Winner of second price in Venture Cup 2007 was a business idea based on technology developed and patented at Risø DTU. The technology enables functional biomolecules to be welded into plastic surfaces. It is a team of three people, with very different backgrounds, that has worked with the business idea for the company InMold Biosystems A/S. The business idea was in the second phase of Venture Cup 2007 awarded 10.000 DKK. At the grand finale arrangement 31 May it received the second prize of DKK 100.000. The jury had a difficult task since it was a close race between the three winning teams. “It is the strongest field we have seen since Venture Cup’s start”, said the jury at the award giving. According to the jury the reason for the second prize was InMold’s global potential and the fact that the project had developed really well during the course of Venture Cup.
The prized plan has documented that the market potential for plastic surfaces with built in bio-molecules is considerable. The technology is primarily directed at the markets for cell cultivation, diagnostics and high throughput screening.
The plastic surfaces could be interesting in connection with examination of drugs. “Potential drugs are always tested at cell cultures and if you add some proteins that will make the cell act more “lifelike”, it will be a good supplement for these tests and maybe minimize the risk of adverse effects on animals and humans”, says one of the three prize winners, Morten Hansen, Ph.D. student at Risø DTU.
It was Morten Hansen who originally saw the potential in entering the project for Venture Cup 2007, and he has also been the motivating power in this. The other two participants are Henrik Pranov, Ph.D. from DTU and co-inventor of InMold’s patent and Ph.D. Jan Buch Andersen who has the business competence. He has more than 15 years of experience with business development and more than eight years of experience with his own start-up company. 1 June the trio establishes the company InMold Biosystems A/S with capital from SeeD Capital Denmark. The company rents premises at Risø.
Read more on Venture Cup's web site. |