Monthly Archives: April, 2011

Tim Hoerr Set To Be Judge For “Project Innovation II”

April 26, 2011

Tim Hoerr, CEO of Serra Ventures, will be a judge in the upcoming event “Project Innovation II.”  This will be the second installment of “Project Innovation” which took place last year, and will be held on May 12, in Springfield, IL.

“Project Innovation II” is a business plan competition which is open to all industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, information technology and medical innovations. The competition has two categories: Acceleration and Innovation. Tim Hoerr will be a judge for the “Acceleration Category” which is for entrepreneurs who are ready to begin their business or for small businesses that are looking to expand into their given field. The “Innovation Category” is for entrepreneurs who are still in the planning phases of their innovation and require assistance to take their ideas the next level.

Mikal Sutton-Vereen, Director of Medical Development at The Chamber, explained that “Our priority is to encourage new business growth in Sangamon County and to support entrepreneurs and pioneering companies with innovative ideas that have the potential to generate real economic growth for our community.”

University of Illinois Has One of Top 10 Best Entrepreneurship Courses of 2011

April 18, 2011

The April issue of Inc. Magazine features an article listing the 10 Best Courses offered in Entrepreneurship in the U.S., including “Sustainable Product and Market Development for Subsistence Marketplaces” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  To view the complete article, follow this link.

Tim Hoerr Gives Three Presentations In the Month of April

April 14, 2011

Tim Hoerr, CEO of Serra Ventures, gave three presentations in the month of April.

First, was the “Building a Best Place to Work”, a presentation to the Senior Industrial Design course at the University of Illinois.  The presentation took place on April 14, and was designed as an interactive session with students on the key elements of building a company the right way. To view this presentation please follow this link.

Next up was “ImmuVen’s Lifesaving Mission”, a presentation to faculty and staff at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois on April 18.  This presentation was an overview of how and why ImmuVen, Inc. was formed. ImmuVen’s technology is a genetically engineered T Cell Receptor therapeutic for targeting specific diseases such as hospital pneumonia, severe atopic dermatitis and various cancers.

The last stop was “Innovation in Champaign County”, a presentation to the Executive Club of Champaign County on April 21. This presentation provided an interesting look at the tremendous amount of innovation happening in Champaign County, with inside profiles on four technology start-up companies that exemplify the innovative spirit.

Urbana-Champaign Angel Network Holds Third Presenters Meeting

April 1, 2011

The Urbana-Champaign Angel Network held its third presenters meeting on March 30, 2011, at the Mills Breast Cancer Institute on Carle Campus. The meeting was attended by 40 individuals and showcased six different startup endeavors seeking angel funding. The six presenting companies included: Blackwatch Financial Software, Readyping, Visual Information Technologies, Inc., Lumec Control Products, Inc., Aptimmune Biologics, Inc. and Tech.com, Inc. Serra Ventures is a sponsor and facilitator of the Urbana-Champaign Angel Network. The upcoming meetings are scheduled for June 28 and September 27 of this year.