Monthly Archives: April, 2012

NIH Awards Immuven $1.68 Million for MRSA Therapeutics

April 30, 2012

ImmuVen, a Serra Capital portfolio company, was awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant totaling $1.68 million from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIH) for continuing development of its therapeutic pipeline (IMV0123) against superantigens produced by methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal aureus. This award continues the work previously supported by a successfully completed Phase I SBIR grant. ImmuVen’s biotherapeutic approach to neutralizing superantigen toxicity is uniquely positioned to intervene in deaths and morbidity caused by superantigen production in a host of S. aureus infections including pneumonia and endocarditis. The goal of this award is to provide support for bringing IMV0123 through a pre-IND meeting with the FDA in addition to completing major milestones in the preclinical development of the therapeutic. ImmuVen is a biotechnology company located at EnterpriseWorks in the Research Park with novel technology to discover and develop new biotherapeutics to treat infectious disease, cancer and autoimmune disorders.  Based on proprietary technology developed in the laboratories of its scientific founders, ImmuVen’s platform allows rapid selection and optimization of soluble TCR receptors with high affinity to important targets in infectious diseases, such as bacterial toxins and viral antigens presented on host cells, as well as specific markers on cancer cells or in autoimmune pathways.

To view the complete article and read more about ImmuVen click here.

Oso Simple Technologies Featured on Innovate Online

April 4, 2012

Oso Simple Technologies, a Serra Capital portfolio company, was recently featured in an online article on Iowa State University’s Innovation and Engineering website.

To view the complete article, click here.

Serra Ventures Companies Win Awards at Cozad New Venture Competition

April 2, 2012

The Cozad New Venture Competition held the award ceremony for its finalists on March 31, 2012, on the University of Illinois Campus. Serionix, a Serra Ventures client, was the overall winner, being awarded “Most Fundable Venture.”  Serionix was also the recipient of the “Student Start-Up Award” at Innovation Celebration in February of this year.

Also a winner, Oso Simple Technologies was awarded the “Best Mobile App” award.  Oso Simple Technologies is a Serra Capital Portfolio Company.

The Cozad New Venture Competition (CNVC) is designed to encourage students, researchers, and community members to create new sustainable businesses in the Champaign-Urbana area. The competition encourages the development of the entrepreneurial spirit through teamwork and competition.

Dennis Beard Presents EIR Workshop on Working With Angel Investors

April 2, 2012

Dennis Beard, Principal with Serra Ventures,  presented “Working With Angel Investors” at the EIR Workshop on April 24. The workshop was held at EnterpriseWorks, located in the Research Park at the University of Illinois.

This workshop provided background considerations about working with angel investors as a funding source for a startup company. The workshop discussed reasonable parameters and expectations for negotiating angel investments with individuals and point out examples of success and problems that can result from this funding strategy. An angel investor is typically an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Some angel investors organize themselves into angel networks to share research and pool their investment capital.

The EIR workshops are just one of the many activities that Serra Ventures gets involved in within the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Illinois. Serra Ventures is a sponsor of Tech Cocktail the evening of April 24, 2012 and also sponsors and facilitates the Urbana-Champaign Angel Network.  Tech Cocktail is an opportunity for individuals to mingle with other technology enthusiasts, investors, bloggers, and entrepreneurs as local technology companies are showcased at the event. The UCAN meets quarterly to showcase different startup endeavors seeking angel funding.  The next UCAN meeting will be held on June 26, 2012.