Current Companies in the Boston University
Business Incubation Program 

Block MEMS is developing next  generation Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers for chemical detection in military, homeland security and industrial applications.  The optical sensors are the first to use microelectromechanical (MEMS) technology to fabricate miniature spectrometers which are portable (about the size of a pen), low cost and consume low power. www.blockeng.com

Cyber Materials (CM) develops advanced materials process control technologies that improve manufacturing capability.  CM's product lines consist of operator level diagnostic tools and real-time control solutions and have been applied to manufacturing optical coatings, fuel cells, and thermal barrier coatings for gas turbines.   CM delivers value to its customers through reduced variation, improved capabilities, higher yields, and increased productivity.

ENTRA Pharmaceuticals is a specialty pharmaceutical company committed to developing new therapies and improving existing treatments in areas with high unmet medical needs.  In addition to the Company’s proprietary technology platform, ENTRA possesses strong expertise in preclinical and clinical drug development and commercialization.  ENTRA is privately-held and completed a $12 million Series A financing in November 2008 backed by Flybridge Capital Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners. www.entrapharma.com

eQuilibrium Solution Corporation (eQ) offers the first fully scalable, on-demand Enterprise Sustainability Management (ESM) application suite — a web-deployed global solution for sustainable, integrated management of environmentally critical policies, processes, products and people.

This Business Process Management (BPM) solution is built on eQ's five pillars of sustainability — Environmental Risk, Environmental Governance, Environmental Compliance, Environmental Management Accounting and Corporate Responsibility. Designed to serve corporations with annual revenues in excess $1B, the eQ ESM Suite will empower leading businesses to effectively balance their economic and environmental responsibilities, creating a sustainable competitive advantage for them and the communities to which they contribute.

First Founders Ltd. is an independent, not-for-profit corporation founded by experienced entrepreneurs and business professionals, dedicated to helping build young business ventures emerging from academic, medical, and scientific research institutions. FFL’s disciplined approach to technology transfer picks up where most university and other institutional programs leave off by: Locating capable and experienced startup management for these ventures, Providing strategic development advice and Providing guidance in financial planning. FFL’s activities are guided by an oversight system that helps ensure services are offered at the highest standards, at low cost, and with minimal risk to the venture. www.firstfounders.org

Good Start Genetics

 Good Start Genetics is a molecular diagnostics company utilizing a proprietary process developed by team members from Dr. George Church’s Laboratory at Harvard Medical School. The company is working to develop a low-cost, pre-pregnancy test for 50 genetic disorders that will replace single-disorder tests currently on the market and would give parents early information to help ensure healthy children. GSG aims to offer a sequencing-based test that is more accurate, more comprehensible, and more affordable than today’s standard of care.  GSG have recently been awarded funding from the Massachusetts Life Science Center via the Accelerator program. 

LumenZ is developing advanced materials for next generation blue and ultra violate LED’s. The new devices will have applications in solid state lighting, signage, display technology and water purification systems.

MTPV (Micro-gap Thermo Photo Voltaics) Corporation is a clean energy company developing a revolutionary technology for the conversion of thermal energy into electricity. By employing a sub-micron gap between a thermal emitter and receiver, the achievable power density can be increased by approximately an order of magnitude as compared to conventional thermo-photo-voltaic devices. The technology has been developed over the past ten years at MIT and Draper Laboratory. The second generation technology, currently being perfected, will provide an even larger scale and increase in performance allowing more commercial opportunities to be achieved. www.mtpvcorp.com

Nano Surfaces is commercializing technology in the area of nano-structured anti-microbial surfaces. The company is developing surface coatings for anti-fouling applications in marine environments.

PatentFlow Technology assists hospitals and other healthcare organizations in managing patient flow issues by providing consulting services and implementing software solutions.  The new technologies and services lead to reduced waiting times, reduced operating costs and enhanced quality of care. Patient Flow Technology was acquired by Press Ganey in January 2009. www.patientflowtech.com

Sand 9, a spin-out company from Boston University, is a venture funded startup company dedicated to the design of components that will dramatically improve the performance and increase the capabilities of wireless devices. The disruptive proprietary technology offers a magnitude of improvement over existing products. Size, cost and lack of integration severely limit the potential of wireless systems. Using our advanced nanomechanical device technology, Sand 9 is improving the current components of wireless transceivers that, until now, have been impossible to miniaturize or integrate into other systems. www.sand9.com

Zoíray Technologies Inc. is developing a multiplex immunoassay platform for life science research and clinical diagnostics.  Immunoassays that identify the presence of specific protein biomarkers in blood, urine, or saliva constitute a vital tool in modern healthcare.  Zoíray's technology enables many immunoassays to be multiplexed on to one small disposable chip. While multiplexed immunoassays are emerging in life science research, existing techniques require a labeling step that adds significant variability, inhibit high density arrays, and provide a less quantifiable signal. With simple, inexpensive, label-free protein array detection, Zoíray expects to make a strong impact in molecular in vitro diagnostics with tests that provide more information than is currently feasible.

Successfully Launched Companies:

Progenika, a newly formed U.S. company, is a spin-out from Progenika Biopharma, S.A., a Spanish biotech company that designs and develops tools for personalized medicine. The company develops and manufactures novel DNA Genotyping microarrays for the diagnosis and prognosis of human disease. www.progenika.com

SOLX has developed a surgical laser and patented method of treatment for glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness in the elderly. SOLX's DeepLight® Glaucoma Treatment System is being developed to provide physicians with new tools to reduce intraocular pressure in glaucoma sufferers through its DeepLight® 790 Titanium Sapphire Laser and DeepLight® Gold Micro-Shunt (GMS(TM)). More information can be found online at www.SOLX.com (corporate) and www.deeplightsystem.com (healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers).
SOLX was acquired by Occulogix (NASDAQ: OCCX) in 2006.  www.occulogix.com

Boston MicroFluidics (BMF) core product is a microfluidic system capable of automating complex diagnostic chemistries and reporting the outcome in a self contained consumable.  Microfluidics, tiny channels, valves and other elements, control the flow of microliters of fluid in the testing system.  In this way, extremely accurate tests which have been restricted to remote laboratories due to their complexity can be brought into the doctor's office.  Tests such as ELISA, an antibody based test that has been used to test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for a quarter of a century, can be automated using microfluidics.  Automated, easy to use testing systems like these are ideal for the fast paced point-of-care facility.  BMF's technology can be used to test for any of the thousands of infections detectable by ELISA allowing the firm to provide a number of diagnostic solutions.  BMF's long-term vision is to become the primary provider of disposable pathogen detection devices in most major markets.

BioMimetic Systems (BMS) is developing biologically inspired technologies for advanced sensors and medical devices. BMS has its roots in the Boston University Hearing Research Center and VLSI laboratories with more than 30 years of experience researching the physiology and biophysics of hearing as well as specialized custom electronics. The focus of BMS is the application of biologically inspired algorithms to technically challenging problems that traditional approaches have failed to address. Applications include sensor design for high noise environments as well as medical devices for the hearing impaired.  www.biomimetic-systems.com

LightKey has developed novel technology for wireless and fiber optic communications that will enable network providers to reduce operating expenses, lower capital expenditures and improve service levels. This is achieved by employing advanced mathematical techniques of time-frequency analysis to pre-compensate the carrier waveform.

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