Lt. Governor Kicks Off Inaugural New Jersey Founders & Funders Event

On Jun 11, 2014

Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno helped kick off the inaugural New Jersey Founders & Funders event, a new initiative aimed at spurring the growth of early-stage technology and life sciences companies in the state. Hosted at the Commercialization Center for Innovative Technologies (CCIT) in North Brunswick, the initiative builds on the Christie Administration’s efforts to catalyze technology-led economic development in the state.

“By directly connecting entrepreneurs with investors, New Jersey Founders & Funders provides another resource for our early-stage companies to access the capital and expertise needed to grow and find success,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno.  “This initiative represents another step the Christie Administration has taken to ensure that innovation is cultivated, encouraged and supported in New Jersey.”

The 32 participating companies were all New Jersey based, with a focus on commercializing their technology. Businesses included LINX impact, LLC, a veteran-owned venture firm focused on accelerating the adoption and expansion of Mobile Health Devices; Aucta Pharmaceuticals, a drug product development company with offices in China and CCIT; Li Creative Technologies, a speech, audio and biometric technology provider; and OncoDe-Med, Inc., a corporation focused on cutting-technologies for the early diagnosis and follow-up of tumors.

The event featured 24 participating investors, including ff Venture Capital, Edison Ventures, Genacast Ventures, KEC Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners, NewSpring Capital, NextStage Capital, Osage Venture Partners, ARC Angel Fund, GHO Ventures, Jumpstart NJ Angel Network, Klifer Capital, and SoundBoard Angel Fund.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) expects to host New Jersey Founders & Funders events quarterly. The next events are scheduled for September 9 and December 9.

The EDA is part of the state’s results-driven Partnership for Action.  Created by Governor Christie and led by Lt. Governor Guadagno, the Partnership is the hub for all economic development activity in New Jersey and is comprised of four interconnected and highly focused organizational elements: Choose New Jersey, the Business Action Center, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and the EDA.

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