The fastest-growing sector in Greater Washington is business and financial services jobs, which grew by 39 percent between 2003 and 2014. And nearly 1 in 12 jobs in the region in 2014 was in information technology.
A cadre of venture investors speaking on a panel at this week’s INVEST conference in Chicago aren’t particularly concerned about the gyrations in the life sciences public markets. Venture capital remains fairly agnostic of the troughs and peaks of the stock market, and life sciences investment will likely continue on at a strong pace, they said – largely because of the quality of the science.
Cancer doctor Cassian Yee remembers how in 2010 he was called to Los Angeles to meet the Internet billionaire Sean Parker. Parker wanted Yee to help the Hollywood producer Laura Ziskin, then fighting breast cancer, with an immune-cell treatment never before used to treat that condition. “We’ll give you whatever you need, we’ll put you on an island to do it,” Parker told Yee. A few weeks later a very big check arrived by mail to buy some crucial equipment.
Angel investors are moving upstream. So where do they get their early-stage dealflow?
Dan Kincaid, a member of Queen City Angels in Cincinnati, said his organization is making-early stage bets by helping hatch companies through increased collaboration with local technology accelerators and tech transfer offices.
In a commentary published today by Bloomberg View, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels calls attention to increasing strain being placed on America’s public research universities, a fact that Daniels says has left them less well positioned to fulfill their traditional missions.
A team of scientists unveiled a new tree of life on Monday, a diagram outlining the evolution of all living things. The researchers found that bacteria make up most of life’s branches. And they found that much of that diversity has been waiting in plain sight to be discovered, dwelling in river mud and meadow soils.
The way drugs are made is dangerously outdated. While many industries have gotten much more efficient at manufacturing, pharmaceutical companies rely on an old-fashioned approach that is slow, inflexible, and prone to breakdowns. A new refrigerator-sized apparatus that can take in a set of ingredients and quickly produce four common pharmaceuticals is the most advanced demonstration yet of a potential new strategy for drug making that is more flexible, efficient, and reliable.
The year 2015 has come and gone, and despite Back to the Future’s predictions, there are still no flying cars. However, University of Maryland researchers have been working to make the world a better place through new innovations focused on health, security, energy efficiency and other areas that address global challenges.
These new inventions will be honored at a special Celebration of Innovation and Partnerships event on May 9 as part of the University of Maryland’s “30 Days of EnTERPreneurship.” Each year, UMD honors exceptional inventions that have the potential to make an important impact on science, society, and the free market. The Invention of the Year award nominees come from three categories: Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Information Sciences. One invention from each category is selected to win the Invention of the Year Award.
Two key supporters of Baltimore health startups are putting resources into a new accelerator.
The partnership between Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures and the Abell Foundation that earned support from Village Capital is set to develop a new health-focused startup accelerator in Baltimore.
Startup founders will have another tool for raising early stage capital starting next month. On May 16, the SEC is allowing companies to use crowdfunding to raise money.