Despite long-term declines in business creation and slow growth, there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of entrepreneurship in the United States. This message, delivered by Kauffman President and CEO Wendy Guillies in the State of Entrepreneurship Address, summarizes key findings in a publication released yesterday called The New Entrepreneurial Growth Agenda.

A study just completed by the Sage Policy Group on behalf of the Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA) has concluded that Maryland’s 30 small business incubators are having a significant and far-reaching impact on the state’s economy.

It’s hard for most people to find time to work out to stay fit, but when fitness has been part of your life since high school and you’ve served in the military, it’s a problem that can be especially vexing. That is what happened to Gregory Coleman, Chief Operating Officer of Nexercise, a Business Innovation Network member. A three-season high school athlete who graduated from the Air Force Academy, served as an Air Force and Air National Guard pilot, was enrolled in the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, plus was married and had a family, Greg felt like he was too busy to make it to the gym. Fellow Wharton student Ben Young, Chief Executive Officer of Nexercise, felt similar pain, and thought they could solve that problem in 2010 by taking advantage of the technology of Apple’s new iPhone.

Three years after Michael Davidson and his colleagues sold the omega-3 drug Epanova to AstraZeneca ($AZN) in the $443 million Omthera buyout, the biotech exec has rounded up some fresh support from a seasoned ally in the venture world to begin building a new biotech focused on cardiovascular disease.

CC Biotech LLC, Rockville MD, developing advanced separations technologies for large molecules, is awarded an SBIR phase I grant from the National Science Foundation for the project ‘Spiral Countercurrent Chromatography for the Separation of Carbon Nanotubes’. The new technique has been applied for the first time to successfully purify single wall carbon nanotube species which are semi-conductors. The application will enable the processing of potent semi-conductors to be added to sensor circuits. The implications of this R&D have wide application to not only bio-sensor devices, but also in the preparation of nanotech molecules as therapeutic nanoparticles and conjugates for drug delivery.

PapGene, Inc., a privately-held company commercializing advanced molecular tests, announced that it was recently awarded a highly competitive Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to commercialize a test to detect ovarian and endometrial cancers.

The funds for this Fast-Track grant will be released in two phases, which together have the potential to provide a total of nearly $2.3 million in resources to PapGene’s test commercialization efforts. Phase I will provide $297,000 to the company to demonstrate the accuracy of the test and its clinical validity. Upon successful completion of Phase I, Phase II will provide approximately $2 million to demonstrate the clinical utility of the test and to launch its regulatory approval process.

Roche ($RHHBY) and AstraZeneca ($AZN) picked up FDA breakthrough therapy designations for their top pipeline assets, moving forward in multiple sclerosis and cancer with treatments tabbed as potential blockbusters.

A Symposium for manufacturers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and educators to explore new bio-medical applications of additive manufacturing and 3D Printing. Keynote by Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. Featuring presentations from top thought leaders in government, industry, and academia. Download the event flyer and agenda: Biomedical Symposium Flyer and Agenda

For the second straight year, state legislators from Baltimore are backing an effort to create a tax credit for angel investors in Maryland.

The bills, filed by State Sen. Catherine Pugh and Del. Brooke Lierman, would create a tax credit of 50 percent of an investment made in a startup. The bills create a reserve fund to distribute the tax credit, which could be up to $5 million per year, an analysis states.

When: Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Where: University of Maryland Biopark

This workshop is intended to help make you a smarter entrepreneur…A good accounting process and system can help you identify and track key metrics of your business REAL TIME to help you make better decisions. Plus, all investors and banks want to see your financial projections. In the first part of the workshop, Mike Lynch and Jim Jenkins from SC&H will lead attendees through an educational presentation on:

The National Science Foundation plans to expand its innovation ecosystem by funding new hubs of what it calls the Innovation Corps — a set of training programs and other initiatives to rapidly translate progress made in labs to the commercial world.

In testimony to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Stephen Ezell explained why the biotech industry is a key driver of the U.S. economy and global life sciences innovation, and he argued that robust intellectual property standards in the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be critical to both. Ezell notes that the U.S. provides 12 years of IP protection for clinical test data, so it is disappointing that the TPP commits U.S. trading partners to provide eight at most.

Protenus Raises $4 Million Series A to Protect Patient Privacy on a National Scale

Protenus, the leader in next-generation privacy protection solutions for electronic medical record systems, has raised $4 mm in a Series A round led by Arthur Ventures. Protenus is also pleased to receive the support of LionBird Venture Capital, DreamIt Ventures, Cognosante, TEDCO, and the Baltimore Angels.

At Doctor on Demand, a popular online health site, patients can videoconference with physicians on a host of maladies, from skin rashes and flu diagnoses to getting a prescription for an eye infection. On Maven, a telemedicine app targeted to women, nurse practitioners chat with patients on issues such as birth control, breast feeding and postpartum depression. Opternative offers online eye exams that it says are just as accurate as in-person tests. It’s a boom time for telehealth. Just as smartphone apps have revolutionized ride-hailing and apartment-sharing, telemedicine technology is upending health care.

Lunch Talk - Illumina Accelerator: Opportunities for Genomics Entrepreneurs - February 19, 2016 I 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

At Illumina, we’re committed to unlocking the power of the genome, but we know we can’t do it alone. The Illumina Accelerator is our way of accelerating innovation in the entrepreneurial community. With extensive mentorship, financial support, and access to sequencing systems, reagents, and lab space, we’ve created a dynamic genomic ecosystem to help startups launch. Together we’ll advance the solutions that will transform medicine and improve human health.

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, a division of Pfizer that maintains consumer health brands including Advil, Caltrate, Centrum, ChapStick, and Nexium24 HR, has partnered with education company Galvanize to launch a health tech accelerator.

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) invites Young Women In Bio (YWIB) and area middle school girls to participate in an afternoon of science immersion. WRAIR shares YWIB’s passion for engaging the DC/Baltimore community in science, technology, engineering, and math, and supports numerous educational outreach programs. Through their GEMS (Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science) program, adolescents get to experience firsthand scientific method and valuable experimental techniques.

Come join WRAIR and YWIB for a taste of this exciting curriculum. Middle school girls will first tour the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Next, in the teaching lab, WRAIR scientists will help the girls perform a basic dissection, observe the protists that aid in termite digestion, and learn the math behind pipetting. Registration is limited to 25 girls so please be sure to sign-up early to reserve your place.

Today’s venture capital market is one where a company with less than 200 employees can rake in more than $100 million from investors. But one corner of the market has largely been left behind: companies offering new medical devices.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have successfully created mini-brains by culturing stem cells and neurons. The mini-brains have similarities in functioning to human brain but the size is quite small. They can be used for testing drugs and treatment options for neurological disorders.

Qiagen N.V. announced the introduction of more than 170 new QIAseq Targeted RNA Panels for gene expression profiling, expanding Qiagen’s portfolio of Sample to Insight solutions for next-generation sequencing (NGS). The panels enable researchers to select from over 20,000 human genes and lncRNA to survey expression fold changes and discover interactions between genes, cellular phenotypes and disease processes.

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, a network of over 300 government-run labs and agencies that work to make federal technology and expertise available to industry, this week announced the opening of its newly remodeled website, federallabs.org.

Vinita Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, and Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director, Lupin Ltd. have been chosen the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015.

F. C. Kohli, former Vice-Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering contribution towards the Indian software industry and nation-building.

Rockville cancer diagnostics company 20/20 Gene Systems Inc. recently completed a $4.5 million Series A equity funding round led by the venture capital division of China's largest insurance company, Ping An Ventures.

On February 8, 2016, the National Institute of Standards and Technology hosted a ribbon cutting and building dedication ceremony for the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence’s (NCCoE) new facility in Rockville, Md. 

Representing the public-private collaboration at the center, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Ben Cardin, Rep. John Delaney, Rep. John Sarbanes, Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Willie May participated in the ribbon cutting.

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation’s (TEDCO) core research, technology transfer, and commercialization programs generated nearly $1 billion in economic contributions to the Maryland economy in 2015, according to a new study by the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice released today. Battelle, the world’s largest non-profit research and development organization, also found that TEDCO’s efforts generated a total of 4,358 high-quality jobs, with an average income per job of $74,700. That compares favorably to a statewide average labor income per worker of $63,700.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation today announced the appointment of Victor W. Hwang as vice president of entrepreneurship. Hwang will relocate from California to Kansas City to lead the Foundation’s renowned entrepreneurship programming. He starts on Feb. 29.

The median pay among STEM workers in 2014 was more than $72,000. That’s more than double the median income among all occupations, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Few would argue, however, that STEM workers are generally overpaid. Experts in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math are key contributors to economic growth. Furthermore, STEM occupations generally require years of rigorous and difficult training.

I'm not sure about you, but I'm getting tired of Steve Jobs. Sure, he was an innovation icon. But, in my view, the media and pundits are creating unrealistic expectations hyping and promoting the Jobs/Branson/Musk iconography.  

Yumanity Therapeutics, a drug developer focused on diseases caused by protein misfolding, has raised $45 million in Series A funding. Fidelity Management & Research Company led the round with participation from Redmile Group, Alexandria Venture Investments, Biogen, Sanofi-Genzyme BioVentures and Dolby Family Ventures. 

Bobby Gattuso became a startup founder while an undergraduate at Towson University.

Hop Theory’s sachets that bring beer up to craft levels got early traction through Kickstarter and national press hits.

A senior Google executive, Jeff Huber, will become the CEO of Grail, the high-profile company launched in January to develop and commercialize cancer blood tests.

According to Forbes, Huber’s wife, Laura, died from colon cancer last November, leaving behind two teenage children. “That’s a big part of why I’m taking this up,” Huber told the magazine.

"You are cordially invited to the “SBIR and STTR Federal Funding Mechanisms for Improving the Reach of Behavioral Science” seminar at the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) 2016 Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions. National Cancer Institute SBIR (NCI SBIR) Development Center Program Director Dr. Patricia Weber will be leading the seminar with presenters from NIH, including NCI and NHLBI, a HealthTech investment CEO and a small business entrepreneur. The session will include a range of topics such as an overview of the SBIR/STTR program goals, how NCI and NHLBI work to help with the commercialization process, how SBIR/STTR funding can advance behavioral science, investor perspectives on behavioral health products, and perspectives from an awardee."

It’s comforting to believe that the world of venture funding is a meritocracy.

It’s comforting to believe that a founder has a good idea, pitches successfully and gets money from a VC to turn said idea into a business.

10x Genomics has announced two new sequencing partnerships with Qiagen and Illumina.

Yesterday, 10x said that it is partnering with Qiagen to co-develop and co-market next-generation sequencing and single-cell biology analysis workflows and informatics solutions.

Enterprising startups are disrupting incumbent players in industries as diverse as publishing, entertainment and personal finance. Healthcare is far from immune to this tech-driven business trend— across the industry, young and innovative firms are giving legacy systems a run for their money.

At the heart of the change sweeping across the healthcare business is data.