These companies not only move NC State research into the marketplace where it can do the most good, they also generate licensing royalty for the university, provide jobs for the people of North Carolina, and help to strengthen the economy of the state.
Xanofi, Inc.
Ironwood Material Science, Inc.
In September of 2010, Xanofi, Inc. signed an Exclusive License Agreement for a nanofiber production method developed by Dr. Orlin Velev and Dr. Stoyan Smoukov (Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering, College of Engineering). This technology introduces a new, highly efficient method for making nanofibers with a wet-spinning technique, now called Shear Multiplying™. This process produces high yields at low cost and features the ability to integrate additives to create functional, unique fibers.
Start-up companies typically license NC State’s patent rights by agreeing to a 20+ page License Agreement and a 20+ page Equity Purchase Agreement (negotiation assures a win-win partnership represented by mutually agreeable business and financial terms). Use of these contracts often results in lengthy negotiations related to the university holding equity in the newly formed company.
The OTT is piloting a new partnership model with Xanofi, Inc. The partnering model is focused on R&D and commercialization milestones. The model does not include an equity position for the University.
Mr. Miles Wright, CEO, Xanofi, Inc. commented:
I can't say enough about Xanofi's very positive experience working with the Office of Tech Transfer at NC State. A quick Google search will turn up plenty of horror stories at other universities and the fact that most people simply expect a slow, arduous process. Our licensing happened the way it should - we forwarded a business plan, held a meeting to discuss reasonable terms, and tweaked the paperwork to everyone's satisfaction. The team at Tech Transfer listened to our thoughts and we quickly reached agreement on every issue, some closer to our position and some closer to theirs. I really appreciated their underlying attitude.......working together to benefit both NC State and Xanofi. It felt more like excellent customer service than a pressured negotiation. In less than a month, Xanofi not only licensed technology but gained supporters over at Tech Transfer.....their interest and even outreach has felt much more like partnership than simply licensing. As our company grows, I'd actually be excited to license more technology from NCSU (something few entrepreneurs EVER say about university licensing)!
The AvanTEC technology platform is based on NCSU Technology No. 09-063 "An Adjustable Stiffness Catheter Based on Thermally Responsive Materials". Current catheter procedures for deploying stents in blood vessels require sequential exchange of catheters with increasing stiffness, which lengthens the time of the procedure and can increase the odds of surgical complications for the patient. The invention pursued by AdvanTec allows the stiffness of a catheter to be adjusted using a thermal system, thus potentially allowing one catheter to be used for the procedure. This approach should significantly reduce the time of the procedure and risk for the patient.
Katharos, Inc. is an NC State start-up company headed by Dr. Marian McCord of the Department of Textile Engineering and the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering. With Katharos, the founders hope to commercialize their novel technology designed to manage poor blood phosphate control in end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis treatments. A United States patent has been filed related to this technology, and Katharos was awarded an honorable mention at the Carolina Challenge business plan competition.
Ironwood Material Science, Inc.
Ironwood Material Science, Inc. is a startup created from a joint invention by researchers at North Carolina State University (Dr. Tzy-Jiun Mark Luo) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Dr. Ching-Chang Ko). The company is developing novel materials that can be used as bone cement and artificial bone in both dental and orthopedic applications.
