MichBio Seeks 'Cool Companies' For Expo

ANN ARBOR -- The 2012 MichBio Expo will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 7 and 9 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing (www.michbio.org/expo).

Last week, MichBio, the state's biosciences industry trade association, said it was still seeking "cool bioscience startups" to pitch at the expo.

The expo's annual Emerging Biosciences Showcase will feature pitches from 10 early stage, innovative bioscience start-ups across multiple industry sectors.

To qualify, the company must meet the following criteria:
* Michigan-based company with a product/innovation in medical devices, diagnostics, biopharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare, agri-health, industrial biotech and bio-based technologies, healthcare IT and research products sectors
* Non-Michigan companies in the same sectors encouraged to apply, space permitting
* Company must have completed one round of seed financing, preferably prior to the Showcase or is currently seeking funding

Introduce your emerging bioscience company to an audience of venture capital and angel investors. The 10 "emerging" companies that qualify -- those formed out of technology transfer offices and taking their first steps along the commercialization pathway -- will make their first pitches in front of a panel of three judges. Presenting companies will then have the opportunity for further exposure and one-on-one conversations at table-top displays in the Exhibit Hall.

Email the Showcase Application to david@michbio.org by Sept. 17.  Company notifications will be made by Sept. 21.

For more information: Call (734) 527-9150. Sponsorships available, ranging from $750 to $5,000.

The event's keynote, "Rebuilding the Ecosystem of Innovation: Implications of U.S. Patent Reform on the Biological and Life Sciences," will be presented by Teresa Stanek Rea, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.