Life sciences investing is doing relatively well locally, despite slow economy - Kansas City Business Journal:

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“I think, as I have for a few years, that there is a lot of good and interestingt and verycompelling technology, whichg is the basis for developing any companies. So I thinki we have a lot of good material to start with. “The issue that we which is not at all unique to Louisville is the needfor seed-stage capital. And that is being addresserd here by a fewdifferenf ways. One, there are a couple of angel groups thathave formed. The statee has some programs. The seed fund that I managed is obviouslya source. So, there are some sources for seed but we always canuse “And in this current economic it is even more an issue becausde the fund raising is very difficult.
So, we as we need to make sure that we can fund the companiex for longer periodsof time, support them for so they can achieve more milestones and weather the storm at the same time. … with the expectation that once thingx get better and these companies get a littlewfurther along, it will be easier to get financing.” Are you seeinfg many new ideas that could become companies ? “We’re definitely seeing a stead y amount. I can’t really tell you that is it is agrowing number.
But there seems to be a steady flow from the Are there specific areas or industriexs that are doingwell “Certainly, in the cancer it looks like the (Jamew Graham Brown) cancer center is doing particularly There have been a couple of stem cell projects that have come out of the “Then, we have this nanotechnology lab that was and one of our investments, OrthoData, came out of … That’s a relatively new but I think we will see more cominb out. And I am really excitef about that. “The team that came to the has only been here for a year or two atthis … (I am) pretty encouraged by some of the work that’ going on over there.
” How many companies have you investedc in through the seed fund and Triathlon?? “The seed fund has five investments in its portfolio. Triathlonb has invested in oneof them, in Pradama, and is very closr to investing in another. “They have been tracking two otherszas well. There is a definitely significant interest in the companies that are beinbgdeveloped here.” Is it fair to say that withouy money, groundbreaking technologies and therapies cannot advance? “It’s hard to tell. Some of them may kind of withedr onthe vine.
” Because they are earlyh in their development and there is not a large pool of local funde for early-stage investments, “it would be hard for an outside investo to come in and (invesrt at) this early of a stage.” “There’s always the possibility that an investor from somewherwe else would say, ‘I will invest in your company if you move to Bostom or California,’ which is obviously not what we “There is enough grant especially with the president’s new budget,” which includea increased funding for research and development of life sciences.
there is some other grant money available through the stimulu package that is hopefullyg going tomake difference.”