Companies specializing in medical devices, digital health, and therapeutics were among the 59 companies that presented their four-minute business plan presentations at the Texas Life Science Forum hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and BioHouston and TMC Innovation at the BioScience Research Collaborative in Houston, Nov. 8
Companies and investors came from throughout the U.S. this year, including the West Coast, East Coast, and Midwest, as well as from other countries, to showcase their life science startups in Houston, home to the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center in the world.
BioHouston awarded BioLum Sciences the Michael E. DeBakey Life Science Memorial Award. BioLum Sciences has developed a personal management device for asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases. Investors at the conference selected the award winner.
“The Michael E. DeBakey Memorial Life Science Award was established to honor Dr. DeBakey, one of the brightest luminaries in Houston’s history, and to further propel one of our State’s Innovative emerging companies toward commercial success,” said Ann Tanabe, CEO of BioHouston.
In addition, ten early-stage companies were chosen by investors at the event as the “Rice Alliance Most Promising Life Science Companies” from among those having raised less than $2 million in funding to-date, including:
Adroit Surgical
www.adroitsurgical.com
Vie Scope, and simple and effective device to secure the airway
AesculaTech
www.aesculatech.io
AesculaTech makes smart materials for medical devices
BioAesthetics
www.bio-aesthetics.com
BioAesthetics is regenerating the nipple-areolar complex for breast cancer survivors and individuals whom undergo mastectomies.
DiaStem
www.diastemllc.com
DiaStem LLC is a Type 1 Diabetes Treatment Research Company using autologous (same patient) stem cells.
Intelligent Implants
www.aesculatech.io
Integrating wireless electronics into standard orthopedic instrumentation.
Noleus Technologies
www.noleustechnologies.com
Noleus is a medical device to treat post-operative ileus and accelerate patient recovery.
Patients We Share
www.patientsweshare.com
Patients We Share is an exciting digital health startup with a mission to provide the best workflow communication platform in healthcare, improve provider connectivity, and power a smart healthcare community.
PolyVascular
www.polyvascular.com
Patients We Share is an exciting digital health startup with a mission to provide the best workflow communication platform in healthcare, improve provider connectivity, and power a smart healthcare community.
Simergent
www.simergent.com/
Simergent is developing an affordable home dialysis device for both developed and emerging markets.
VenoStent
www.venostent.com/
VenoStent is developing a bioresorbable shape memory polymer wrap to reduce venous access failures in dialysis patients.
“Every year the quality of companies improves,” said Rice Alliance Managing Director Brad Burke, who announced the winners at the event. “This year we had a diversity of companies, both in offerings as well as maturity. We highlighted 50 startups in addition to nine clinical stage companies. These companies demonstrated the diversity of innovation, talent, investment, potential and success in the life science industry.”
The event is one of the largest life science venture capital conference in the U.S. and featured more than 40 industry and investment speakers. Among the 500 attendees were venture capitalists and other investors, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, business leaders, service providers, and academic researchers.
The event was supported by the Texas Medical Center as the presenting sponsor and Insperity as the platinum sponsor.
About the Texas Life Science Forum:
The Texas Life Science Forum is the premier life science event in Texas that brings together members from industry, emerging life science companies, academic, and investors. This event represents an opportunity to meet investors, learn about promising life science companies, network and learn about opportunities for entrepreneurs, investment professionals, big pharma, academics and business executives serving the life science industry. The Texas Life Science Forum is supported by the Texas Medical Center, TMC Innovation Institute, Insperity, Houston Exponential, Station Houston, and many other supporters and academic institutions in the Texas Region.
About BioHouston:
BioHouston, Inc. is a non-profit tax-exempt [501(c)(3)] corporation founded by Houston area academic/research institutions. BioHouston leads a broad effort to establish the Houston region as a vigorous global competitor in life science and biotechnology commercialization. BioHouston’s mission is to create an environment that will stimulate technology transfer and research commercialization, thereby generating economic wealth for the Houston region and making it a global competitor in life science commercialization. BioHouston’s activities provide the greatest leverage in making the Houston region a world-class competitor in the life science industry.
About the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is Rice University’s globally recognized initiative devoted to the support of technology commercialization, entrepreneurship education and the launch of technology companies. Since inception in 1999, more than 2,300 early-stage companies have participated at the 185+ programs hosted by the Rice Alliance and raised more than $7.1 billion in funding.