Rocky
Hill, Conn., December 9, 2009 – Connecticut Innovations (CI), the
state’s quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and
innovation development, and several of its portfolio companies captured the
spotlight in Dedham, Mass., yesterday at the New England Venture Summit. The
event featured a select group of 450 entrepreneurs, investors and leading-edge
startup companies who gathered to share insights on the future of innovation and
the entrepreneurial process.
CI and Connecticut had a
strong presence at the event with six members of CI’s investment team
participating and four CI portfolio companies presenting. CI Investment
Associate Patrick O’Neill was front and center as a panelist in the session
titled “Capital for Clean-Tech: It’s Plentiful,” which focused on trends in
financial markets and the future of venture capital investment in clean
technology. O’Neill discussed lessons learned in clean tech investing and
what 2010 might look like for clean tech deals. Additionally, CI Senior
Investment Associate Dan Wagner participated as a coach at the venture boot
camp, which focused on giving attendees insight into how to secure investment
capital for their startup companies. CI President and Executive Director Peter
Longo and investment team members David Wurzer, Kevin Crowley and Anil Vasagiri
also attended the event.
“Connecticut Innovations
and its portfolio companies represented our state well at the New England
Venture Summit yesterday,” Governor M. Jodi Rell said. “CI plays an important
role in boosting the technology-based industries that Connecticut is committed
to nurturing, recruiting and growing. These are smart investments that will help
create jobs and prosperity.”
“We were extremely pleased with the
quality of the 2009 New England Venture Summit,” said Peter Longo, president and
executive director of CI. “The event gave our portfolio companies exposure to
some of the most highly respected private investors in the region and provided
our staff an opportunity to forge relationships with both investors and other
regional entrepreneurs.”
Event organizers recognized
four CI portfolio companies as Top Innovators, giving them the opportunity to
present to the investor audience. The companies selected for the Top Innovators
awards included: Semantifi Inc. of Stamford, Conn., Keisense Inc. of Hartford,
Conn., Oil Purification Systems Inc. of Shelton, Conn., and Soft Tissue
Regeneration Inc. of Stamford, Conn.
Keisense President and CEO
Santosh Sharan expressed enthusiasm about his experience at the event, stating,
“We are excited to have taken part in this conference and grateful for CI's
support. The New England Venture Summit was a great forum to connect with new
people, network with investors, share war stories with fellow entrepreneurs and
finally soak in some valuable lessons from the various panel discussions.
Keisense received plenty of positive feedback from investors that validated our
assumptions and proved that we are on the right path.” Keisense offers advanced
text input and user experience solutions for mobile devices, Internet-connected
TVs and gaming consoles.
youngStartup Ventures, a
company that helps entrepreneurs build successful enterprises, was the host of
the event.
About
Connecticut Innovations, Inc.
Connecticut Innovations (CI) is a
quasi-public organization dedicated to driving a vibrant, entrepreneurial,
technology-based economy in Connecticut. CI stimulates high-tech growth by
investing in: early-stage Connecticut technology companies, university/industry
research collaborations, technology transfer, and clean energy initiatives
through the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. CI also fosters collaboration
among government, business, nonprofit and academic organizations to advance
technology growth and promotes public policies consistent with CI’s
mission. For more information on CI, please visit www.ctinnovations.com.
