News Archive

A pair of SMU psychology professors working with University of Maryland engineers have been awarded a National Institutes of Health grant in October that will bring nearly $2 million to their joint project to create a wearable device for pediatric asthma patients that helps them avoid asthma triggers.

The asthma device will monitor air quality (including pollen levels and temperature), carbon dioxide levels in the blood, physical activity, breathing, emotional states and other stimuli to identify each patient’s individual asthma triggers and alert them when conditions are ripe for an attack. The concept is similar to the glucose monitor that alerts diabetes patients when their blood sugar is low, but it also includes much more complex monitoring of the patients’ environment.

Neurology research is one of those rare topics that immediately fascinates people outside the field. Any technology that makes healing brain ailments easier is a relief for people of all ages who fear what the future might bring for their health. But it’s also fascinating to see what new developments could do not just to protect our brains, but also augment them.

The new Tel Aviv accelerator Brainnovations will foster the very companies that will lead that development. It’s the brainchild of Israel Brain Technologies (IBT), a local non-profit that former President Shimon Peres launched in 2011. IBT is dedicated to “making Israel a leader in the international market” for braintech and has hosted two conferences and several industry meetups since 2013. But those events were only the beginning, according to Dr. Yael Fuchs Shlomai, Program Manager at Brainnovations.

GlaxoSmithKline could file up to 20 new drugs for regulatory approval before 2020 as it seeks to revitalize a portfolio hit by falling sales of best-selling inhaled lung treatment Advair, the company said on Tuesday.

Seven of them may reach the market before the end of decade, it added.

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced today that six new Maryland companies received funding from its Cybersecurity Investment Fund (CIF). Jedvice, Point 3 Security, Topaz Research, Efflux Systems, Bricata and QI Solutions were each awarded $100,000 through CIF. The Fund supports Maryland companies looking to develop and commercialize new cybersecurity products or services by providing investments of up to $225,000.

“As the State’s first dedicated cybersecurity fund, we have seen an increase in momentum around Maryland’s information security ecosystem,” said Rob Rosenbaum, president and executive director of TEDCO.  “CIF’s goal is to support innovative cybersecurity companies and accelerate their product development to help them get to commercial launch faster. With our funding and support, we are confident these six startups will successfully grow and create more jobs in Maryland. ”

PITCH. NETWORK. LEARN. BE INSPIRED.

The 2015 Entrepreneur Expo will be held on Tuesday, November 17th at the BWI Marriott in Linthicum, MD. This 5th Annual event is hosted by TEDCO and is the only large-scale event dedicated to promoting the key to Maryland’s innovation economy, its entrepreneurs. The 2015 Entrepreneur Expo is expected to draw the region’s top entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, legislators and researchers. This year’s keynote speakers are Rent the Runway Co-Founder Jennifer Fleiss and Maryland-born NASA Astronaut & USAF Col Terry Virts. www.innovatemd.com.

The Baltimore Angels recently surpassed $5 million in overall investment, according to numbers released by the six-year-old early-stage investment group

The milestone comes as members of the group invested $4 million in startups over the last two and a half years. Since 2012, investor membership has grown from 30 to 50 members. The group meets once a month to hear pitches. Companies are usually after the “friends and family” round, and pre-seed stage.

Former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander’s startup IronNet Cybersecurity has raised $32.5 million.

The Series A round was led by Trident Capital Cybersecurity, along with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Fulton-based IronNet will use the money to continue development of the company’s private sector cyber defense technology.

The Securities and Exchange Commission voted for new rules Friday that allow individuals at all levels to invest in startups — and that could give Washington-area startups a boost.

The rule, expected to take effect Jan. 29, 2016, allows companies to raise up to $1 million in a 12-month period through a crowdfunding campaign. In the past, only individual investors with higher net worth were able to obtain accreditation from the SEC. Now anyone can choose to invest.