News Archive

Montgomery County launches into the future as it establishes the Thingstitute, an innovative living laboratory for Internet of Things (IoT) technology.  By providing an unparalleled test bed for start-ups, established companies, and research institutions, the lab will feature co-working space and equipment for fabricating and testing devices.

Located in Rockville’s historic Red Brick Courthouse, the Thingstitute will host an opening reception on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 from 5:30-7:00 pm. 

Advocates for programs spending state dollars on stem cell research or investment in technology companies were nervous about what Gov. Larry Hogan’s budget would hold for them, given warnings of “strong medicine” to cure fiscal woes.

But after Hogan’s spending plan was unveiled Friday, they were relieved to find that the Republican’s business-friendly message spared several economic development programs that were popular under Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley.

View the ’15 Biggest Innovations in Health Tech’ infographic from Innovation in Practice.

The first batch of GlaxoSmithKline’s experimental Ebola vaccine has been dispatched to West Africa and is expected to arrive in Liberia later on Friday, the British drugmaker said.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the worst in history, appears to be waning but cautioned against complacency. The epidemic has seen 21,724 cases reported in nine countries since it started in Guinea a year ago. Some 8,641 people have died.

March 10-11, 2015 – Chicago, IL

INVESTORS & INDUSTRY UNITE

MidAmerica Healthcare Venture Forum is the premier healthcare investing conference, uniting active investors with corporate business development executives to facilitate investment opportunities with promising startups.

Over 300 innovative thought-leaders, prominent industry players, venture capitalists and angel investors will gather in Chicago in March, to discuss latest trends in reimbursement, a status update on healthcare accelerators, best approaches to commercialization and new business models in healthcare and beyond.

UNC-Chapel Hill has created a $5 million fund to help startups commercialize technology developed at the university.

The new Carolina Research Venture Fund, an initiative of the university’s board of trustees, aims to address the dearth of seed funding available to startups. A long-standing maxim in the startup world is that the first infusion of cash is the toughest to raise.

U.S. venture capital investment hit $48.3 billion in 2014, its highest level since 2000, according to data from the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Investments jumped 61 percent over the previous year in terms of dollars. Deals were up as well, but by a more modest 4 percent to 4,356 deals in 2014, indicating the growth of deal size and the presence of a number of “megadeals.” NVCA also noted that investments were dispersed throughout the country, with 160 U.S. metros receiving some venture capital.

With the surge in digital health tech, entrepreneurs who dream of developing the next killer healthcare app have plenty of reason to be optimistic. 2014 was a record-breaking year with over $4.1B in venture funding for digital health companies, more than the previous three years combined, according to Mercom Capital Group. The future of healthcare technology includes wearables that monitor vitals, apps that facilitate outpatient care, CRM systems that allow physicians to forge better relationships with patients, and more.

The Federal Trade Commission has finally approved the joint venture of Novartis AG (ADR) (NYSE:NVS) and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) in consumer health products, and Novartis has agreed to divest its Habitrol line of nicotine patches.