Three Homegrown Start-Ups Sustained by New Funding
Raleigh, N.C. – The Research Triangle is home to some of the world’s most cutting-edge start-ups and entrepreneurs who represent diverse industries that include technology, life sciences, software, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and others. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., Smith Anderson is fortunate to provide legal counsel to many of the area’s leading emerging businesses, and, when they succeed, we are proud to share their news. We have been inspired by the stories of our clients and local start-ups bioMASON, Novocor Medical Systems and Physcient. Each business has made significant advancements with its technology and, as a result, recently received funding that will allow it to further pursue the dream of growing its business and bring revolutionary new products to market.
bioMASON
Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., bioMASON uses bacteria to "grow" bricks out of readily available materials, such as sand, without producing CO2. The bricks compare favorably in cost and performance with traditional fired clay bricks. Traditional brick manufacturing releases copious amounts of greenhouse gas emissions compared to bioMASON’s safer, cleaner and more effective alternative.
Ginger Dosier who founded bioMASON is formally trained as an architect and has devoted the past eight years to engaging in cross-disciplinary collaborations, researching the choreography of architectural materiality from an environmental perspective. bioMASON's patent-protected technology employs bacteria to produce natural cement within a mix of loose aggregate. The company was recently awarded $670,000 in the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge backed by Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, to further develop the technology and scale-up into manufacturing. For more information on bioMASON, please visit its website at www.biomason.com.
Novocor Medical Systems
Novocor Medical Systems has developed a solution that will give emergency medical service first responders ready access to cold saline, a solution that is needed to rapidly induce hypothermia. Its use is shown to improve patient survival rates by more than 50%. However, cooled saline is not easily accessible in the field. Products that are currently on the market are expensive, bulky or ineffective. Novocor’s patent pending product, HypoCore, is an innovative rapid chilling device for inducing therapeutic hypothermia in cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury, heat stroke and heavily concussed patients to markedly improve patient survival rates. HypoCore is better than the alternatives because it is ready on demand, is easily stored in emergency vehicles, does not require external power and is compatible with standard medical equipment.
Tony Voiers, co-founder and CEO of Novocor, is a seasoned medical device executive with ten patents and over twelve marketed products. Andrew Dimeo co-founded Novocor and is a professor at the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. The company recently received nearly $1 million is financing which will enable it to finalize the development of HypoCore. For more information on Novocor, please visit their website at www.novocormed.com.
Physcient
Physcient, based in Durham, N.C., brings modern technology to hand-held surgical instruments, in turn improving existing surgical procedures, enabling new surgeries and greatly enhancing surgical outcomes. What began as an idea in CEO Hugh Crenshaw’s garage is now on the way to commercial viability. Physcient’s vision is to provide an instrument that reduces tissue trauma and simplifies complex procedures, which ultimately decreases complications and health care costs.
The process of “dissection” is part of nearly every surgery. Physcient’s Differential Dissector™ for “dissection” has been tested and demonstrated to be faster, simpler and safer. The tool disrupts soft tissues rather than firm tissues (e.g., blood vessels, nerves), which are often damaged by the dissection tools currently being used by surgeons. The $1 million in recent funding will enable Physcient to further develop the Differential Dissector™ and establish a manufacturing line with the goal of bringing the product to market in 12 months. For more information on Physcient, please visit them online at www.physcient.com.
About the Smith Anderson Start-Ups Practice
Smith Anderson’s start-up practice works with clients that include companies specializing in technology, life sciences, software, drug discovery, medical devices, distribution and professional services, as well as angel funds and start-up accelerators. Our lawyers are practical legal business counselors with a partner’s passion for your idea and a personal commitment to your company’s success. Whether you’re a professor with a patent, an individual with a new invention or an undergraduate with a brilliant idea, we can help clear the path, freeing you to apply your energy to succeeding on your own merit and your own terms. For more information, please visit www.SmithLaw.com/startups.
