A little over a week from now, select start-ups will have the chance to present themselves as ‘most eligible’ for seed-stage funding at the annual Venture Conference hosted by The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED).
Angel investors will hear from eight start-ups during a the Angel Investor Retreat session. Another 12 will have a shot to showcase their technology during the Start-Up Speed Dating session.
Companies from across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic were invited to participate in this year’s venture event April 16-18 at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, N.C and attracts financiers from across the country.
The Angel Investor Retreat starts at 9 a.m. on April 17 and includes the following presenters and technologies:
Arbovax, Inc. (Raleigh, N.C., www.arbovax.com) – A vaccine technology platform that modifies arthropod-borne viruses.
Countervail Corporation (Charlotte, N.C., www.countervailcorp.com) – Commercialization of antidotes for nerve gas and pesticide.
Galaxy Diagnostics, Inc. (Chapel Hill N.C., www.galaxydx.com) – Infectious disease diagnostics.
Maestro Music, Inc. (Atlanta, G.A., www.getmaestro.com) – Social and interactive music portal.
Nomad Innovations, LLC (Louisville, K.Y., www.nomadinnovations.com) – Broadcast-quality connectivity solutions utilizing wireless broadband networks.
TerraBuilt Corporation International (Middleburg, V.A., www.terrabuilt.com) – Patented new sustainable building technology.
NanoVector, Inc. (Raleigh, N.C.) – Commercializing a patent pending nanoparticle drug delivery system.
Floorazzo Tile (Siler City, N.C., www.floorazzo.com) – A tile manufacturing company.
Later that afternoon, 12 different young companies will engage with investors in a “speed date” format. They will rotate among groups of investors to give their best elevator pitch and will receive brief, but immediate feedback.
“Last year’s start-up speed dating was easily the best event I have participated in as a very early-stage entrepreneur,” explained Vince Coyner, entrepreneur and 2007 CED Venture speed dating participant. “During that one hour, I received more insightful, direct and effective feedback than I had received from a wide range of conversations with VCs and participation in other events. We walked in thinking we ready. By the end of that one hour session, we actually were.”
Companies selected for the the speed dating round, with descriptions provided by CED, are:
3F, LLC (Raleigh, N.C., www.3fonline.com) – 3F, LLC created a high performance fiber for industrial, structural and ballistic protection.
AtomFan.com (Durham, N.C.) -AtomFan.com delivers user-selected sports video highlights to fantasy sport fans.
Blue Angel Optics (Durham, N.C., www.blueangeloptics.com) – Blue Angel Optics’ multi-spectral imaging systems are a revolutionary sensor platform with numerous applications in the military, surveillance, process control, and medical diagnostics.
Caralight, Inc. (Cary, N.C., www.caralight.com) – Caralight, Inc. is developing a photochemical system that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to destroy dioxin-furan compounds present in the air emissions of certain industrial facilities.
Contactology (Durham, N.C., www.contactology.com) – Contactology is a contact management and campaign delivery technology that allows customers to send and track email marketing messages to permission-based lists while using standard email readers like Microsoft® Outlook to compose the message.
DevScale (Holly Springs, N.C., www.devscale.com) – DevScale provides technology enabling on-demand, scalable and virtual development test environments.
iCustom.net (Apex, N.C., www.icustom.net) – iCustom.net is an online mass-customization platform that helps designers launch their business quickly and cost effectively and allows customers to receive products customized or personalized to their preference, by connecting customers, designers and manufacturers into an ecommerce network.
Pathfinder Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Durham, N.C.) – Pathfinder Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a science-driven, market focused firm that invents and licenses novel, clinical-stage drug candidates for viral infections and related cancers.
PRKL8.com, Inc. (Cary, N.C., www.PRKL8.com) – PRKL8.com is an Internet-based personalization and content delivery service.
Rau Learning Systems, Inc. (Durham, N.C., www.raulearning.com) – BrainFlips is the world’s best online flashcard software, revitalizing one of the most familiar, time-tested, and scientifically proven learning tools to create the most effective method of memorization currently available.
Science Learning Resources, Inc (Carrboro, N.C., www.science-learning.com) -Science Learning Resources develops and markets innovative multimedia science education products for elementary through college level students.
Sirga Advanced Biopharma Inc. (Research Triangle Park, N.C.) – Sirga Advanced Biopharma Inc. (SirgaAB) is an early-stage drug discovery and development company, focusing on small molecule drugs to treat HIV, other infectious diseases, and drug resistant diseases through a novel mechanism to block ribnucleaic acid (RNA) function at the cellular level.
