The Northern Kentucky ezone has just delivered the goods for three local start-ups.
As a division of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation (NKY Tri-ED), the ezone has ties to some big funders.
In this recent round of funding, the ezone helped Bexion Pharmaceuticals, Edunet24 and Clinical Engineering Consultants (CEC) gain a collective $530,000 from the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC).
"The ezone is an important resource for entrepreneurs and is helping start-up companies access funding opportunities available through the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation," says the head of ezone's entrepreneurship committee Tom Prewitt.
These companies will use the money in diverse ways.
Covington-based Bexion Pharmaceuticals received $400,000 of this sum for cancer research. This matching grant from the KSTC comes on the heels of a grant from the National Institutes of Health called "A Novel Biotherapeutic Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer."
Meanwhile, Erlanger-based Edunet24 will use its $100,000, given by the Kentucky Enterprise Fund, to bolster its online academic performance enhancement offerings. With its recent financial boon Edunet24 will develop a system that will enable English language learners to create individualized learning plans.
And with assistance from the Northern Kentucky University Innovation Center, CEC, also based in Erlanger, will apply its $30,000 toward development of software that allows hospitals to manage their medical technology. This technology will be dispersed to nearly 400 medical centers.
The activities of these three northern Kentucky firms are a sure indicator of the region's innovation and entrepreneurial strength.
"We are known as an innovative and supportive region that fosters the growth of these types of companies," Prewitt says.
Kentucky companies focusing on high-tech and quickly growing fields can apply for funding through the Commonwealth of Kentucky until May 7, 2009. Grants start at $30,000 and other types of funding are available from $100,000 to $750,000.
To learn more about the Northern Kentucky ezone, visit here.
Writer: Jonathan DeHart
Source: Cheryl Besl, Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation
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