Igniting Florida's Innovation Economy

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Issue 2

The Institute continues to “Ignite Florida’s Innovation Economy” with events and programs that help companies succeed and grow.


Participants in the "Leading with Impact," CEO training class

Entrepreneurs Learn how to “Get Ready and Stay Ready” for Tomorrow’s Challenges

A week- long CEO training course was held at the Santa Fe Center for Innovation and Economic Development. Held in partnership with Startup Quest, 15 executives from some of Florida’s most promising young companies participated in intense training in areas of communication and feedback, delegation, and strategic planning. The interactive, practice-oriented course was designed to empower and sharpen the leadership skills of startup CEOs and executives, and will rotate around the state with the next class being held in southeast Florida at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University.

According to Julian Miller, CEO of eMotion Technologies, "The class provided a great opportunity to interact and grow a lot closer to an amazing group of CEOs while taking an introspective look into how we interact with others and in turn, develop strategies to leverage what we learned in order to become better leaders."

Institute Funds Two Companies: Modulation Therapeutics and Heart Genomics

Two companies received funding recently through the Seed Capital Accelerator Program (SCAP), which provides loans to qualified companies who must provide at least a 1:1 match of private investment capital against funds provided through the program. Modulation Therapeutics, based on technology licensed from the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, is an early-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel treatments for multiple myeloma. Heart Genomics, based on technology developed at the University of Miami’s Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute is a focused on the development of non-invasive, genomic-based, clinical diagnostic tests for patients with heart failure.
 
Eleven companies have been funded to date through the SCAP program, some leveraging state monies to attract as much as 4-5X additional private investment capital, and creating direct jobs at an average salary of $74,000 per year.
 
 
Florida State University Spinout Entrepreneur Featured on National Public Radio
 

Jacob VanLandingham, Founder of Prevacus, along with Florida Research Consortium President Jack Sullivan, and Institute CEO Jamie Grooms were interviewed by Jessica Palombo, WFSU, about the exciting research and discovery taking place across the state, and the importance of seed funding for startup companies.

BioFlorida Day Educates, Informs, Inspires

Members of BioFlorida convened in Tallahassee on February 5th for BioFlorida Legislative Day. Maintaining this type of presence in the Capitol is an important part of the legislative process, and the message was well-received, with many legislative members commenting that they were unaware of the depth and breadth of the industry’s positive impact in our state.

One of the legislative priorities for BioFlorida this year is the continuation and expansion of seed capital programs offered by the Institute. The Institute’s proven, two-pronged approach includes both company building and company funding programs, helping companies to bridge the “Valley of Death” where so many fail. Seed funding drives greater private sector investment into startup companies that are developing answers to some of today’s toughest healthcare, environmental and societal challenges, and results in high- tech job creation statewide.

About Us

Founded in 2007 as a non-profit organization, the Institute is Florida’s One-Stop-Shop for investors and entrepreneurs who seek to identify new opportunities based on technologies developed through publicly-funded research. The Institute delivers programs that facilitate new venture and job creation through commercially-viable technologies in major industries that are driving the global economy. The Institute administers the Florida Research Commercialization Matching Grant Program launched in 2010, and the Seed Capital Accelerator Program launched in 2011. For more information, visit www.florida-institute.com