M2D2 Kicks Off 2014 Educational Series Part I of IV

Posted on 26 February, 2014 by MaryAnn Picard

On Tuesday, February 25, 2014, M2D2 kicked off its educational series for the year with a session on regulatory affairs and human factors, presented by Jim Jacobson of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP and Melissa Clark of Halloran Consulting.

The second session in the series will take place on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 from 6 to 8 pm at the M2D2 Innovation Hub. The topic will be on Fundraising and Non-Dilutive Financing and will be presented by Jeremy Halpern of Nutter McClennen & Fish and Nancy Saucier, Director of New Ventures at UMass Lowell. To register for this session please visit (cut & paste) https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e8z9hf1i15652958&oseq=&c=&ch=

The third and fourth sessions will follow in April and May. This four-part educational series is sponsored by Nutter McClennen & Fish.

M2D2 Co-Director Stephen McCarthy introducing Jim Jacobson of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP.

Melissa Clark of Halloran Consulting schooling the group on regulatory affairs and human factors.

M2D2 Pitch Event Held on Feb 25th

Posted on 26 February, 2014 by MaryAnn Picard

Sponsored by Eastern Bank, M2D2 held its third “Shark Tank” style pitch event at its Innovation Hub on February 25th. Five companies pitched their medical device innovations to a panel of seven angel investors. Investor groups represented were Boston Harbor Angels, Mass Medical Angels and Launch Pad.

Georgia Mitsi presenting her company, Apptomics LLC, and its novel approach to treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

Investors looking at a prototype from Privo Technologies, presented by Manijeh Goldberg.

Investors Henry Kay and Jules Fried (l to r) asking tough financial questions.

M2D2 Announces Competition Finalists and Opens Registration for Showcase Event

Posted on 26 February, 2014 by MaryAnn Picard

M2D2 New Venture Competition

Showcase 2014

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsors:

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP and Smith & Nephew Inc.

M2D2 is pleased to announce the finalists in their 3rd Annual New Venture Competition

The (15) finalist companies competing for $50,000 in services will be:

Aleeva Medical

Articulate Labs

Benevolent Tech for Health

Cocoon Biotech, Inc.

Diacoustic Med Devices

Drainagewear

EvoPump

Flow Forward Medical

Guided Surgery Solutions

Innovoss Inc.

OrthoGraft

ProDural

RIHOF

Sano

Vivonics IPASS

The finalists will present their pitches at the Showcase Event w/ Poster Session at M2D2 on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 beginning at 5:00 pm.

This Showcase Event is for Inventors, Entrepreneurs, Small Businesses, future applicants as well as investors in the medical device industry. The evening will provide extensive networking opportunities. Hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine will be served.

Our address:

M2D2 Innovation Hub

600 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor

Wannalancit Business Center

Lowell, MA 01854

Come see the new medical device ventures that will be showcased. Registration fee until March 15: $20.00; after March 15: $30.00

To register to attend this Showcase Event, please visit:

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e8snke5v4091d94d&oseq=&c=&ch=

If you have any questions please feel free to email us at M2D2@uml.edu or phone us at 978-934-3465.

M2D2 Cape Town, South Africa

Posted on 11 February, 2014 by admin

In 2003, based on the announcement by researchers that heart disease is the number one killer of women, the American Heart Association kicked off ‘Go Red For Women” to raise public awareness.

As part of the ‘Go Red For Women’ movement, the American Heart Association has named the first Friday of each February as National Wear Red Day’ It is the day each year set aside to draw attention to this silent killer of women and motivate them to know their cardiovascular risk and take the necessary actions to live healthier, longer lives.

This year, Wear Red Day was Friday, February 7th. While you can see from the photo that I wasn’t wearing red on this special day, it was fitting that I was in Cape Town, South Africa, where cardiology is a prominent medical discipline and also where the first heart transplant surgery was completed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in 1967. I was representing our innovation hub and making a presentation to a group of entrepreneurs and academics at the University of Cape Town, some of whom are interested in establishing a U.S. presence for their start-up businesses at M2D2.

MSAT Fellows Visit Pretoria Innovation Center

Posted on 5 February, 2014 by admin

On day two, the MSAT Fellowship group was welcomed to the Innovation Hub in Pretoria. Business Development Manager Karen Smith and Bioscience Specialist Dr. Chamunorwa Togo led a presentation about the Innovation Hub then opened it to discussion and talk of collaboration.

The tour of the Innovation Hub included meetings with three of their client companies. The first was with VX Pharma, a start-up company offering lab testing and clinical trial services. The second meeting was with Altis Biologics. CEO Nicolaas Duneas explained their business of bone regeneration using BMP complex purification technology. The third meeting was with Kenny Masobe, CEO of Egolibio. They are a development agent for the commercialization of bioscience products.

On day three, the MSAT will disband and fellows will report to their respective work sites.

M2D2 Participates in Massachusetts-South Africa Technology Fellowship

Posted on 3 February, 2014 by admin

The Massachusetts-South Africa Technology Fellowship Program is co-managed by South Africa Partners in Boston and Bentley University. It is funded through Pro Fellows, a US State Department initiative.

Last October, a group of South African professionals in the technology and life sciences fields spent time working in Massachusetts at various sites, including M2D2. Now it is time for the reverse exchange. For the next two weeks, a group of seven professionals from Massachusetts are working in different areas of South Africa. Led by Carol Cashion Jackson from the South Africa Partners Boston office, the US contingent includes Mary Ann Picard from M2D2, Catherine Ives from MIT, Sarah Delmar from the Cambridge Innovation Center, Andrea Stamp from MassMedic, Beth Nicklas from the Mass Life Sciences Center, Terrence Dobrowsky from Biogen Idec, and Larry Heim from State Street.

On Day 1 we set the backdrop by visiting Constitution Hill and Liliesleaf, important current, historical and cultural sites. Tomorrow we head to the Innovation Center in Pretoria followed by the official welcome dinner.