Supporting Enriching Entrepreneurs South Carolina’s Technology Economy
SCRA and SC Launch: helping entrepreneurs grow the
technology economy in South Carolina.
Building a bridge for entrepreneurs
SCRA was established to enrich the state’s high-tech economy. We mentor innovative companies and fill the funding gap through loans and grant matching. SCRA also builds and manages Innovation Centers - labs, offices and manufacturing facilities where research is conducted and new technologies are commercialized.
An investment from SC Launch helped Servosity
expand operations NEW JOBS. and create several
Damien Stevens CEO Servosity
amien Stevens formed Servosity to provided critical backup services for businesses. Industry need and Servosity’s well-earned reputation for exceptional customer service led to early successes. Damien applied for assistance from SC Launch to take Servosity to the next level.
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He went before the SC Launch Board and presented his request. The Board provided feedback and suggested some critical insights to improve his business plan. Damien made the suggested revisions to his plan, returned to the Board and was awarded an early-stage investment. He used the SC Launch cash infusion to further the technology, expand operations and add several new high-tech jobs in South Carolina. It’s an honor to help Damien and other dynamic entrepreneurs as they create jobs and opportunities in South Carolina.
SC Launch support was instrumental in my
DECISION TO FORM IN South Carolina. Craig Walker Founder and CEO VidiStar
raig Walker was surprised and frustrated to discover that the fastest way to get a second opinion was to mail an ultrasound of his unborn child to a distant physician. Surely the Internet had the capability to speed the process. That moment of frustration compelled Craig to develop a solution.
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The technology solution Craig created is a powerful web-based platform that enables physicians to read and interpret diagnostic studies from anywhere in the world. The ultimate results are faster, better patient diagnoses. Almost 12 years ago, Craig formed VidiStar to commercialize the unique patented technology and began to consider where to base his new company. An early investment from SC Launch was the deciding factor that drew Craig and his small team to South Carolina. VidiStar has achieved great success since then, expanding the range of uses of the technology, its customer base and revenues. VidiStar recently moved into a newly renovated 4,000 sq ft facility near the Kroc Tennis Center in Greenville.
Entrepreneurs need advice, guidance and business resources to form and grow companies. SC Launch provided me with a
NETWORK OF SUPPORT to advance my business.
Jill Bossi Founder Thrive GPO
ccepted as a client company in November of 2015, Thrive GPO is a cloud-based Group Purchasing Organization created exclusively for the underserved non-profit industry to help them “Spend Less & Do More.� Members access their platform to purchase common goods and services online at pre-negotiated prices, yielding significant savings over current practice and providing immediate impact on their public missions.
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As a client company, Thrive GPO now has access to a network of mentoring and business support services. Client companies may be eligible to receive future matching funds or larger investments.
FirstString received an
SBIR MATCHING GRANT from SC Launch. This increased the impact of our federal grant and accelerated clinical trials of our lead product GranexinÂŽ gel.
Dr. Gautam Ghatnekar Founder and CEO FirstString Research, Inc.
he federal government issues SBIR/STTR grants to help small and emerging companies bring innovative technologies to market. SC Launch matches these grants to South Carolina companies that receive them.
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FirstString Research developed tissue regeneration technology that can help patients recover more fully and quickly from trauma. Based on the societal and economic development value of the technology, the federal government awarded FirstString a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. SC Launch matched the grant. FirstString has used this funding to continue research at its Mount Pleasant offices and to advance clinical trials which are advancing treatment options and healing effectiveness for diabetic foot ulcers and chronic venous leg ulcers.
SC Launch helped me form a life-science
company university research.
based on
Matt Gevaert CEO KIYATEC, Inc.
he idea behind KIYATEC’s innovative 3D cell culture hardware came from research conducted at Clemson University. KIYATEC co-founders and Clemson Ph.D. graduates Matt Gevaert and David Orr saw that the technology had the potential to deliver more accurate predictions of patient response to drugs and biologics. They turned to SC Launch for early-stage funding to obtain the wet lab facilities necessary for product development. SC Launch invested in the company based on the commercial value of the technology and KIYATEC’s potential to contribute to South Carolina’s growing life sciences technology cluster.
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Matt’s team has successfully moved the technology from an idea in the university to a technology in the marketplace. KIYATEC has focused its scope from initial development of 3D cell cultures to targeting diseases including ovarian, breast and lung cancers. In 2014 and 2015, KIYATEC was awarded approximately $3.75M in Phase I and II Small Business Innovation Research contracts from the National Cancer Institute.
We needed a research facility to conduct federally-funded nanotech research. SCRA quickly provided a
SPECIALIZED LAB with all the equipment required to move forward.
Dr. Apparao Rao Director Clemson’s Nanomaterials Center
minent researcher Dr. Apparao Rao and his team of Clemson graduate students had begun to explore the possibility of using nanotechnology to improve energy-storage devices. Recognizing the potential of this research to increase the power of batteries and capacitors in hybrid and electric vehicles, power tools and various other products, the federal government awarded Dr. Rao’s team a contract to conduct the research required to realize this vision. In order to secure the contract, Dr. Rao’s team needed fast access to a fully-provisioned nanotech lab.
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SCRA provides specially-designed facilities as part of its mission to increase research capacity in South Carolina. Within six months SCRA delivered the laboratory that Dr. Rao’s team required to secure the federal contract and move forward with their research. The application of nanotechnology to energy generation and storage, thermal management and the nanomedicine industry is now underway at the world-class facility. Professors Rama Podila and Sriparna Bhattacharya work closely with Dr. Rao on the research conducted at the nanomaterials lab.
supporting entrepreneurs enabling commercialization connecting the innovation ecosystem
enriching South Carolina’s technology economy
scra.org