Having already secured credibility in part through a loan from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Durham medical device startup Akros Medical is raising capital and already has a gaggle of investors.
Akros, which was founded less than two years ago, says it is focused on development of medical devices for use in orthopedic surgery.
The web site says the firm will provide “novel solutions for orthopedic surgeons.”
Co-founded and led by Charles Horrell, the company disclosed in a securities filing Wednesday that it is raising a $1.44 million round of equity.
So far, eight investors have bought in to the Akros strategy and products with some $560,000 invested.
To date, Akros has operated largely in stealth mode.
The firm first attracted some media attention earlier this year when the North Carolina Biotechnology Center disclosed it had made a $75,000 loan to Akros.
According to the Biotech Center, Akros is aiming for commercial launch in 2016.
As of late Wednesday, no real information about the company was available at its website.
However, Horrell has described himself and career through a LinkedIn profile.
After getting his start as a chassis design engineer at Ford, he has held several product-related roles.
He’s a graduate of Darmouth College with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering.
I am a licensed mechanical engineer with experience in the automotive, medical device, racing, aviation, and clean tech industries. Employment has ranged from working with massive corporations to early-stage startup ventures to free-lance consulting.
Specialties: Product design and project management from developing concepts to building prototypes to putting product lines into full-scale production.
