Supporting Florida’s Innovation Economy
Issue 98 – October 2022
2022 BioFlorida Annual Conference and BioPitch Competition
BioFlorida, representing 6,700 establishments and research organizations in BioPharma, MedTech, HealthIT, and BioAg that collectively employ nearly 94,000 Floridians, are holding their annual conference this week, starting today on November 2, 2022 until Friday, November 4, 2022.
BioPitch, taking place at the BioFlorida Conference, is an annual competition for seed and early-stage life science companies seeking investment. This competition provides Florida’s most innovative companies with a platform and exposure to life science investors and a chance to win a $10,000.00 prize. Pitches will be heard on November 3 and the winner will be announced during the conference on November 4.
Attendees will hear from experts on industry trends and have the opportunity to connect with investors and potential partners. Scientists, executives, researchers, investors, lawmakers, and service providers can leverage the BioFlorida Network aiming to advance economic development throughout Florida.
The Conference will kick off Wednesday, November 2 at 5:00 PM with the Welcome Reception located at the Riverwalk Terrace. For the full agenda, click here. Onsite, use the Mobile App for the full agenda, including speaker information and session location.
Forgot to Register or want to bring a guest? Onsite registration is available at the event.
Additional information about the BioFlorida Conference can be found on their website, or by clicking here.
The Institute welcomes ybot to its Portfolio
The Institute is proud to announce that it has finalized a funding agreement with ybot, a technology that bridges the connection between enterprise systems and voice interfaces, to automate frontline requests with backoffice actions.
More on ybot can be found here.
TSO Life raises $9 million in Series A Funding Round
The Institute’s portfolio companies continue to make great progress. Tampa-based TSOLife, which provides an artificial intelligence-based platform for senior living communities just announced a $9 million Series A funding round. We cannot thank David Sawyer, CEO of TSOLife enough for the impact he and his company are making on improving the quality of life in senior living communities and the lives of so many Floridians.
More on the announcement can be found here.
Aviana Molecular Technologies at the 2022 Early Stage Capital Conference in Tampa
Aviana Molecular Technologies, an Orlando-based point of care diagnostics company continues to make great progress in its development of a miniaturized biosensor capable of attaching to a smartphone/smart device through Bluetooth or other wireless connections. Aviana’s CEO, Dr. Ragavan, recently presented a company update at the 2022 Florida Venture Forum Early Stage Capital Conference on October 12th in Tampa. The company’s diagnostic system is a simple-to-use, potentially highly sensitive diagnostic platform that can accurately, within 10 -20 minutes, detect a target infectious disease, biomarkers or proteins in both clinical (human and animal) and scientific research settings. Aviana’s biosensor platform uses the latest developments in cellular communications, semiconductor electronics, micro-fluidics and manufacturing methods to create a unique point-of-care diagnostic (POC) platform to detect biomarkers or infections. Because these biosensors are portable, cost-effective and versatile, they can be used in both highly sophisticated health systems and in resource-limited environments which can fill unmet medical needs in the U.S. and around the world, where POC diagnosis can positively impact human health. Aviana’s vision is to provide highly sensitive and specific diagnostic capability to anyone with a smart device: physician, medical technologist, patient, public health worker while connecting seamlessly (with adequate protections) to the internet. Initial proof of concept data based on these sensors have demonstrated accuracy similar to that of a laboratory based test but with portability and rapidity unlike lab systems.
More about Aviana can be found here.
About Us
Formed by the Florida Legislature in 2007, the Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology supports and funds innovation companies that create clean jobs in new industries that are driving the global economy. The Institute provides company building services, and seed funding through the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, to promising Florida startups that are developing products that improve and save lives and help companies improve their bottom line. The organization’s investment decisions are guided through a strong partnership with its Private Fund Manager, Florida Funders. The Institute’s economic impact over the last ten years was $4.1 billion, with fiscal revenue impacts of nearly $453 million to federal, state, and local governments.