Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
13 Triangle Start-ups Complete CED's FastTrac Tech Course
Next FastTrac Tech Course Begins Oct. 12
October 6, 2004, Research Triangle Park, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced that 13 early-stage companies have completed CED's most recent FastTrac Tech course. FastTrac Tech is a 10-week training course that combines one-on-one coaching, peer learning, guest speakers and other tools to help entrepreneurs produce solid business plans and successfully grow their company.
Participating in the course were 19 founders, technologists and other executives from 13 Triangle-based start-up companies:
- Adaptiqs (www.adaptiqs.com) takes lengthy surveys and reduces them to short surveys while maintaining the same accuracy.
- Advanced Liquid Logic (www.liquid-logic.com) is using microfluidic technology to create handheld devices for detecting diseases.
- Alpha V, Inc. is commercializing an extremely long-lasting micro-battery (potentially up to 100 years) to power low-data rate wireless sensors and other small devices.
- First Freedom, Inc. (www.first-freedom.net) provides support training and development of Open Source software applications.
- Innovadigm Oncology creates more effective cancer therapeutics and brings them to market.
- It's Your Turn, Inc. (www.itsyourturn.com) offers a Web site that hosts turn-based board games (chess, checkers, backgammon, etc.) between human opponents.
- JL Reese and Associates is developing a software solution to help political candidates raise money.
- Litran is creating a handheld device for point-of-care disease diagnosis.
- LoadX.net connects truck drivers and load shippers in a more efficient online marketplace.
- Mycosynthetix (www.mycosynthetix.com) is using a large library of fungi to find a new cure for tuberculosis.
- NDimo helps doctors more accurately detect diseases using ultrasound.
- QUESTRAND is making the fast food restaurants even faster with backend system enhancements.
- Refense Technologies (www.refense.com) helps companies plug security holes in their wireless networks.
FastTrac Tech participants met weekly at CED's office in the Research Triangle Park, where they examined such issues as Entrepreneurial Reality, Market Penetration, Financial Modeling, Human Capital, Investor Mindset, IP Protection and Managing Growth. Guest speakers and instructors included Adigy's CEO Rich West, SciQuest co-founder and Affinergy CEO Peyton Anderson, SAS' Donna Peek, Eno River Capital's Bruce Boehm, Hutchison & Mason's Merrill Mason and Intersouth Partners' Kip Frey.
“Starting a successful company requires not only a great idea, but also courage, perseverance, hard work and more importantly the knowledge of key business concepts and the right network of people,” said Fabian Oliva, co-founder and CEO of Refense Technologies and recent FastTrac Tech participant. “FastTrac Tech was an incredible resource for our company and we predict that it will be instrumental to our future success.”
CED is currently accepting registrations for the next FastTrac Tech class, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 12. For additional details on FastTrac Tech, contact CED's Howie Rhee (919.549.7500 x103, hrhee@cednc.org) or visit www.cednc.org/programs/capital_connection/fasttrac_tech/
About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
###