Investor Network

Our United States and New Zealand based investor network will provide advice to The Challenge finalists as they enter Round 2 of The Challenge and move closer to commercializing their idea in the United States.

Business Technology Center/ Pasadena Angels of Los Angeles County

The Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County (BTC), the largest technology incubator in California, is a project of the Community Development Commission of Los Angeles County (www.lacdc.org). BTC is an innovative organization with a mission of assisting start-up and early stage technology firms to grow and prosper. Opened in October 1998, the BTC is a 40,000 square foot secure facility with a state-of-the-art communication infrastructure. We offer key business support services to emerging technology organizations, including access to capital, business consulting, and mentoring from an Advisory Committee and Mentoring Committee with a wide range of skills, experience and contacts in Southern California. The BTC is located just 2 miles from the world famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and close to the prestigious California Institute of Technology, the BTC currently houses 16 high technology companies with specialties ranging from software development to commercializing Federal laboratory technology. BTC firms have raised over $100 million from angel and venture capital investors.

Health Information Strategy Advisory Committee

The Health Information Strategy Advisory Committee (HISAC) is a Ministerial Advisory Committee established to provide independent, strategic advice to the Minister of Health and the health sector. In October 2009, the Minister of Health, Tony Ryall, decided to appoint HISAC as the inaugural Health IT Board.

The vision for HISAC is to achieve high quality health care and improve patient safety; by 2014 New Zealanders will have a core set of personal health information available electronically to them and their treatment providers regardless of the setting as they access health services.

Over the next 12 months HISAC will:

• Develop a National Health IT Plan in consultation with clinicians and the community.
• Grant funds to progress health IT innovation in Primary Healthcare.
• Co-lead the development and implementation of a Health Shared Services capability.

Fonterra USA

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is responsible for more than a third of international dairy trade and collects over 14 billion litres of milk a year from New Zealand farms, as well as dairy farms in other parts of the world, including Australia, Sri Lanka, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and the US. Fonterra is the world's largest dairy exporter, with annual revenues of about NZ$17 billion and is New Zealand's largest multinational business. Fonterra's products include dairy commodities, specialty ingredients and branded milks, spreads, yoghurts, cheeses, dairy desserts and ice cream.

Morgenthaler Ventures

Morgenthaler Ventures' Silicon Valley-based venture capital team focuses on life sciences and information technology companies. The team is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA, with offices in Boulder, CO; Boston, MA; and Princeton, NJ. Morgenthaler Ventures has worked with outstanding entrepreneurs to build valuable companies for more than 40 years. Today, Morgenthaler Ventures has approximately $2.5 billion under management, including $450 million in their current fund (capitalized in October of 2005).

Vivo Ventures

Vivo Ventures is a life-sciences focused venture capital firm formed in 1996 with over $650M under management. Vivo Ventures is currently making investments from its $275M sixth fund into promising biotechnology and life science companies. With over 90 years of scientific and operational expertise in biotechnology, Vivo makes investment decisions for the Funds and helps its portfolio companies develop corporate strategy, arrange licensing agreements and strategic alliances, recruit key management personnel, and acquire new products and technology to accelerate growth. Its current portfolio includes more than 60 private and public biotechnology companies in the areas of biopharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

Polaris Venture Partners

Kevin Bitterman is a principal at Polaris Ventures who focuses on investments in the life sciences. Prior to joining Polaris, Kevin completed his Ph.D. in genetics at Harvard Medical School under the guidance of Dr. David Sinclair. His doctoral research focused on small molecule regulation of a novel class of protein deacetylases. Kevin has authored papers in the journals Nature, Science and Molecular Cell and is a cofounder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. Kevin currently represents Polaris as a Director of Biolex Therapeutics, Certus Biomedical, Follica Inc., Genocea Biosciences, Parasol Therapeutics and Solace Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, Kevin is a Board Observer to Pulmatrix Inc. and Tempo Pharmaceuticals.

No 8 Ventures Management Limited

No 8 Ventures is New Zealand's leading technology venture capital fund manager. We invest in early stage New Zealand technology companies which have the potential to be large and international. Our vision is to deliver investors a portfolio of world-class listed technology companies they will be proud of. Founded in 1999, No8 Ventures has invested in 14 young New Zealand companies, ranging from telco software companies to early stage human pharmaceuticals biotech. Several of these companies have grown to be international companies with significant operations outside New Zealand.