will create a number of deliverables (tables, charts, slides) during these break-out sessions. These deliverables will constitute the foundation of a 15-minute presentation that each team will give on the final day of the workshop to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs. Thes entrepreneurs then will provide feedback on the merit of each opportunity.
Organizers and sponsoring institutions include Judy Albers, vice president, Trillium Group; Thomas A. Palmer, partner, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP; J. Montieth Estes, partner, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP; Althea Luehrsen, executive director, Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, UB School of Management; John Hannon, associate professor, UB School of Management; Woodrow Maggard, associate vice provost, UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach; Paul McAfee, entrepreneur-in-residence, University at Buffalo Technology Incubator; Alan Olhoeft, executive director, BuffLink, and Mark Wilson, principal, Initiatives Consulting.
The following companies are providing financial and in-kind support as sponsors:
* Dopkins and Company
* Brown and Brown Insurance Company
* New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences
* Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, UB School of Management
* eXubrio Group LLC
* Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP
* InfoTech Niagara
* UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR)
* Roswell Park Cancer Institute
* Erie County Industrial Development Agency
* BuffLink
Ultimately, the sponsoring organizations hope that this mechanism will spur the formation of new companies, provide additional revenues to the area and create jobs. For more information, contact Althea Luehrsen at the UB Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at (716) 885-5715.
Article written by Jacqueline Ghosen (ghosen@buffalo.edu)
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