Florida Venture Blog by Dan Rua dan

No-BS Venture Thoughts for No-BS Entrepreneurs.

A running perspective on Florida's growing tech and venture community, with an occasional detour to the Southeast/national scene, venture capital FAQs and maybe a gadget or two....

By Dan Rua, Managing Partner of Inflexion Partners -- "Florida's Venture Fund".

Presenting Companies at the 2008 Florida Venture Capital Conference

The following companies were selected to present at the 2008 Florida Venture Capital Conference. I was on this year's selection committee and have to say the competition was fierce. Congrats to all those who made it through -- you deserve it!

2008 CONFERENCE PRESENTERS TO DATE:

AccuDraft, Inc is a 2-year old Software-as-a-Service company that solves critical contract creation and management problems for mid to large-sized organizations. Our solutions revolutionize the contract process - allowing companies to quickly and efficiently produce contracts and documents that follow their business rules, and in the process allow them to track the data within their contracts. For more information please refer to their website www.accudraft.com .

Advantica EyeCare (Allied EyeCare LLC d/b/a Advantica EyeCare) is a privately held managed eye care specialty company which contracts with HMOs, other healthcare organizations and employer groups to deliver high quality, cost-effective eye care services. Formed in 2001, Advantica EyeCare currently provides eye care services to over 2,000,000 lives in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast on a risk basis. The services are delivered through networks of ophthalmologists, optometrists, major retail optical, and ambulatory surgery facilities. Today Advantica EyeCare has built a provider network of over 7,000 eye care professionals comprised of both private independent practioners as well as strategic retail optical partners such as Sears Optical, Pearle Vision Centers, JC Penny Optical, Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA) and For Eyes Optical to provide a national network of providers. For more information please refer to their website www.advanticaeyecare.com .

AuthenTec is the world’s leading provider of fingerprint authentication sensors and solutions to the high-volume PC, wireless device, and access control markets, with more than 25 million sensors in use worldwide. For more information please refer to their website www.authentec.com .

AVANCEN is a company with a mission of Improving Patient Care at the Bedside(tm). The Company's initial product, a "world's first" oral PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia) device, has received FDA clearance, has completed an in-patient clinical trial, and is produced by an FDA-registered contract manufacturer. This patent-protected medical device contributes to better patient comfort and treatment outcomes, and helps nurses become more effective while saving hospital dollars. For more information please refer to their website www.avancen.com .

Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. is focused on commercializing novel biomarker in vitro diagnostic products to address unmet clinical needs associated with organ injury. Our initial diagnostic products will be used for the detection and monitoring of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Banyan research has identified unique and proprietary biomarkers present in the patient's blood following injury to the brain. Until now, no simple, point-of-care blood test existed for use by physicians in the emergency room or in the hospital to detect the presence and severity of brain trauma. Detecting these biomarkers will provide early indications of brain trauma essential for earlier intervention and management. For more information please refer to their website www.banyanbio.com .

DataBanq owns and operates a network of sites across the financial services (mortgage, insurance, credit) and real estate sectors which provide both consumers and businesses (brokers) an open marketplace to engage and transact. Consumers have access to expert level market research written by local brokers in addition to in-depth broker profiles and reviews. Brokers have the ability to upload real estate listings and video, publish blogs, and create their own lead generation forms. The company is adapting its technology for expansion into healthcare Q2 '08. For more information please refer to their website www.databanqmedia.com .

Field Forensics in 2006 introduced the ELITE Explosives Detection Kit. The ELITE has now been tested by the US Army, FBI, RCMP and several other organizations and is being used by several police agencies, including the FBI, several cruise lines, nuclear power plants, and public transportation networks. The disposable kit covers a broad range of explosives, has a very low false positive rate and long shelf life. It is manufactured significantly under contract at good margins even with relatively small manufacturing runs. For more information please refer to their website www.fieldforensics.com .

GeneEx is developing rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests for infectious diseases capable of detecting virulence markers produced ONLY during active infections. Unlike current diagnostic assays, GeneEx's tests can detect pathogens in action as opposed to when they are just harmless colonizers. GeneEx will focus its initial commercialization effort on infectious diseases like periodontitis, group A strep and systemic fungal infections. The company has patent-protected its core technology, and has de-risked kit production and marketing through strategic alliances with key manufacturing and distribution partners. For more information please refer to their website www.geneexinc.com .

Health Integrated delivers innovative health management solutions using a whole-patient approach. Our healthcare programs help members live healthier, more productive lives while enabling employers and health plans to reduce costs by deploying resources more effectively. Health Integrated confronts health, productivity and cost challenges by integrating behavioral health and behavior change into medical and disease management activities. For more information please refer to their website www.healthintegrated.com .

Management Company for InnoVision, a regional provider of eyecare and eyewear through 8 vision centers in the Tampa Bay area. InnoVision is distinguished by it's patient care driven operating model; business development strategy with low patient lead cost; technology and data base orientation; unique merchandising approach; and the training of team members. For more information please refer to their website www.InnoVisionEyecareOnline.com .

Intezyne Technologies, Inc. is an early-stage biotechnology company that focuses on the development of advanced, synthetic polymers for the encapsulation and targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds. Intezyne has developed the IVECT™ drug delivery platform to make targeted drug delivery a reality. The IVECT™ platform represents a radically different approach to drug delivery whereby the polymer structure can be tuned to encapsulate a wide range of therapeutics (e.g. small molecule drugs, proteins, DNA/RNA, and diagnostic agents). This modular system offers opportunities to pursue many disease targets and products, and current efforts aim to demonstrate the versatility of this technology. For more information please refer to their website www.intezyne.com .

Lehigh Technologies manufactures and distributes high quality industrial polymers that enhance the value proposition and in many cases improve the performance characteristics of tires, tire products, extruded and molded rubber goods, paints, coatings, sealants, plastics and other industrial goods. Lehigh’s ultra fine rubber powders are re-engineered from industrial waste rubber using a proven patented cryogenic process. The Company sells these powders into an established but severely undersupplied market at price points that generate operating margins in excess of 35%. The management team brings high level relationships and substantial experience in the industries served by the Company. for more information please refer to their website www.lehightechnologies.com .

Moka provides real-time multi-protocol and multi-lingual messaging applications and services that help people communicate across platforms and borders. Moka’s core service enables any wireless subscriber to engage in a SMS based real-time chat with multiple participants on any mobile device, across different IM platforms or the web and in multiple languages without having to download an application to the handset. Moka provides the only real-time multi-protocol and multi-lingual person-to-person and group messaging application in the market. Our unique communication solution will help people interact and communicate more effectively around the world. For more information please refer to their website www.moka.com .

NovaMin Technology Inc. (“NTI”) is marketing its proprietary material, NovaMin®, as the next generation active-ingredient foundation for consumer oral health care and professional dental products. NTI supplies the ingredient for use in existing products as a branded ingredient. NovaMin addresses rapidly growing, unmet oral care needs of adults and seniors. It does this by amplifying the natural biological defenses and repair mechanisms of the oral environment – resulting in teeth and gums that look and feel noticeably healthier. For more information please refer to their website www.novamin.com .

NovaVision, Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., develops and provides scientifically based, innovative neuro-stimulation medical devices and comprehensive solutions to noninvasively restore the vision of patients with neurological visual impairments. While other rehabilitation modalities have been considered a standard of care for stroke and traumatic brain injury patients (collectively called acquired brain injury patients), NovaVision Vision Restoration Therapy (VRT) addresses vision, an important missing rehabilitation. When diagnosed, neurological vision loss has historically been treated with techniques to compensate for injury rather than restore function. For more information please refer to their website www.novavision.com .

ON-CARD. Inc. On-Card creates and strengthens relationships with personalized gift cards and photo cards. For more information please refer to their website www.on-card.com .

Persystent Technology Corporation is an independent software vendor that offers Persystent Enterprise (PE), a next generation automated PC repair and policy enforcement solution. PE keeps PCs working the way YOU want, all the time, On or Off the network. As a true PC lifecycle management offering, PE automatically enforces IT policies and delivers unparalleled system availability, compliance, and control of PCs. For more information please refer to their website www.persystent.com .

Prioria designs and develops embedded systems for autonomous and robotic applications. Prioria is the creator of the MAVERIC UAS, a hand launched, squad level, fully autonomous unmanned aerial system with the ability to fly in cluttered aerial environments. Prioria also creates advanced, embedded systems for use in the defense, homeland security, and medical device industries. For more information please refer to their website www.prioria.com .

ReDesigning Women is a place to explore the many issues and concerns you face in all facets of your life as you contemplate, navigate and complete the divorce process. The goal is to provide access to practical, emotional, social and physical support, information and encouragement. ReDesigning Women is the winner of the Florida Collegiate Business Plan Competition. For more information please refer to their website www.RDWCommunity.com .

Solicore is a worldwide leader of embedded power solutions, offering its Flexion® product portfolio of advanced, ultra-thin, flexible, lithium polymer batteries for powered cards, RFID, and micro medical devices. Solicore has developed an advanced battery technology that is ultra-thin, flexible, and environmentally safe, which significantly enhances the capabilities of lithium-based batteries. This technology provides a high-energy and high-power density embedded power solution that operates over a wide temperature range and is ideal for high temperature lamination manufacturing processes. Solicore develops, manufactures and markets these ultra-thin, flexible, lithium polymer batteries. Solicore also provides technology integration services that enable customers to accelerate their time to market and increase product design efficiencies at its headquarters, located in Lakeland, Florida. For more information, please visit their website www.solicore.com .

Spectrum Bridge Inc. (SBI), is focused on providing a new wireless communication system technology to allow real time auctioning of FCC licensed radio spectrum. The company’s unique, patented technology creates a new paradigm for the efficient use of spectrum for enterprises, consumers, public safety, and defense users. Spectrum Bridge makes radio spectrum a commodity by creating a real time market for spectrum owners and users to exchange spectrum in a structured and policed environment. For more information please refer to their website www.spectrumbridge.com .

The Kramer Group, Inc. is an information technology company providing "web based" quality assurance services for heallthcare institutions around the country. Our services focus on the providing data quality assurance for registration, billing, coding and collection functions throughout the revenue cycle of a healthcare institutions and their business office operations. These services are sold on a recurring revenue subscription model under multi-year agreements. For more information please refer to their website www.kramergroup.com .

XSell, LLC was founded in 2004 with the sole focus of enabling a new, more effective sales channel: Customer Interaction Marketing. The XSell Interaction Marketing Platform, applicable to a wide variety of industries and organizations, was designed to leverage customer-initiated interactions and transform these into sales opportunities. XSell's service oriented architecture delivers targeted cross-sell content to common customer interaction channels. The XSell interaction hub ensures that sales offers are consistent across channels and allows customer responses to be linked across channels including contact centers, consumer facing web sites and mobile devices. All reporting is consolidated across channels as well as available for each specific channel. For more information please refer to their website www.goxsell.com

Labels: , , , , , ,

SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Comments (1)

Blogger Unknown said...

Hi there - so glad you are covering the Florida scene and glad I have your blog in my circle.

Thanks for all the good coverage.

Maureen Quinlan
www.qrubini.com

1:28 PM  

Post a Comment


<< Home