Martek Biosciences,
a company that made extensive use of Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)
venture-building and biotechnology programs during its early stages, entered an agreement on
December 21 to be acquired by the Dutch company Royal DSM NV for $1.1 billion. An early portfolio
company in Mtech's Technology Advancement Program (TAP) incubator, Martek also leveraged Maryland
Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) funding to determine how to best to scale-up its microbial
processes through Mtech's Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility (BSF; see below).
Paice LLC, an Mtech Technology Advancement Program (TAP) incubator graduate company
formed in 1992 to develop hybrid vehicle technology that promotes lower emissions, superior
driving performance and fuel-efficient operation of internal combustion engines, has reached
a settlement with Toyota after six years of patent disputes. Toyota agreed to license all 23 of
Paice's domestic and foreign patents, the last of which expires in 2019. Terms of the licenses
remain confidential. Paice LLC and Ford Motor Company entered into an agreement for the license of
Paice's breakthrough 1994 hybrid vehicle patent (U.S. Patent 5,343,970). The terms of this
license are also confidential.
DataStream
Content Solutions LLC, a graduate of the Mtech Technology Advancement Program (TAP) incubator and
a leading provider of federal legislative and regulatory data and advanced content management
systems to information businesses, publishers and governments, was acquired by the Dolan Company
on December 1.
Squarespace Inc. and Lurn Inc., two companies founded by former Hinman
CEOs students while in the program, have been named to the Inc. 500 list of the country's
fastest growing companies for the second straight year. Squarespace is an industry-leading
Web publishing platform founded by UM alumnus Anthony Casalena '05. The company reported $5.4
million in revenue for 2009, with a 713 percent three-year growth rate. Lurn offers a broad
range of e-learning technologies and services. The company reported $7.1 million in revenue for
2009, with a 609 percent three-year growth rate.
Mtech's Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS) awarded $3.3
million to 16 teams of Maryland companies and faculty members developing commercially promising
technology products. Funding supports research in the laboratories of participating University
System of Maryland faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their products.
All funding goes to the faculty members conducting the research and development on company products.
The projects, which span the state of Maryland, include floating wetlands to clean the Chesapeake
Bay, bolts that change color as they are tightened, faster Internet-via-satellite upstream, wireless
sensors for monitoring home energy use, bioremediation for restaurant oil, and a backup
mass-emergency electrical system. Treatments, vaccines or tests for anthrax, malaria, influenza,
staph infections and infertility were also included.
The Mtech Bioprocess Scale-Up Facility, used by commercial clients,
will double its facilities and staff, expand into Shady Grove, acquire new equipment, and create a
pilot plant for biofuels in College Park through the support of a $200,000 Shared Resource
Grant from the Maryland Biotechnology Center.
Techno-Sciences, Inc. and the Clark School have won two commercial development contracts from the Bell/Boeing and
Boeing Phantom Works teams to support DARPA's Mission Adaptive Rotor Program. A team including
Clark School Professor Norman Wereley (aerospace engineering) and principal investigator Curt
Kothera of Techno-Sciences, a Clark School spin-off company, will lead analysis and component-level
evaluations of pneumatic morphing technologies for the Bell/Boeing next-generation tiltrotor
aircraft and Boeing Phantom Work's advanced, single-rotor attack helicopter. Vehicle integration
and flight testing will follow over the next four years.
OmniSpeech LLC, a company developing technology that mimics human perception to make speech clear in cellular and related communications, won the 2010 $50,000 SAIC-VentureAccelerator Competition. Developed by Professor Carol Espy-Wilson (ECE/ISR, pictured) and ECE alumnus and research associate Tarun Pruthi (M.S. '03 and Ph.D. '07, electrical engineering), OmniSpeech also won the grand prize in the Rockville (Md.) Economic Development Inc. (REDI) StartRight! Women’s Business Plan Competition. Professor Espy-Wilson was named a Maryland Daily Record Innovator of the Year.
FlexEl LLC, a company created by ECE faculty that is currently developing rechargeable, flexible, thin-film batteries, was named company of the year in the technology transfer category at the 2010 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards.
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