This document summarizes innovation and entrepreneurship in the Kansas City region. It describes several local companies working on technologies like cancer treatments and mobile security. It also discusses assets that support innovation like universities, incubators, and organizations like the Kauffman Foundation. However, it notes that the region still lacks sufficient venture capital investment and could benefit from stronger state support in Missouri to help innovative startups attract funding and grow.
Life sciences from research to profits-ingram's magazine feb 2015Jeffrey Boily
Interviews with Kansas City area research circles - local entrepreneurs, the vision of innovators, and the aspirations of bioscience executives hoping to make this a more robust center for research and commercialization.
Life sciences from research to profits-ingram's magazine feb 2015Jeffrey Boily
Interviews with Kansas City area research circles - local entrepreneurs, the vision of innovators, and the aspirations of bioscience executives hoping to make this a more robust center for research and commercialization.
Life sciences a data-driven diagnosis for success, United States, USA, US, US Southeast Region, Christian Dillstrom, Global Growth Ambassador of the USA Southeast Region
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center presents the annual Innovation Louisiana Conference on forming, funding, and growing a bioscience startup featuring national industry experts and investors. Through panel discussions and keynotes by national experts, the conference educates life science entrepreneurs, university researchers, students, and the business community on technology innovation issues. Get educated and inspired as you work to move breakthroughs from the lab to the market. Don’t miss this important opportunity to learn about key issues from finding funding for development and commercialization to successfully introducing innovations in a clinical setting.
Zoltun Design is home to a talented group of professionals that expertly create visual solutions. If you dream it, we can create it. We are Zoltun. We Listen. We Interpret. We Create. www.zoltun.com
Innovation Factory is the collaborative student-led organization with the mission to foster the entrepreneurial spirit throughout the Johns Hopkins community by facilitating access to learning, networking, and investment opportunities.
We believe that by connecting students, alumni, faculty, and friends from Hopkins’ nine schools, we can help develop a thriving ecosystem where ideas are shared, problems are solved, and opportunity is cultivated.
Learn more at www.ifjh.org
2016 Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) Impact ReportMatthew Hugo
Take a look at ICCC's 2016 annual Impact Report, which covers some of this year's success stories, as well as metrics that shine light on our program's impact on the job climate of inner cities around America!
How to Get Involved in Shaping the Future of Michigan Business - Business InS...Detroit Regional Chamber
Slides for town hall presentation on "How to Get Involved in Shaping the Future of Michigan Business" at Detroit Regional Chamber's "Business InSight" conference. October 27, 2009 at Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI.
Moderated by Nolan Finley, Editorial Page Director of The Detroit News; with Susan Mosey, President of University Cultural Center; Phillip Power, Founder & President of The Center for Michigan; Florine Mark, President and Chair, The WW Group, Inc. / Weight Watchers; Michael Finney, President and CEO, Ann Arbor SPARK; and Tammy Carnrike, COO of Detroit Regional Chamber.
Explore the four pillars of future economic development - one prosperous, skilled, innovative, and livable - that communities are using to build globally competitive communities. Explore how private sector development, workforce and education, entrepreneurs and small business, and community development support broad-based economic growth and quality of life.
Gain more information on the topic during IEDC's Economic Future Forum in Tulsa, OK June 12-14. To register visit: iedconline.org/futureforum
Boston Startup Ecosystem 2016: entrepeneur tool kitJoshua Flannery
This is a project by Duy Nguyen under the guidance of Joshua Flannery at UNSW Innovations.
The aim of the project is to provide a 'toolkit' for entrepreneurs specifically regarding the startup ecosystem in the city of Boston. We hope you find it helpful!
New Orleans BioInnovation Center 2016 Annual Reportneworleansbio
Introducing the 2016 Annual Report from the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, highlighting the organization's programs for Louisiana life science entrepreneurs and growing impact on the regional economy. A nonprofit business incubator opened in 2011, the Center has worked with more than 125 startups that have raised over $90 million in funding and created nearly 400 jobs. Tenants and clients supported by our program teams include startups developing innovative new medical devices, therapeutics, diagnostics, digital health platforms, clean technologies, and more. These technologies range from cancer and diabetes treatments to urban farming and water remediation solutions. All promise to improve global health. Learn more at www.neworleansbio.com.
Life sciences a data-driven diagnosis for success, United States, USA, US, US Southeast Region, Christian Dillstrom, Global Growth Ambassador of the USA Southeast Region
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center presents the annual Innovation Louisiana Conference on forming, funding, and growing a bioscience startup featuring national industry experts and investors. Through panel discussions and keynotes by national experts, the conference educates life science entrepreneurs, university researchers, students, and the business community on technology innovation issues. Get educated and inspired as you work to move breakthroughs from the lab to the market. Don’t miss this important opportunity to learn about key issues from finding funding for development and commercialization to successfully introducing innovations in a clinical setting.
Zoltun Design is home to a talented group of professionals that expertly create visual solutions. If you dream it, we can create it. We are Zoltun. We Listen. We Interpret. We Create. www.zoltun.com
Innovation Factory is the collaborative student-led organization with the mission to foster the entrepreneurial spirit throughout the Johns Hopkins community by facilitating access to learning, networking, and investment opportunities.
We believe that by connecting students, alumni, faculty, and friends from Hopkins’ nine schools, we can help develop a thriving ecosystem where ideas are shared, problems are solved, and opportunity is cultivated.
Learn more at www.ifjh.org
2016 Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) Impact ReportMatthew Hugo
Take a look at ICCC's 2016 annual Impact Report, which covers some of this year's success stories, as well as metrics that shine light on our program's impact on the job climate of inner cities around America!
How to Get Involved in Shaping the Future of Michigan Business - Business InS...Detroit Regional Chamber
Slides for town hall presentation on "How to Get Involved in Shaping the Future of Michigan Business" at Detroit Regional Chamber's "Business InSight" conference. October 27, 2009 at Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI.
Moderated by Nolan Finley, Editorial Page Director of The Detroit News; with Susan Mosey, President of University Cultural Center; Phillip Power, Founder & President of The Center for Michigan; Florine Mark, President and Chair, The WW Group, Inc. / Weight Watchers; Michael Finney, President and CEO, Ann Arbor SPARK; and Tammy Carnrike, COO of Detroit Regional Chamber.
Explore the four pillars of future economic development - one prosperous, skilled, innovative, and livable - that communities are using to build globally competitive communities. Explore how private sector development, workforce and education, entrepreneurs and small business, and community development support broad-based economic growth and quality of life.
Gain more information on the topic during IEDC's Economic Future Forum in Tulsa, OK June 12-14. To register visit: iedconline.org/futureforum
Boston Startup Ecosystem 2016: entrepeneur tool kitJoshua Flannery
This is a project by Duy Nguyen under the guidance of Joshua Flannery at UNSW Innovations.
The aim of the project is to provide a 'toolkit' for entrepreneurs specifically regarding the startup ecosystem in the city of Boston. We hope you find it helpful!
New Orleans BioInnovation Center 2016 Annual Reportneworleansbio
Introducing the 2016 Annual Report from the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, highlighting the organization's programs for Louisiana life science entrepreneurs and growing impact on the regional economy. A nonprofit business incubator opened in 2011, the Center has worked with more than 125 startups that have raised over $90 million in funding and created nearly 400 jobs. Tenants and clients supported by our program teams include startups developing innovative new medical devices, therapeutics, diagnostics, digital health platforms, clean technologies, and more. These technologies range from cancer and diabetes treatments to urban farming and water remediation solutions. All promise to improve global health. Learn more at www.neworleansbio.com.
Intrepid emba grad heads animal health companyJeffrey Boily
"Jeffrey O. Boily brings a world of experience and education to the growing industry." The John Molson School of Business interviews Jeff Boily and recounts his days as a corporate executive and full time graduate student.
Centaur animal health appoints new president and chief executive... August. ...Jeffrey Boily
Boily brings over 30 years of global life sciences experience in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, drug delivery and animal health and will be instrumental in accelerating plans toward Centaur becoming a major animal health company. Centaur has established a track record of successful execution on product initiatives and is aggressively looking to in-license additional products."Jeff's background as an entrepreneurial leader and his experience in fund-raising and partnering with large and small firms is a perfect fit for Centaur," said Mark Metrokotsas, Board Chair for Centaur Animal Health.
Biomedical Research Expands Area Economy - KC Business, May 2012Jeffrey Boily
The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute advances the life sciences and related economic development in the Kansas City region. The existing presence of several big players in biomedicine has been incentive for collaborations and has attracted other organizations to the area. The activity and research of the life sciences community is set to impact the local economy and cement Kansas City’s reputation as a life sciences destination.
One Health Biomanufacturing Summit - March 2012Jeffrey Boily
People, animals, and our environment are all connected -- creating dynamic, profound and unprecedented challenges. The One Health concept is an approach to encourage collaborative, multi-disciplinary efforts locally, nationally and globally to obtain optimal health for humans, animals and our environment. The One Health Biomanufacturing Summit brings together the region’s thought leaders to uncover best-in-class strategies and practices needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.
Making your way in the new pharma and biotech world - Sept 2010Jeffrey Boily
A panel of industry experts take a look at how you can survive in the
future world of pharma, especially if you've found yourself stranded at the manager
or director level.
ABDOMINAL TRAUMA in pediatrics part one.drhasanrajab
Abdominal trauma in pediatrics refers to injuries or damage to the abdominal organs in children. It can occur due to various causes such as falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports-related injuries, and physical abuse. Children are more vulnerable to abdominal trauma due to their unique anatomical and physiological characteristics. Signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, tenderness, distension, vomiting, and signs of shock. Diagnosis involves physical examination, imaging studies, and laboratory tests. Management depends on the severity and may involve conservative treatment or surgical intervention. Prevention is crucial in reducing the incidence of abdominal trauma in children.
Antimicrobial stewardship to prevent antimicrobial resistanceGovindRankawat1
India is among the nations with the highest burden of bacterial infections.
India is one of the largest consumers of antibiotics worldwide.
India carries one of the largest burdens of drug‑resistant pathogens worldwide.
Highest burden of multidrug‑resistant tuberculosis,
Alarmingly high resistance among Gram‑negative and Gram‑positive bacteria even to newer antimicrobials such as carbapenems.
NDM‑1 ( New Delhi Metallo Beta lactamase 1, an enzyme which inactivates majority of Beta lactam antibiotics including carbapenems) was reported in 2008
share - Lions, tigers, AI and health misinformation, oh my!.pptxTina Purnat
• Pitfalls and pivots needed to use AI effectively in public health
• Evidence-based strategies to address health misinformation effectively
• Building trust with communities online and offline
• Equipping health professionals to address questions, concerns and health misinformation
• Assessing risk and mitigating harm from adverse health narratives in communities, health workforce and health system
Ozempic: Preoperative Management of Patients on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Saeid Safari
Preoperative Management of Patients on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists like Ozempic and Semiglutide
ASA GUIDELINE
NYSORA Guideline
2 Case Reports of Gastric Ultrasound
These simplified slides by Dr. Sidra Arshad present an overview of the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory tract.
Learning objectives:
1. Enlist the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory tract
2. Briefly explain how these functions are carried out
3. Discuss the significance of dead space
4. Differentiate between minute ventilation and alveolar ventilation
5. Describe the cough and sneeze reflexes
Study Resources:
1. Chapter 39, Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology, 14th edition
2. Chapter 34, Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, 26th edition
3. Chapter 17, Human Physiology by Lauralee Sherwood, 9th edition
4. Non-respiratory functions of the lungs https://academic.oup.com/bjaed/article/13/3/98/278874
NVBDCP.pptx Nation vector borne disease control programSapna Thakur
NVBDCP was launched in 2003-2004 . Vector-Borne Disease: Disease that results from an infection transmitted to humans and other animals by blood-feeding arthropods, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. Examples of vector-borne diseases include Dengue fever, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, and malaria.
Here is the updated list of Top Best Ayurvedic medicine for Gas and Indigestion and those are Gas-O-Go Syp for Dyspepsia | Lavizyme Syrup for Acidity | Yumzyme Hepatoprotective Capsules etc
Recomendações da OMS sobre cuidados maternos e neonatais para uma experiência pós-natal positiva.
Em consonância com os ODS – Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável e a Estratégia Global para a Saúde das Mulheres, Crianças e Adolescentes, e aplicando uma abordagem baseada nos direitos humanos, os esforços de cuidados pós-natais devem expandir-se para além da cobertura e da simples sobrevivência, de modo a incluir cuidados de qualidade.
Estas diretrizes visam melhorar a qualidade dos cuidados pós-natais essenciais e de rotina prestados às mulheres e aos recém-nascidos, com o objetivo final de melhorar a saúde e o bem-estar materno e neonatal.
Uma “experiência pós-natal positiva” é um resultado importante para todas as mulheres que dão à luz e para os seus recém-nascidos, estabelecendo as bases para a melhoria da saúde e do bem-estar a curto e longo prazo. Uma experiência pós-natal positiva é definida como aquela em que as mulheres, pessoas que gestam, os recém-nascidos, os casais, os pais, os cuidadores e as famílias recebem informação consistente, garantia e apoio de profissionais de saúde motivados; e onde um sistema de saúde flexível e com recursos reconheça as necessidades das mulheres e dos bebês e respeite o seu contexto cultural.
Estas diretrizes consolidadas apresentam algumas recomendações novas e já bem fundamentadas sobre cuidados pós-natais de rotina para mulheres e neonatos que recebem cuidados no pós-parto em unidades de saúde ou na comunidade, independentemente dos recursos disponíveis.
É fornecido um conjunto abrangente de recomendações para cuidados durante o período puerperal, com ênfase nos cuidados essenciais que todas as mulheres e recém-nascidos devem receber, e com a devida atenção à qualidade dos cuidados; isto é, a entrega e a experiência do cuidado recebido. Estas diretrizes atualizam e ampliam as recomendações da OMS de 2014 sobre cuidados pós-natais da mãe e do recém-nascido e complementam as atuais diretrizes da OMS sobre a gestão de complicações pós-natais.
O estabelecimento da amamentação e o manejo das principais intercorrências é contemplada.
Recomendamos muito.
Vamos discutir essas recomendações no nosso curso de pós-graduação em Aleitamento no Instituto Ciclos.
Esta publicação só está disponível em inglês até o momento.
Prof. Marcus Renato de Carvalho
www.agostodourado.com
Adv. biopharm. APPLICATION OF PHARMACOKINETICS : TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMSAkankshaAshtankar
MIP 201T & MPH 202T
ADVANCED BIOPHARMACEUTICS & PHARMACOKINETICS : UNIT 5
APPLICATION OF PHARMACOKINETICS : TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS By - AKANKSHA ASHTANKAR
Muktapishti is a traditional Ayurvedic preparation made from Shoditha Mukta (Purified Pearl), is believed to help regulate thyroid function and reduce symptoms of hyperthyroidism due to its cooling and balancing properties. Clinical evidence on its efficacy remains limited, necessitating further research to validate its therapeutic benefits.
How STIs Influence the Development of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.pptx
Innovation and Entrepreneurship- Ingram's Magazine August 2012
1. This is just a glimpse of what innovation looks like in Kansas City at this time:
• TVAX Biomedical is working on breakthrough technologies for treatment of brain and kidney
cancers, and has received FDA authorization for its first round of final human trials. The Lenexa-
based firm hasn’t developed a cure—yet—but CEO Gary Wood has reason to believe a major
victory in the war on cancer is within reach.
• Toby Rush’s fledgling EyeVerify, also in Lenexa, is breaking new ground in mobile-device
security using eye-vein biometrics, a technology that surpasses passwords, key fobs, access cards
—even iris and fingerprint scans.
• The Center for Animal Health Innovation, based in Olathe, is taking a new approach to the
concept of commercializing animal-health research, generating inquiries from domestic and
foreign companies alike about doing business in the region’s animal-health corridor. An early
success: Aligning with a K-State researcher to commercialize a novel natural antibiotic to treat
mastitis in dairy cattle—a condition that inflicts an estimated $2 billion in losses on that industry
every year.
• Bruce Steinberg, in the final stages of negotiating his first grocery shelf space for what he
believes will be a disruptive force in a field as well-established as ketchup production. His Fine
Vines Artisanal Ketchup varieties are being produced in Independence to bring product
differentiation to a $500 million consumer category sorely lacking it.
Ingramʼs Magazine - August 2012 p.64-65
2. • Even the way we teach innovation itself is being reshaped. Last fall, the Journal of Product
Innovation Management recognized program changes at the Bloch School of Management’s
Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ranking it No. 1 worldwide for innovation
management research. On many fronts, Kansas City is carrying on the entrepreneurial traditions
that spawned companies like Hallmark, H&R Block, Sprint, Cerner and Garmin. While much of
the emerging roster is dominated by higher-tech interests or life-sciences companies, some of the
most successful local innovators in recent years have been people with the vision to apply new
processes to longstanding business models.
Bonnie Kelly and Teresa Walsh, who pursued the jewelry-party sales strategy that grew into
Silpada and turned $25 in household grocery money into a $650 million sale to Avon in 2010.
And BATS Global Markets, launched in 2005, has used advances in algorithm-driven trading to
become the third-largest stock exchange in the world, already approaching the billion-dollar
revenue threshold.
“One of the key elements of Kansas City’s innovation infrastructure is the proximity of so many
great universities—from KU to MU to Nebraska—that turn out great talent,” says Joe Ratterman,
CEO at BATS. His company has drawn extensively on the technology, engineering, and
entrepreneurial talent coming out of those schools, he said: “Companies can only be successful
and continue to innovate by building teams of smart, dynamic individuals and, with the rich
educational foundation of the Kansas City-area, this has been an integral part of BATS’ success.”
Executives from companies engaged in new innovative efforts says that this area also is blessed
with assets like the Kauffman Foundation and its research and promotion of entrepreneurship, a
vibrant network of experienced entrepreneurs who share their expertise, grant-making
organizations like the Kansas Bioscience Authority, and research efforts at regional universities
and medical centers.
The flip side, innovators note, is that the advantage Kansas City holds in logistics and
distribution—its central location—continues to be a disadvantage in one very key aspect of start-
up company success: Attracting the kinds of venture capital and angel investment that is far more
readily available in coastal population centers like San Francisco and Boston.
“Most people view the fact we’ve raised $10 million from angel investors locally as an
extraordinary thing, which it is,” says Gary Wood, CEO at TVAX Biomedical. “But the money is
on the coasts.” Historically, he said, venture funds want easier access to their projects, Wood
said, and “it’s hard to do that from a distance. They want to be able to call up a CEO for lunch
and not have to fly half-way across country to do that.”
Jeff Boily, CEO of the Center for Animal Health Innovation, said that in those coastal
communities, “you can throw a stone and hit 50 investment opportunities without leaving your
office. It is more difficult to raise capital here, but as we continue to promote the tremendous
assets we have here, we’re hoping that more of the people with that kind of money investment
capital will stop, take a look at Kansas City, and say ‘maybe we should be investing here.’
Ingramʼs Magazine - August 2012 p.64-65
3. What's Working
Among the region’s unheralded assets, says Bruce Steinberg, founder of Leawood-based Fine
Foods of America, is the Ennovation Center in Independence. In another example of innovative
thinking, the Independence Council for Economic Development partnered with the Independence
school district to turn a liability—the emptied-out 400,000 square feet of the former
Independence Regional Health Center—into an asset.
By converting the building into a business incubator—with kitchen facilities and labs ranging
from a few hundred to 1,400 square feet—they opened the floodgates for would-be
entrepreneurs. Steinberg’s was one of roughly 300 inquiries received since the facility opened. In
the center’s kitchen space, he developed 11 flavors of ketchup that can be paired with different
foods, and hopes to do for ketchup what Grey Poupon and its successors did for the mustard
market.
“The center is mostly a food business incubator,” he said. “It has nine biotech labs, and five
kitchens, and it’s one of only about 20 food incubators in the country. That enabled me to start
production of a shelf-stable, jarred project. Otherwise, I’d be going to co-packers right away,”
risking control of his production scheduling and flexibility during critical early-stage
development.
Other important assets he tapped into were the Kauffman FastTrac program, which provides
assistance from conception to early-stage growth companies; the Entrepreneur Scholars program
at UMKC, originally for students but opened up to public competition in 2011; food-science
departments at regional universities; and the networking that all provide.
“There’s a real high value in the mentors and the connections,” said Steinberg, who drew on his
own retirement savings to get launched. A native of Long Island who came here during a career
in the pharmaceutical industry, he says one of this region’s strengths is “the entrepreneurial
knowledge base in Kansas City.”
Toby Rush, who developed a radio-frequency identification system for supply-chain
management, then sold Rush Tracking Systems to an investor group, cited some of those same
assets in talking about his latest venture, EyeVerify. The company holds the worldwide exclusive
patent for the conjunctival vasculature biometric, allowing mobile devices to scan eye-vein
patterns in users and verify their identities for secure on-line transactions.
“When you look nationally, the places that are healthiest, doing the best, have a vibrant
ecosystem, random interactions that aren’t necessarily planned for but are significant for growth
of the overall environment,” he said. The Kauffman Foundation provides such a spark, as did the
Pipeline program, launched by the now-defunct Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation, but
now a Kauffman initiative.
“There are a lot of good advisers here, lots of strong boards of directors, including some who
have saved my bacon a number of times, so I see that as important,” Rush said. “But
entrepreneurs invest in each other more in general, anyway: They know the people behind the
organization or the business.”
Ingramʼs Magazine - August 2012 p.64-65
4. Michael Song, at the Bloch School, is looking ahead to 2013, when a new community asset is in
place: the Henry W. Bloch Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The university broke
ground earlier this year on the building, funded largely with a $32 million gift from its namesake,
one of Kansas City’s legendary entrepreneurs. The university says that facility will elevate the
Bloch School’s reputation as a global leader in the instruction of future leaders in
entrepreneurship, innovation and business management.
By turning out 100 or more entrepreneurs trained in that particular business-development niche,
Song said, the institute will have the potential for transforming Kansas City’s economy. Research
has shown that each successful entrepreneur creates 512 jobs over the course of a working career.
so injecting a new cohort of 100 prospective business owners every year will have a profound
impact.
The school would complement other elements of the regional innovation infrastructure, Song
said. “Look at how this city is built; it has a legacy of entrepreneurship,” he said, and that ability
to generate fresh ideas is one leg of a three-legged stool. “We have a lot of good ideas here.” The
second, he said, were assets like the Kauffman Foundation and the Bloch School. “But the third
leg of that stool,” he said, “is funding. We have a lot of seed funding in Kansas City.”
The Missing Pieces
Yet even with all of that going for it, Kansas City as a region has some needs. Seed funding is
one thing, Song said; venture funding, to take companies to the next level, is where we’re
lacking. He, too, cited the coastal aggregation of wealth as a deterrent to progress here.
“I’ve talked with people in Silicon Valley about funding, when I was working in Seattle, and they
would say you have to move to Silicon Valley as a precondition,” Song said. “That’s how they do
business.” But in the current environment, he now has a counter-argument: “I can tell them
‘Why? We have the Google Fiber initiative.’ That will create a huge potential for us. But venture
funds follow the ideas and the people. We just need to capitalize on our strengths.”
Michael Peck, interim CEO of KC Biomedix, said that even though Kansas City continues to
push ahead on development of a life-sciences sector, it’s still difficult to launch a medical-device
company. His company started in 2007 and began marketing a breakthrough product that helps
premature infants develop their capacity for nursing—along with breathing, an absolute
prerequisite for neonatal development.
“If you’re in the health space, you can find a lot of ex-Marion people,” he said, referring to the
pharmaceutical company founded by Ewing Kauffman. “But it’s hard to find device-focused
people. The other thing, and it’s the constant rant of any startup, is you’re always looking for
more capital.”
The region has made significant progress, he said, “but we still have a long way to go on that
front. There are still not enough institutional investors here for us to go out and raise money.
That’s not always a slam dunk, and it’s always a lot of effort.”
Ingramʼs Magazine - August 2012 p.64-65
5. Citing the contributions made by the Kansas Bioscience Authority in funding early-stage
companies, Peck said the region continues to see a drag from lack of an effective Missouri
counterpart.
“I would love to see Missouri get its act together; it would bring a lot of focus to Kansas City,”
he said. “From the KBA’s perspective, it would have a heck of a lot of competition on their
hands. Missouri could be a sleeping giant if they could figure it out. From KC Biometrix’s
perspective, sure—if Missouri enhanced their efforts in certain areas, some medical device-
focused efforts, that would be great.”
The Show-Me state’s inability to demonstrate follow-through on funding for the Missouri
Science and Innovation Act last year “hurts us quite a bit” as a region, said Boily, of the Center
for Animal Health Innovation. “It was a great step that it got propelled as far as it did, but now
everybody is fending for themselves. That’s very unfortunate from an entrepreneurial
perspective.”
The challenge for Boily and his center, which launched just last year, is one of proportionality.
Although Kansas City sits in the middle of a Manhattan-to-Columbia corridor, where companies
accounting for 60 percent of the world’s animal-health business have operations, human health
far outweighs his sector in interest from funders.
“The amount of research and development on animal research is about 1/40’th of what goes into
human health,” Boily said. “So the amount of angel or early-stage venture firms that do spend
any time looking at animal health in particular is very small.”
One of the things the center is doing to alter that dynamic, he said, was with its innovation
awards, bringing in C-level executives, venture capitalists and angel investors from the coasts to
serve as judges, and exposing them to the region’s strengths. Another is providing grants that can
help commercialize research being done at K-State and Mizzou, such as the $250,000 awarded
for the K-State mastitis project.
“That project is still early,” he said. “We have to find out if it will work on a commercial scale.
It’s a great idea, and an example of the great work being done in laboratories here, but those are
projects that could be game-changers on a very large scale for this area.”
Those on the commercial side of innovation generally agree that another element holding the
region back is an underdeveloped relationship between business and universities. Academic
research centers, they say, have long been too inflexible on issues of intellectual property, but
they acknowledge that both UMKC and the MU system have been working to change that.
Ratterman, at BATS, agrees that we need to fully engage business and civic leaders to support
entrepreneurship and innovation, calling it critical to the region’s success—not just because they
can help get companies up and running, but because helping native entrepreneurs succeed can
ensure that more successful start-ups remain here.
“We have business leaders who are committed to the Kansas City region as much as they are to
their businesses,” he said. “For BATS, our roots are firmly planted in the Kansas City area and
Ingramʼs Magazine - August 2012 p.64-65
6. our associates enjoy the quality of life the area affords.” But even though the company’s
customers and business is primarily focused in financial market centers around the world like
New York and London, Ratterman said, “we can’t imagine having our headquarters any other
place.”
Ingramʼs Magazine - August 2012 p.64-65