2011 Springboard Emerging Company/Technology Showcase 

Our commitment and resolve to positively impact North Carolina has never been stronger.  With the alignment of existing resources and creation of new programs like the NC State Fast 15 and the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, a new level of service is available to support entrepreneurs and advance early stage technologies.  This showcase event will allow you to see first hand some of the exciting partnering opportunities available.

Company Showcase:

Katharos is a medical device startup being jointly spun-out of NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill  focused on developing a proprietary filtration system that lowers blood phosphates in hemodialysis patients. Research has shown that patients with chronic kidney disease who have uncontrolled blood phosphorus levels have a significantly higher risk of mortality.  Currently, these patients are advised to modify their dietary intake and to take oral phosphate-binding medicines at each meal, resulting in low compliance.  Katharos seeks to introduce the first device for use with existing dialysis equipment to address this unmet medical need.

Ligamar is a nano-bio materials startup that has developed production-ready technologies used in the discovery and manufacture of biotherapeutic drugs such as antibodies and vaccines. The company has a novel technology platform that enables the next generation of high-throughput, disposable bioseparation and purification systems.

 Technology Showcase:

• A novel MOSFET device that enables “instant on” computers
• An enzyme that will enhance the efficiency and reduce the cost of biofuel production
• A rapid test for bacterial contamination of food
• NCSU-10, a novel dye-sensitized solar cell for conversion of light energy to electricity