th
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – April 2, 2009 – Over 250 attendees are expected to view 16 new startups compete for fame and over $100,000 in high-quality professional services. Entrepreneurs will compete in the following five sectors:
Biotechnology – Pharmaceutical

Alaeras (Cary, NC) – Developing the first dry powder nasal vaccine using device innovation, partnered with proprietary drug formulation and manufacturing methods.

Countervail Corporation (Charlotte, NC) – A repurposed Alzheimer’s drug is used to protect against exposure to nerve gas and pesticides.

Inhibikase Therapeutics (Smyrna, GA) - A new class of drug that is simultaneously effective against bacterial and viral infections in humans.
Biotechnology – Devices

HepatoSys, Inc. (Charlotte, NC) – Develops products related to the preservation and restoration of organs for transplantation.
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Ligamar, Inc. (Chapel Hill, NC) – A biomaterials company with patented products and processes for healthcare manufacturing and diagnostic applications.
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Microscopy Research Innovations, Inc. (Knoxville, TN) that track a needle’s location inside a patient’s body.
– Has created a guidance system for physicians
Information Technology / Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Balaya, LLC (Savannah, GA) – Provides a set of a social media tools for businesses to use internally as an enterprise solution or externally as a consumer-facing engagement tool.

BestMedical, Inc. (Savannah, GA) – Combines existing leading-edge and proprietary technologies to create a web-based solution for users to answer virtually any question about medical conditions and the related ongoing life challenges.

Fulcrum Technologies, Inc. (Charlotte, NC) - Has created a wholesale online automotive dealer-todealer auction and vehicle shopping portal that can be privatized for established dealer networks.
Retail / Services
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Buttons of Hope (Charlotte, NC) – Has developed and employed a state of the art interactive website where users can create high-quality customized photo buttons delivered in days.

T1 Visions, Inc. (Charlotte, NC) – Developed cutting-edge technology solutions that provide a unique multi-media experience to restaurant patrons.

TrakLok Corporation (Knoxville, TN) - A product and service company deploying a solution to secure and globally track intermodal shipping containers.

Student / Non-Profit
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CLT Blog (Charlotte, NC) – A web-based software environment designed to manage a new generation of citizen journalists.
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Entogenetics (Raleigh, NC) – Discovered how to transfer the spider’s silk production gene into the common silk worm, creating the means for large scale, inexpensive spider silk production.
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Lisugo Corporation (Charlotte, NC) – Created a product called Dad’s Lil’ Helper, that enables parents to bottle feed a baby while at the same time have one hand free to use the remote control, have something to drink or a quick bite to eat.
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Student Relief for Higher Learning of America, Inc. (Charlotte, NC) – Provides a solution for college students to lease text books which can reduce course materials costs up to 60% over the duration of their career.
About Five Ventures®
A free competition open to any aspiring entrepreneur with an early-stage high-growth business within the
Southeast region of the county. Competitors are segmented into one of five sectors: Biotechnology -
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology-Devices, Information Technology/Software-as-a-Service, Service/Retail and
Student/Non-Profit.
A total of 16 finalists will compete for over $100,000 in professional services. Teams will receive one-on-one mentoring and coaching from a network of over 50 volunteer professionals from throughout the region. The finals of Five Ventures
®
will take place on April 9 at the UNC Charlotte’s Barnhardt Student Activities Center.
Five Ventures
®
continues to seek sponsors, coaches and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in participating in the program. For registration and additional details visit www.FiveVentures.com
.
Sponsors of the 2009 Five Ventures
®
Business Plan Competition and Conference include : Belk College of
Business at UNC Charlotte; Charlotte Research Institute; Office of Technology Transfer at UNC Charlotte; The
Ben Craig Center; WFAE 90.7 FM; Business Wire; Grant Thornton LLP; Black Diamond Capital Group;
Cabarrus Economic Development; Heritage Printing; Hammer & Associates, P.C., Organizational Science of
UNC Charlotte; Summa, Additon & Ashe, P.A; City of Charlotte Economic Development; Decus
Communications; NC Biotechnology Center; Bright Yellow Jacket; Wed|3; Inception Micro Angel Fund
(IMAF); BIG Council; Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.; SwampFox and the SBTDC of North Carolina.
About UNC Charlotte
A public research university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest campus among the 17 institutions of The
University of North Carolina system. It is the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees. Fall 2008 enrollment exceeds 23,300 students, including almost 5,200 graduate students.
http://www.uncc.edu
About the Charlotte Research Institute
The Charlotte Research Institute is the portal for business-university partnerships at UNC Charlotte. CRI includes eight multidisciplinary research centers and The Ben Craig Center, a business incubator. CRI supports new research ventures, partnerships with regional and national enterprises, and spin-off companies created from
UNC Charlotte research results. The centers focus on Precision Metrology, eBusiness Technology,
Optoelectronics and Optical Communications, Visualization, Motorsports Engineering, Bioinformatics, Life
Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Systems. http://www.CharlotteResearchInstitute.org
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Media contact: Kenneth C. Paulus, 704-687-8284, kennethpaulus@uncc.edu