MATTO New Ventures Showcase 2016 -...

MATTO New Ventures Showcase 2016

Welcome to the 2nd Annual MATTO New Ventures Showcase – an opportunity to meet with spin-off companies from universities and hospitals that are seeking expansion investment.

This year we have 20 presenting companies that have already raised nearly $20 million. Each

one is looking for additional capital to further their product development, grow their management team and/or support product launch. Our presenters represent the broad

diversity of research and industries that make up our ecosystem from new drugs and medical devices, to eHealth and new materials.

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to meet these inventor entrepreneurs who represent the very best in our research institutions and will continue to drive the growth of the Massachusetts innovation economy. In addition to funding, our presenters are seeking new team members, along with your advice and expertise. By attending you can be part of the newest and most exciting developments in your fields.

As always, we will host a networking reception so that you can meet with and speak to the researchers and entrepreneurs who interest you most.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our conference supporters listed below for their financial assistance as well as to our organizing committee Todd Keiller (WPI), Michal Preminger (Harvard), Dan Dardani (MIT), Rekha Paleyanda (UMass Lowell), Martin Son (Tufts) and Julia Goldberg (MTTC) for their help in putting together today’s program.

Vinit Nijhawan President, MATTO

Dr. Abigail A. Barrow, Director, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center

Supporters

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CONFERENCE AGENDA

1:00 – 1:30 Registration, Dessert Bar, and Networking

Boston Room

1:30 – 1:45 Welcome

Boston Room

1:45 – 2:45 Company Pitch Presentations - Session One

Life Sciences

Boston Room

Cyta Therapeutics LayerBio, Inc.

Articulate Biosciences Harmonus Inc.

AMProtection LLC

Physical Sciences

Lowell Room

Giaran, Inc Blustream Corporation

Treaty, LLC Solchroma Technologies, Inc.

Felsuma LLC

2:45 – 3:15 Coffee Break

Boston Room

3:15 – 4:30 Company Pitch Presentations - Session Two

Life Sciences

Boston Room

BioNet Sonar

NeuroFieldz Inc.

Diopter Corporation

Invitrometrix

HydroGlyde Coatings, LLC

Physical Sciences

Lowell Room

3DFortify

Arammu

Genoverde Biosciences, Inc.

KnipBio

Nano-OPS

4:30 – 6:30 Networking Reception

Boston Room

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Company Profiles

3DFortify

Contact person: Karlo Delos Reyes, Business Development

Phone: 925-324-7387

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.3dfortify.com

Technology from: Northeastern University

Company Overview

3DFortify is an advanced manufacturing startup that aims to disrupt additive manufacturing,

ushering in a new generation of custom, high performance products. We have developed a

patented process that combines 3D printing and magnetics to create aligned reinforced carbon

fiber composites. Our flexible platform technology can be applied to custom medical devices,

aerospace, defense, and other related verticals. Currently, we are housed in the MassChallenge

Venture Accelerator and are advised by a mentoring team consisting of industry veterans. In the

short term, we will function as an enterprise 3D printing as a service (3DPAAS) bureau, with the

long term goal of leasing 3D printers as well as selling our materials. Our team consists of: Dr.

Randy Erb, PhD, Founder; CEO Josh Martin, PhD candidate mechanical engineering; CFO Phil

Gregory, MBA; VP Business Development Karlo Delos Reyes, PhD candidate chemical

engineering; and three Product Development Engineers, Dan Shores, Scott Goodrich, and

Andrew Caunter.

AMProtection LLC

Contact person: Todd Alexander, CEO, Co-founder

Phone: 508-813-9081


Technology from: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Company Overview

AMProtection will license a broadly-active antimicrobial coating to urinary catheter

manufacturers that will combat antibiotic resistance and reduce gold standard antibiotic use to

fight infection. Per 10,000 coated catheters sold, we reduce 80% of catheter-associated urinary

tract infections (CAUTIs), 200 patient hospital days, and tens of millions of dollars in never event

expenses. We enter the medical implant market with an FDA Class II device. Our patent-pending

technology for surface-tethered antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is competitive because it is broad-

spectrum, biocompatible, and combats resistance. CAUTIs are unreimbursed healthcare

expenses known as never events, which – leave clinical and economic burdens that existing

technologies fail to address. While never event costs and patient pain increase, so does

competition among manufacturers to differentiate their antimicrobial products, a need that

AMProtection fulfills.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.3dfortify.com/


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Arammu

Contact person: Matt Rubin, CEO

Phone: 781-223-3997


Website: http://www.relationshipcheckup.org/

Technology from: Clark University

Company Overview

18 years ago Dr. Cordova had the idea that, like dentistry and general health, relationships

would benefit from regular health checkups. He then laid the ground work for the Relationship

Checkup. Using the data gathered, Arammu has built a brief evidence-based assessment and

feedback protocol that enables clinicians to readily identify each couple’s strengths and

weaknesses and assists in guiding them towards deeper intimacy and practical solutions.

The Relationship Checkup helps increase a sense of intimacy and connection between

partners. Vibrant relationships require regular attention, and just as we check in on our physical

and dental health, we can use that same idea to attend to our intimate relationships. The

Relationship Checkup works with couples to discover their greatest strengths as partners, as well

as any areas of their relationship that could be made even stronger. It also helps to identify any

areas of concern so they can protect their relationship health in the long run.

In addition to Dr. Cordova, Arammu’s COO is Tatiana Gray who has spent six years working on

this project and managing our team of researchers and clinicians. Matt Rubin has helped start

six companies ranging from service companies to technology companies.

Articulate Biosciences

Contact person: Benjamin Cooper, Director of Research

Phone: 860-463-1368


Website: http://lnked.in/articulate

Technology from: Boston University

Company Overview

Articulate Biosciences is a Boston University spinout, developing a new type of viscosupplement

(Class III medical device) for injection into osteoarthritic knee, hip, and finger joints. The

company is seeking rapid growth to execute the preclinical studies required for entry into the

veterinary medical device market, followed by pilot and pivotal clinical trials to support approval

in humans in US and foreign markets. The scientific founders are Benjamin Cooper, bringing

experience in biomaterials chemistry and cartilage treatment evaluation, and Dr. Mark Grinstaff,

Distinguished Professor of Translational Research and founder of five prior companies, with

three approved products in clinical use. Core advisors include Dr. Brian Snyder, orthopedic

surgeon and inventor of one musculoskeletal medical device; Drs. Laurie Goodrich and Wayne

McIlwraith, equine orthopedic clinicians with deep expertise in evaluating new osteoarthritis

treatments; and Dr. Lee Simon, rheumatologist and former FDA division director providing

expert regulatory opinion on existing viscosupplements. Additional advisors include former

product development heads at two major viscosupplement companies, and business and

strategy development executives at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.



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BioNet Sonar

Contact person: Tommaso Melodia, President & CEO

Phone: 716-598-9930


Website: http://www.bionetsonar.com/


Company Overview

BioNET Sonar’s mission is to build the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). BioNET Sonar is

developing an IoMT platform based on a proprietary technology, Ultrasonic Wideband (UsWB),

which uses ultrasonic waves to wirelessly connect implantable devices with one another and

with the Internet. In contrast to traditional wireless technologies based on microwaves such as

Bluetooth, our technology is safer, more secure, and uses much less power. Implantable devices

based on this technology can provide continuous telemetry without the need for expensive

procedures to change the batteries. BioNET Sonar is developing an ultrasonic IoMT platform

that will be a core building block of a new generation of networked medical implants. This

platform technology will be demonstrated by developing and commercializing GlucoPet, a

disruptive ultrasonic implantable continuous glucose monitor for cats and dogs, as well as

wirelessly networked neurostimulators, pacemakers, and smart stents. BioNET Sonar is a

Northeastern University spinoff hosted within the Health Science Entrepreneur (HSE) incubator

and entrepreneurial mentorship program. BioNet Sonar has been awarded an SBIR grant from

the National Science Foundation to develop the first prototype of an IoMT implantable platform

based on our ultrasonic technology.

Blustream Corporation

Contact person: Ken Rapp, CEO

Phone: 508-525-0011


Website: www.blustreamcorp.com

Technology from: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Company Overview

Tens of millions of people have hundreds of millions of valuables like guitars, cameras, sporting

equipment, wine, exotic pets, tobacco, jewelry, etc. that are susceptible to environmental

extremes such as temperature and humidity, and loss or theft. Blustream has built a scalable

sensor/application system with a cloud back-end to protect and secure valuables. Data

collected from these valuable items presents big data market intelligence never before possible.

The company’s go-to-market strategy is to partner with industry leaders to provide Blustream’s

sensor/app/big data to consumers thru partner channels. The technology is completely

transferable from market to market. Our approach is to enable new partners to attach their

brand to the framework and go to market with an IoT solution within months of partnering

with Blustream. The company does have the ability to provide its technology direct to

consumers. In 2016, Blustream began generating revenue and has developed the IoT

protection leadership position in music and humidity management systems for tobacco and

guitars. We have identified priorities for additional market segment partnerships and seek

capital to bring on board business development leadership and scale-up resources.



http://www.blustreamcorp.com/

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Cyta Therapeutics

Contact person: Bonnie Fendrock , CEO

Phone: 617-947-1416


Website: www.cytatx.com

Technology from: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Company Overview

Cyta’s mission is to develop patient centered therapeutics to significantly improve therapeutic

index by maximizing tissue targeting of drug molecules while limiting systemic exposure. The

company’s core technology is based on a novel chemistry nanogel platform called “IntelliGel”

developed in the laboratory of Professor S. Thayumanavan at the University of Massachusetts,

Amherst (UMA). Cyta’s IntelliGel platform is differentiated from other nano platforms due to the

following characteristics: 1) chemistry based design imparting enormous versatility, 2) precise

drug loading: tight encapsulation with no cargo leakage, 3) stimuli responsive trigger: redox or

pH dependent cargo release and 4)improved safety profile: limited systemic exposure of cargo.

Cyta’s lead program will target liver regeneration and help restore liver function. In addition to

developing its own proprietary programs, Cyta will partner with pharma and biotech companies

around specific assets including: small molecules, peptides, proteins, mRNA, siRNA.

The company was co-founded by Professor of Chemistry, Thayumanavan, University of

Massachusetts, Amherst, along with CEO, Bonnie Fendrock, MS, MBA, a biotech executive and

entrepreneur, and CSO, Steve Faraci, PhD, a pharmaceutical development veteran from Pfizer.

Cyta has an exclusive option to a portfolio of patents from University of Massachusetts, Amherst

and has also filed its own Intellectual Property.

Diopter Corporation

Contact person: Christopher Adams, CEO

Phone: 617-957-9858


Technology from: Tufts University

Company Overview

Diopter Corp develops advanced medical device technologies to treat cornea and ocular surface

disease as a result of trauma or infection. The company successfully patented and

commercialized the world’s first biochemical contact lens (BCL). The BCL harnesses and applies

the biochemistry of amniotic tissue to prevent trauma-related corneal scarring, and decrease

scar formation post-corneal laser surgery. The BCL product is now the leading product in the

market for treating cornea injury with more than 30,000 patients treated. Building on the

success of the company’s first product the company is developing a patented bioengineered silk

material to promote wound healing on the ocular surface. In pre-clinical and clinical studies, the

silk material has demonstrated the ability to increase the rate of ocular surface healing. The silk

material is easy to handle, manufacture, possess a long shelf life and can be modified as a co-

polymer to address a diversity of ocular applications, such as drug delivery reservoirs or artificial

corneas.



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Felsuma LLC

Contact person: Rana Gupta, CEO

Phone: 617-306-8280



Company Overview

Vision: “Designed material devices that mimic a Gecko”. Imagine a material that can be attached

(carry a load) and peeled-off (without a trace) with very little force. Felsuma is primarily pursuing

a B2B model (and secondarily a B2C model) where multinational customers in industries such as

construction, consumer products, apparel, industrial equipment, and aerospace are interested in

changing the way their products attach and release to other products/surfaces. We design,

develop, manufacture (customer funded) and sell them a finished component. Manufacturing of

these devices is can be done on existing global roll-to-roll and converting equipment. Raw

materials are sourced from large global manufactures.

Rana K Gupta, CEO, has a background in venture capital and technology commercialization.

Rana’s last company, HistoRx, was a Yale spinout that he sold to Novartis in 2012.

Genoverde Biosciences, Inc.

Contact person: Michael Harrington, CEO

Phone: 202-531-4897


Website: www.genoverde.com


Company Overview

Genoverde Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology company, is dedicated to improving

yield of commercially important, non-food crops to address many of the global economic and

environmental challenges of the 21st century. Using a biotechnology gene trait approach,

Genoverde sells to loblolly pine plantation tree farmers bioengineered seedlings with 20% more

wood density over conventional crops. This translates to increased revenues for farmers and

enhanced wood production towards forest industry products, i.e., pulpwood for paper, saw

timber for lumber and wood pellets for energy. As an added benefit, trees with our patented cell

wall technology, sequester more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere helping to combat

climate change. Further optimization of the core technology is being co-developed through a

collaborative partnership with the Hazen Laboratory at UMass Amherst.



http://www.genoverde.com/

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Giaran, Inc.

Contact person: Raymond Fu, Associate Professor

Phone: 217-299-1432



Company Overview

Giaran Inc., a Northeastern University spinoff company, is founded by Prof. Raymond Fu, a serial

entrepreneur and world-known Artificial Intelligence expert. The company takes the big data

mining principles of digital makeup visualization and provides real-time augmented reality

displays using advanced machine learning and computer vision technologies. One of their

current prototypes is named Giaran Mirror, which allows users to have smart real-life makeup

try-on experience in augmented reality. It’s technology could provide virtual makeup removal,

color matching, skin measurements, interactive tutorial, skin tone recognition, user habits

analysis, etc. Current co-founders also include Vaso Gountoumas who is leading the marketing

and business development; and Tianyi Xie who is leading the product design and user

experience study.

Harmonus Inc.

Contact person: Phill Marathakis, Senior Biomedical Engineer

Phone: 508-208-1711


Website: www. harmonusinc.com

Technology from: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Company Overview

Harmonus’ vision is to create a cost-effective, easy-to-use, profitable biopsy system to perform

MRI-guided prostate biopsies and significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate

and other cancers through precise tumor targeting. Today’s standard – Transrectal Ultrasound

(TRUS) - procedure misses an estimated 25% of significant tumors; this can lead to high repeat

biopsy rates, disease overtreatment, and serious complications. Our core technology uses MRI -

the most direct targeting method – and creates a patient specific disposable needle-guide on-

site during the biopsy procedure.

HydroGlyde Coatings, LLC

Contact person: Stacy Chin, Co-founder & Director of Research

Phone: 973-618-6702


Technology from: Boston University

Company Overview

HydroGlyde Coatings, LLC has a vision to commercialize a new condom design with improved

lubrication since insufficient condom lubricity is a universal drawback for consistent and correct

condom use. The HydroGlyde Coating on latex condoms will provide uninterrupted superior

lubrication that is activated with water thereby eliminating the need for additional lubrication to

maintain condom lubricity. Inadequately lubricious condoms can result in mucosal microtrauma,

increased chances of condom breakage, decreased satisfaction between partners, and

increased risks for the spread of STIs.



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Invitrometrix

Contact person: Abiche Dewilde, President

Phone: 978-856-8169


Website: www.invitrometrix.com

Technology from: University of Massachusetts Lowell

Company Overview

Invitrometrix has developed an array of cell based biosensor as a research tool to accelerate

pharmaceutical drug discovery success by detecting real time changes in living cells due to

drugs over multiple days. Millions of dollars are spent yearly on drug discovery including the

newest trends of antibodies against oncology targets. However, there is a lack of research

devices that can bridge the molecular research to the animal studies. There is a need for a

cellular system to validate emerging targets in cancer therapy and immuno-oncology, and to

predict and detect the immune response, be it desirable to undesirable. Invitrometrix has

created such a device, which is a whole cell biosensor to detect real time changes in living cells

due to drugs. Our 12 well cell-based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is an array of living

whole cell biosensors that detects measurable changes in cellular biomechanics: attachment,

mass redistribution, and viscoelasticity. The system creates real time, reproducible and robust

experiment data. The system can be used with multiple cell types (disease vs. normal) and for

experiments that span multiple days.

KnipBio

Contact person: Larry Feinberg, CEO

Phone: 413-327-8149


Website: www.knipbio.com

Technology from: Harvard University

Company Overview

Nearly 3 billion people are directly dependent on the world’s oceans for the primary source of

protein. It has been well documented that fish are an excellent food for people, tied to improved

cardiovascular health, decreases in obesity and increased brain function. Since 1990, there are

an additional 2B people on the planet, 80% of fisheries are at capacity or in decline and the

prospect for reliable marine protein is highly insecure. Aquaculture offer tremendous potential

to offset this growing gap but is ultimately dependent on finding alternatives to using wild fish

to feed farm-raised fish. Our technology proposes to break this cycle. Through a proprietary

fermentation technology, we “brew protein”. Our single cell protein (SCP) contains many of the

essential amino acids and other vital biomolecules to formulate highly nutritious animal feeds.

Preliminary findings demonstrate diets containing 25% of KnipBio Meal (KBM) support growth

rates on par with control diets, is highly digestible and even leads to great tasting shrimp as

sampled by ~50 participants in a blind taste test! A world class team has been assembled

composed of seasoned biotechnologists, experienced in commercializing novel technologies.


http://www.invitrometrix.com/


http://www.knipbio.com/

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LayerBio, Inc.

Contact person: Kenneth Mandell, President & CEO

Phone: 678-427-2334


Website: www.layerbio.com

Technology from: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Company Overview

LayerBio is an early-stage biotechnology company developing innovative products for

ophthalmology, wound care and orthopedics. Our LayerForm™ technology is based on the

layer-by-layer drug delivery platform developed in the laboratory of our co-founder, Dr. Paula

Hammond, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Since its inception in 2013, LayerBio

has raised $1.5 million in non-dilutive funding through multiple federal and state grants,

industry collaborations and convertible debt. We are seeking seed funding to advance the

development of our lead product for glaucoma (LB-01) and expand our platform for additional

therapeutic applications.

Nano-OPS

Contact person: Ahmed Busnaina, Founder & Interim CEO

Phone: 617-543-2921



Company Overview

The company has the only technology in the world that can print nano and microscale sensors

and electronics (down to 20 nm). The printing technology is high throughput, sustainable,

multi-scale (nano, micro and macro), material independent (prints organic, inorganic,

conductive, insulating or semiconducting materials) and can print on flexible or rigid surfaces.

Currently, there are no nanoscale 3D printers available commercially or in development.

Nano OPS will make patented fully automated 3D printers for industry, government and

universities for printing micro and nanoscale devices at 10-100 cost advantage compared to

conventional fabrication. The printer manufacturing and maintenance will be outsourced.

Making and maintaining the printers (including software) will be outsourced but the sales will

go through Nano-OPS. Nano OPS will develop, print and test a new generation of

nanomaterials-enabled sensors with superior performance and lower cost compared to today’s

and future technologies (currently in development). These patented wearable sensors will

monitor glucose, lactate and urea using sweat over several days. Other sweat sensors are in the

research stage and not available commercially. Management team will include technology

development executives and directors in fortune 500 companies and other executives of

successful start-ups with successful exits.



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NeuroFieldz Inc.

Contact person: Srinivas Sridhar, Director

Phone: 617-755-3838


Website: www.neurofieldz.com


Company Overview

NeuroFieldz aims to become a leader in the rapidly growing area of wearable brain monitoring

applied to human performance, well-being and mental health. The central vision of NeuroFieldz

is to develop cyber-integrated products for brain signal monitoring and analysis that will lead to

greater quantitative information on brain activity, with portability and ease of use for a wide

range of applications from clinical and laboratory neuroscience and neurology to military and

consumer applications. The advantages of NeuroFieldz technology will have significant impact

on detecting a wide range of neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis and traumatic

brain injury as well as in brain computer interfaces (BCI), human performance assessment and

neurofeedback.

Solchroma Technologies, Inc.

Contact person: Roger Diebold, Director

Phone: 401-829-0024


Website: www.solchroma.com

Technology from: Harvard University

Company Overview

Solchroma is building the world’s most vivid, sunlight-readable digital displays for the Out-of-

Home advertising market. By means of a new way to generate bright, reflective color,

Solchroma wants to modernize this industry and integrate it into our increasingly connected

world.

Solchroma’s core technology uses electroactive polymers to hydraulically pump liquid ink in and

out of the observer’s view, enabling a low-cost, low-power, regulatory-friendly digital display

with advertiser-quality color. Solchroma is building display hardware to enable far greater

proliferation of digital signage, with a medium-term goal of leveraging its unique hardware to

create synergistic outcomes from network effects via cloud-hosted IoT-type management

software.



http://www.solchroma.com/

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Treaty, LLC

Contact person: Marc Gammell, Co-founder & CEO

Phone: 774-644-1276


Website: http://www.treatyllc.com/


Company Overview

Treaty LLC, is a biotech start-up based in Amherst. We work with advanced biomaterials to make

new products and technology. Our first products and patents have come from our work with

nanocellulose, a natural polymer that can be extracted from plants and plant products. Our

team is founded and managed by an undergrad, a PhD student, and a professor, all from UMass

Amherst. Marc Gammell, an undergrad at UMass Amherst studying Sustainable Enterprise &

Biotechnology, is the CEO of the company. Yinyong Li, who recently received his PhD from

UMass in Polymer Science & Engineering, is the CTO of the company. Kenneth R. Carter, a

graduate professor in Polymer Science & Engineering, is Chief Scientific Advisor for the

company.

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Notes:

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Thank you to our Supporters

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