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Cempra Pharmaceuticals Closes Series A Investment Round at $22 Million
Research Triangle Park-based Cempra Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (www.cempra.com), an anti-infective biotechnology company, has added Aisling Capital as an investor, which brings its Series A financing to a total of $22 million. The company will use this first institutional financing to continue developing current compounds and expanding its product portfolio, as well as growing the company’s management team.

Aisling Capital joins investment banker I. Wistar Morris III and venture capital firm Intersouth Partners as the third lead investor in the Series A round. Cempra was founded in January 2006 and is focused on developing improved antibiotics for the increasingly significant problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Cempra Pharmaceuticals is a CED member.
Intersouth Partners is a CED member.

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Smart Online Sells CRM Subsidiary for $2.3 Million
Durham-based Smart Online (www.smartonline.com), a local developer of Internet-based business software applications, has sold its Smart CRM subsidiary to Alliance Technologies for $2.3 million. The subsidiary company is a provider of customer relationship management software.

As part of the agreement, two undisclosed employees of Smart CRM have entered into non-compete agreements with Alliance. Under this agreement, each key employee will provide certain consulting services to Alliance to assist with the transition of the purchased assets. In exchange, each key employee will receive a payment from Alliance of $50,000.

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SJF Ventures Leads $2.25 Million First Round in groSolar
Durham-based SJF Ventures (www.sjfund.com), a venture capital firm, has contributed $2.25 million for the first round of venture capital for groSolar, a Vermont-based integrator of solar energy into new and existing homes. The investment will be used to fund groSolar’s national marketing and its expansion to new locations.

In addition to the investment by SJF Ventures, two other venture funds specializing in the cleantech and renewable energy sectors have contributed money. The Calvert Social Investment Fund and Allco Financial Group are the other two venture groups who join SJF as partners to help groSolar become the first choice for builders and homeowners who are installing solar energy systems in new and existing homes and businesses.

SJF Ventures is a CED member.

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Environmental Protection Agency Awards Contract to SciMetrika for De-Icing Study
Durham-based SciMetrika (www.scimetrika.com), a scientific research organization, has been awarded a contract, worth $1.1 million, by the Environmental Protection Agency to study the effects of de-icing and anti-icing efforts on water facilities near airports.

SciMetrika’s role will be to perform data management and statistical analysis support in this large study focusing on the effects of anti-icing and de-icing compounds on bodies of water near airports. The data that will be analyzed include surveys, databases from other agencies such as the FAA, data from field sampling, and laboratory data. The statistical support to be provided by SciMetrika as part of this contract will help the EPA develop effluent guidelines for de-icing and anti-icing operations of airlines and airports.

SciMetrika is a CED member.

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OVO Announces ThinkAway Ideation Service
Raleigh-based OVO (www.ovoinnovation.com/), an innovation solutions firm, announced a new consulting service designed to improve the process and the results of brainstorming. ThinkAway, the name of the new service, will combine preparation, brainstorming, evaluation and rapid prototyping to improve ideas and encourage idea implementation.

A ThinkAway session is broken into three parts: ThinkAhead, the planning and preparation for an ideation session, ThinkAway, the brainstorming and rapid prototyping sessions, and ThinkThrough, subsequent coaching and collaboration based on OVO software applications.

OVO is a CED member.

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Global Knowledge Launches Cisco Channel Specialization Solution
Cary-based Global Knowledge (www.globalknowledge.com), provider of enterprise learning services and software solutions, is the first and only company to offer comprehensive training solutions to Cisco Channel Partners in North America and Europe. The training program maps to all of the new Cisco Specializations by job role: Foundations, Advanced Unified Communications, Advanced Routing and Switching, Advanced Security and Advanced Wireless.

The new Global Knowledge training solutions help channel partners drive sales of key technologies while minimizing the time spent in the classroom. In addition to the courseware and hands-on labs, the company also offers comprehensive, enterprise-wide solutions, including pre-assessments and custom training tracks that map individual training needs to particular courses.

Global Knowledge is a CED member.
Cisco Systems is a CED member.

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SciQuest and Huron Consulting Group Team to Offer Services to Colleges and Universities
Research Triangle Park-based SciQuest, Inc. (www.sciquest.com), a provider of on-demand supplier and materials management solutions, and Huron Consulting Group are partnering to provide a set of integrated services and solutions to colleges and universities. The partnership will provide higher education access to a full range of coordinated procurement solutions.

There has been a shift away from the two traditional funding sources for institutions—tuition and state dollars—and towards procurement to provide a significant return on investment. Both SciQuest and Huron feel the timing for such a partnership is beneficial to higher education institutions. 

SciQuest is a CED member.

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TriPath Imaging Receives FDA Clearance for P53 Application for Ventana Analysis System
Burlington-based TriPath Imaging Inc. (www.tripathimaging.com), a clinical management solutions provider, and Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. announced that TriPath has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Ventana Image Analysis System (VIAS) when used with tissues stained for p53. In 2005 and 2006, the companies announced 510(k) clearances for VIAS when used with the Ventana Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), Ki-67 and HER- 2/neu assays.

P53 is a tumor suppressor biomarker which is employed by pathologists as an adjunct to histopathology and is used to assist with diagnosis and the prognostic assessment of cancer. Research studies have shown that high expression levels of the p53 protein have been associated with more aggressive breast cancers.

TriPath is a CED member.

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Misys Healthcare Accepting Applications for $10 Million in IT Grants
Raleigh-based Misys Healthcare Systems (www.misyshealthcare.com) announced that its Center for Community Health Leadership is accepting applications from interested parties across the country for its grant program until Dec. 31, 2006. The company said that it has committed up to $10 million in healthcare IT software for the program.

The Misys Center was launched in June 2006 by Misys Healthcare Systems to spearhead the widespread adoption of electronic health records at a local community level. Local communities as well as regional healthcare organizations including hospitals, physician offices and home care agencies interested in sharing clinical data for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes are now eligible to submit applications. 

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Events Update

9/09 Entrepreneurs Only Workshop™: Doing Your Due Diligence
9/12 CFO Roundtable: Raising Venture Capital
9/23 Entrepreneurs Only Workshop™: Valuation of Intellectual Property

 

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