2010 Finalist Teams – Fisher Business Plan Competition
Bio-Aerogels
Bio-Aerogels is an example of a targeted drug delivery system. It is 100% bio-compatible and acts as
inert scaffolding which allows for any drug to be placed inside the Bio-Aerogel. With the proper marker,
drugs can be delivered to targeted cells via the aerogel technology. The use of a targeted drug delivery
system can help pharmaceutical companies develop better cancer therapies and deliver better
chemotherapies to patients. Preliminary results show that nearly 97% of targeted cells were killed and
only 3% of healthy cells died.
FungGone
Fungicide is an important factor in ensuring agricultural production, with US farmers spraying over
500,000 lbs. of fungicide annually. They choose spray chemical-based fungicides because they are
cheaper than and at least as effective as current bio-based fungicides. FungGone will provide and biobased solution that is 20% more effective and cheaper than current fungicide options. The bio-based
nature of the product eliminates the negative side effects related to the use of chemical fungicides.
narrative
European and Japanese fashion industries are ahead of the American fashion industry when it comes to
the prevalence of socially conscious fashion, for which there is American market demand. To address
these opportunities, a brand called narrative is proposing a scalable brick and mortar retail outlet the
aggregates and sells socially conscious apparel and accessories to the worldly, Generation X female
living in an urban center. The narrative product mix will be a combination of established socially
conscious fashion labels and local designs, in order to make each store easily replicable while retaining a
local flare.
Outcold, LLC
After a great deal of market and field research, Outcold, LLC have found that there is consumer desire
for their product, a frozen alcoholic freezer pop. There is no other similar product of this form in the
industry. Strategic partnerships have been formed with contract manufacturers, distributors and
ingredient specialists to assist in launching their product, Polar Shot. By entering the market with a
product that is tested and proven, Outcold is in a position to create a new alcohol brand and reshape
the way small companies compete in the market.
OxyMED
Oxygen content inside the body is an important indicator of specific tissue and patient health. OxyMED
proposes to offer doctors the ability to more quickly and easily diagnose disease than existing oxygen
sensing techniques now available. It will also allow for a more sensitive and accurate monitoring of
oxygen over long periods of time within the human body. The product is an implantable oxygen sensing
probe which produces a signal when it is excited by an external magnetic imaging device. The signal is
then interpreted to give a precise measurement of tissue oxygen content.
The Virtual Healthcare Network (VHN)
As the healthcare debate evolves and our economy suffers from rising healthcare costs, policies will
undoubtedly shift to finding solutions to reduce our nations’ healthcare bill. One such solution that is
already gaining traction is telemedicine. Currently the technology exists and infrastructure is being
deployed, but the physicians to provide services through telemedicine are nowhere to be found. The
Virtual Healthcare Network (VHN) will meet this need through developing the first national network to
provide telemedicine services. VHN will be the primary service provider of a multi-disciplinary
workforce of physicians and nurses to hospitals, clinics, and senior living communities/skilled nursing
facilities.