SAN DIEGO (DECEMBER 17, 2015) – CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, announced today that it has chosen co-founders of Althea Technologies, Magda Marquet, Ph.D., and François Ferré, Ph.D., for its highest honor – induction into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Marquet is being recognized as the first-ever female recipient of the award, and the couple, business partners who will also celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in 2016, are being honored for their extensive contributions within San Diego’s research, healthcare, and entrepreneur communities.
“Our business is centered around the people and organizations that truly impact the city of San Diego, and without the contributions of Magda and François the local biotech community would not be what it is today,” said Greg McKee, CEO of CONNECT. “Inducting these two outstanding individuals into the esteemed CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame gives us great joy—it is hard to find more deserving innovators for this award. We are thrilled to have Magda as our first female inductee to the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame as she truly represents the best qualities of an entrepreneur – creativity, tenacity, and her unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.”
Dr. Marquet, the co-founder and co-chair of Althea (a member of the Ajinomoto Group), a leading provider of contract services to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology field in the United States and Europe. She is also a co-founder of AltheaDX, a precision medicine company. Notably, during her tenure as the former executive director of Pharmaceutical Development at Vical Incorporated, she patented several novel methods for the production of clinical grade DNA for use in gene therapy and DNA vaccines. Marquet also serves on the boards of Sente, Independa and Portable Genomics. A highly regarded scientist and business person, Dr. Marquet is also very involved in service and philanthropy. She serves on the Boards of BIOCOM (past Chairman 2013-2014), EDC, The Kyoto Symposium Organization and she is the incoming Chairman of the UCSD Moores Cancer Center Board. She has received numerous awards throughout her career including the Ernst & Young’s Regional Entrepreneur of the Year award, the UCSD Athena Pinnacle and Chairman awards, the San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award, and the 2015 San Diego Business Journal’s Exemplary Service Award.
Dr. François Ferré is co-founder and Director of Althea (a member of the Ajinomoto Group) and he is also the co-chairman and co-founder of AltheaDx, a privately-held company focusing on personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics. He serves on the board of a number of private companies including Biomatrica and Portable Genomics. He is co-Chairman of the Advisory Board of MD Revolution. He serves as a Director of the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) and of the Chopra Foundation (Executive Committee). Dr. Ferré is a leader in gene quantification and biomarker development and has published several authoritative reviews on these topics, including the co-edition of a bestseller book on PCR with Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Kary Mullis. Dr. Ferré was the winner of the 2005 Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Life Sciences category.
With a passion for entrepreneurship, Marquet and Ferre are also the Founders of ALMA Life Sciences, LLC, an early stage investment firm focusing on the creation and growth of innovative health care companies in San Diego. ALMA’s portfolio includes over 20 life sciences companies and its main focus is prevention with numerous investments in diagnostics and e-health.
“I am deeply honored to be entering the CONNECT Hall of Fame as the first woman entrepreneur, joining such a prestigious circle of San Diego great innovators and icons,” said Dr. Magda Marquet. “We would like to dedicate this incredible award to the San Diego community and to everyone who has helped us in our entrepreneurial journey and specifically to all the employees, investors, customers and friends of Althea as well as to our two sons for always being here for us.”
“Being selected as a Hall of Fame winner is incredible, extremely humbling and flat out extraordinary. I am so honored. Starting a company from scratch with Magda and growing it has been an incredible adventure,” said Dr. François Ferré. “It would be unimaginable to have done this in a place other than San Diego and we are so grateful to the San Diego community for allowing us to achieve our entrepreneurial dreams.”
Drs. Marquet and Ferré are the fourteenth and fifteenth inductees into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Past inductees include Andrew Viterbi, Irwin Jacobs, Walter Zable, Ivor Royston, William Rastetter, J. Robert Beyster, Neal Blue, Linden Blue, Peter Preuss, Gene Ray, Howard “Ted” Greene, Ron Taylor and Peter Farrell.
An award dinner honoring Drs. Marquet and Ferré will be held on April 14, 2016 at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel. In addition to recognizing these two outstanding individuals, CONNECT will also be honoring esteemed members of the community for their contributions in both the life science and technology sectors via the Duane Roth Distinguished Contribution Awards. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.connect.org/events/connect-entrepreneur-hall-fame.
For more information on CONNECT, please visit www.connect.org.
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ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
IT Recruiting Agency Staff Smart Expands Headquarters to Accommodate Growth
Press Release“The new headquarters is an investment in the future of our clients,” said Christine Hoffman-Hicks, President and CEO of Staff Smart. “We’ve run as a successful virtual business because of the high performing culture we’ve developed internally. Now we’re taking our dynamic staff and ensuring that, as we expand, we expand as a team. This has been the hottest war on talent I’ve seen in my 17 years of staffing. Finding the ‘brain trust’ takes a whole organization working with intelligence and velocity. That’s our continued commitment to our clients: we’re supporting their mission critical initiatives with the best IT professionals in the market.”
Staff Smart marked the milestone at a recent open house that welcomed a standing room-only crowd. In remarks thanking clients, candidates and friends, Hoffman-Hicks said, “It’s a proud day to share with everyone here. We’re the story of how a business started during the downturn can weather through and really thrive. It’s proof that we can be in lockstep with our partners. We can grow as our partners grow.”
# # # #
About Staff Smart, Inc.
Staff Smart, Inc., a national IT staffing and recruitment agency, was founded in 2007 by industry veteran Christine Hoffman-Hicks. The on-demand talent solution suite which ranges from contract, direct hire, consulting to executive search, is the trusted partner of IT professionals and businesses whose common goal is opportunity and innovation within a flexible framework. Staff Smart delivers a hiring process that places technical acumen front and center by employing IT professionals to do the recruiting. With over 50 years combined experience in IT hiring, Staff Smart workforce strategies are deployed nationally across diverse industries including Fortune 500, startups and government agencies. The San Diego, CA headquartered company is an active member of WBENC in addition to ASA, CSP, and NAPS which supports legal, ethical and professional best practices for the staffing industry.
Related Links
Job Board – https://staffsmart.secure.force.com/careers
Website – www.staffsmart.net
Company LinkedIn page – https://www.linkedin.com/company/381097
eAngel – Human Proofreading App – is launching in San Diego, and is looking for Email Angels
Press ReleaseEmail is such an important part of office life that most people don’t even notice how often they use it. Regardless of where you are in the world, if you work in some sort of an office – odds are you use email constantly. Email has become almost as intuitive as natural conversation, and perhaps that’s its biggest drawback: If you make a mistake, you can’t take it back. eAngel is a service that makes sure no mistakes leave your outbox.
In the simplest of terms, eAngel is a personal proofreader for your email. Whether you’re sending too many emails a day to bother proofreading each one, have problems spelling, or are simply sending emails that are not in your mother tongue – eAngel is the perfect solution for you. The platform enables you to send email in perfect English, Spanish, French and German, without the recipient ever being aware that your email was proofread.
eAngel is now officially launching and offering its service to the public. It is the ultimate platform for people who need to communicate in a foreign language on a daily basis. The service is very affordable and the company offers a free five-email trial.
Using eAngel is a breeze: After installing the Chrome extension, You write the email as you always do, click the ‘Send with eAngel’ button and the email is sent to one of the angels. After they email is proofread and corrected, the corrected version is sent to the recipient and you get a version with the changes tracked, so you can learn from your mistakes.
Forum Public Relations Launches in San Diego
Press ReleaseSAN DIEGO, California – We are excited to announce the creation of Forum Public Relations, a full-service public relations and communications agency specializing in the science and arts.
“We have a passion for communicating the science of what our clients do into real-world, easily-understandable language that connects on an emotional level,” says Allyson Markey, Forum Public Relations CEO. “We understand that the future will be lead by innovators, and we want to help them communicate passionately and purposely to make the world a better place.”
Forum Public Relations was founded by a group of communications professionals who hare intimately aware of the challenges associated with architecture, engineering, and construction firms, biotech, and the arts. Allyson Markey, CEO, started her career as an enviromentel geologist before transitioning to commuintcations, while Monte Ward, Forum Public Relation’s Content Director, started in biotechnology before transitioning to journalism. Together, they have more than a decade of experience representing clients in the sciences, technology, and arts.
Forum Public Relations offers a broad suite of services, including:
Branding
Press + Media Relations
Creative Design
To learn more, please visit www.forumpublicrelations.com
About Forum Public Relations
Forum Public Relations is a full-service PR and communications agency specializing in the sciences are arts. With over a decade of experience, we exist to serve and represent those breaking the boundaries of arts and sciences while transforming the world around us. To learn more, visit www.forumpublicrelations.com
Contact Information
Monte Ward
[email protected]
C: +1.951.265.9928
CONNECT Accepts First Companies Into Its CapitalMatch Program
Press Release– Four San Diego-based startups accepted to program for fundraising assistance –
“Our goal with CapitalMatch is to develop relationships with a large network of investors across the country. We work to understand their investment interests and then introduce them to the vetted San Diego companies that meet their investment criteria,” said Shawn Richardson, Senior Director, Match Programs at CONNECT. “We believe that being a part of the CapitalMatch program will be impactful for Fragmob, GRI Bio, Guru, and Jaan Biotherapeutics as they raise capital in the coming months.”
Fragmob, GRI Bio, Guru, and Jaan Biotherapeutics are the first companies to pass the vetting process of the CapitalMatch program. As CapitalMatch companies, they will now be supported with a variety of introductions and interactions with suitable potential investors.
CONNECT is pleased to introduce the first CapitalMatch companies:
· Fragmob: An international mobile sales automation software provider, Fragmob instigates action through technology that enables Direct Selling companies to realize the benefits of a powerful mobile solution. The Fragmob mobile platform drives Direct Selling sales reps towards the most focused, effective actions for their business in real-time and delivers actionable metrics so clients and users can achieve higher sales in less time. Raised funding will provide working capital as Fragmob builds its team to meet the growth in new clients and execute upon a strong sales pipeline.
· GRI Bio: GRI Bio is a clinical stage drug development company targeting NKT cells to treat various inflammatory diseases including liver disease and autoimmune conditions. Its lead asset, GRI-0621 is currently in a Phase IIA study with a targeted indication of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The Company is currently seeking equity financing to fund a Phase IIB, proof of concept trial that would complete in late 2017.
· Guru: Guru is revolutionizing the way visitors experience museums acting as the technological bridge to the 21st century audience. Utilizing beacon technology, Guru creates a customized app for each museum that turns the ever-present smartphone into a personal concierge, expert tour guide, map and interactive tool that connects the visitor with the museum. Guru is in the process of raising $750,000 with $500,000 still open.
· Jaan Biotherapeutics: Jaan Biotherapeutics L.L.C. (JBT) is a life science company that is focused in developing first-in-class therapies that regenerate damaged heart muscle and could potentially treat heart disease, the largest single cause of death in the world. Heart disease does not discriminate by gender or race and is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. Their fundraising efforts will assist in developing new treatments for heart disease.
For more information on CONNECT, please visit www.connect.org. To see how your investment-ready company may get involved with CONNECT’s CapitalMatch program, please contact Shawn Richardson at [email protected].
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ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
WowYow Puts Myspace in the Top 8
Press ReleaseSAN DIEGO– San Diego-based start-up WowYow has partnered with Myspace to provide viewers with an all-new video experience. Myspace viewers are now able to discover more about the things that interest them in a video.
WowYow’s exciting and innovative online video technology discovers what is in a scene for the viewer to explore. The people, fashion, gear, music, locations, and more can now be explored within select Myspace videos.
This application of interactive video technology is an industry first and the beginning of an all-new video strategy.
“Myspace adopted WowYow’s video plugin to increase engagement and monetization and we are excited to have them in our Top 8,” said WowYow executive, Jarett Boskovich.
Visit https://myspace.com/pages/wowyow for more information about the partnership and to experience the all-new video strategy.
Contacts
WowYow
Jarett Boskovich, 844-496-9969
[email protected]
Announcing CONNECT’s FrameWorks Workshop CapitalMatch Education Track Inaugural Workshop on Feb. 24: Angel Investing Basics for the Start-up Community
Press Release– Brand new FrameWorks workshop series focused on preparing start-ups to pitch for capital –
SAN DIEGO (Feb. 3, 2016) – CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that helps create and scale companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, has announced the start of its FrameWorks CapitalMatch education track. The FrameWorks CapitalMatch series will provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and their mentors to learn more about the fundamentals of executing early stage investment deals. The introductory workshop, Angel Investing Basics for the Start-up Community, will provide content essential for start-ups seeking capital by the Angel Resource Institute and will be held on Wednesday, February 24 at CONNECT’s headquarters in University City.
“Presenting this new education series is a natural next step for us as we work to identify and create ways to support the fundraising efforts of start-ups in San Diego,” said Shawn Richardson, Senior Director, Match Programs at CONNECT. “So many of our Springboard companies, mentors, and entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs) are in the program getting ready to raise capital, so we are proud to be able to provide relevant and instructive information to prepare them for the discussions and issues they will experience in their capital raising efforts.”
Angel Investing Basics for the Start-up Community, presented by Troy Knauss and Susan Preston of the Angel Resource Institute, is designed for entrepreneurs and their mentors who want to be prepared for raising early-stage investment capital. This full-day seminar provides a sweeping overview of how the angel investing process works. The workshop is an interactive classroom style format that includes presentations, a panel discussion, and case studies.
Angel Investing Basics for the Start-up Community covers the following topics:
An overview of angel investing
Due diligence
Valuation of early stage companies
Term sheets
How to connect to angels
Event details are as follows:
When:
· Wednesday, February 24, 2016
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where:
CONNECT
4790 Eastgate Mall, Suite 125
San Diego, CA 92121
Cost:
· Pre-registration (available until February 22, 11:59pm): $500; $250 for current and graduated Springboard companies and current CONNECT ERIs
· Registration (after February 23): $500 for all
Additional topics that will be covered in the 2016 series include Pitching to Investors, Valuation of Early Stage Companies, Trends in Raising Capital, Due Diligence, Term Sheets, Capitalization Tables, Post Investment and Boardroom, and Early Stage Exits. All courses will be taught by the Angel Resource Institute, which was started by the Kaufman Foundation.
To register for the event, click here. For more information on CONNECT, please visit www.connect.org.
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ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
ABOUT THE ANGEL RESOURCE INSTITUTE (ARI)
Founded in 2006 as part of the evolution of earlier efforts to encourage and support angel investing by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and leaders of angel groups across the United States. The real value of ARI’s content comes from the Kauffman Foundation and the collective experience and best practices of thousands of individual investors and angel investment groups. They also leverage our strong partnership with the Angel Capital Association (ACA) and their 190 members who represent 8,000 individual investors.
Fragmob Announces Financing Relationships with Agility Capital and Silicon Valley Bank
Press ReleaseSAN DIEGO, CA. – January 19, 2016 – Fragmob, an international mobile sales automation software provider, today announced that it has secured a line of credit with Agility Capital and a banking relationship with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) to help further fund the advancement of its Direct Selling mobile sales platform. The Fragmob platform is built to provide transparency and increased sales results to the 100 million independent sales representatives that currently generate over $182 billion dollars in sales per year.
“It has been a pleasure getting to work with the Fragmob team. Agility Capital seeks to provide targeted financing solutions for companies like Fragmob that are growing software as a service platforms with strong recurring revenue streams,” said Jeff Carmody, Managing Director at Agility Capital.
“2015 was a year of strong growth ending with triple the monthly recurring revenue and number of clients since 2014. We enter 2016 with more than 150,000 active users on our platform worldwide,” said Jonathan Shapiro, Co-Founder, President, & CFO at Fragmob. “Our relationships with Agility Capital and SVB provide Fragmob with the financial flexibility to continue our strong growth and help lay the foundation for our multi-million dollar equity fundraising expected this summer.”
“Silicon Valley Bank loves partnering with innovative companies like Fragmob to facilitate their growth plans,” said Eric Otterson, Managing Director at Silicon Valley Bank, who leads the San Diego-based technology team. “Fragmob offers a powerful mobile solution to the Direct Sales industry. Our objective is to help the team move their business forward quickly with the right financing, connections and global services.”
About Fragmob, LLC
An international mobile sales automation software provider, Fragmob instigates action through technology that enables Direct Selling companies to realize the benefits of a powerful mobile solution. Servicing hundreds of thousands of users in more than 30 countries, the Fragmob mobile platform drives Direct Selling sales reps towards the most focused, effective actions for their business in real-time and delivers actionable metrics so clients and users can achieve higher sales in less time. Visit Fragmob at http://fragmob.com/ and on Twitter at @Fragmob.
About Silicon Valley Bank
For more than 30 years, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has helped innovative companies and their investors move bold ideas forward, fast. SVB provides targeted financial services and expertise through its offices in innovation centers around the world. With commercial, international and private banking services, SVB helps address the unique needs of innovators. Learn more at www.svb.com.
Silicon Valley Bank is a member of SVB Financial Group. ©2016 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of FDIC and Federal Reserve System. SVB>, SVB Financial Group, and Silicon Valley Bank are registered trademarks.
About Agility Capital
Agility Capital provides innovative debt financing products to emerging growth companies and specializes in the type of loans that are necessary to provide an entrepreneur with time and operating capital to successfully achieve the next financing milestone. The team’s collective experience includes more than 500 debt transactions including short term working capital lines of credit, bridge financing, amortizing term loans and acquisition financing. Agility Capital’s underlying philosophy is to provide customized debt solutions, without cumbersome financial covenants. Learn more at agilitycap.com.
Investor Inquiries Contact:
Jonathan Shapiro
Fragmob, LLC
Phone +1 (858) 810-8997
Email: [email protected]
Popular Co-Living Tool Launches on Android & Web, Expands to SoCal Markets!
Press ReleaseLOS ANGELES – Roomi, the free mobile-first, co-living platform that helps renters find shared housing options, has launched on Web and Android in response to growing demand beyond the popular iOS platform. Roomi ranked first on the Apple App Store search for housemate-finding apps when it came out of beta in New York City in June 2015 and has achieved roughly 180,000 downloads. Most housemate or shared housing apps are available solely on iOS; however, Roomi prioritized development of these additional platforms in response to user feedback. In conjunction with these new channels, Roomi is expanding its range of services to California.
Why is a Better Shared Housing Tool Vital?
Co-living is becoming an increasingly popular way for urban dwellers to afford rent, especially in large and expensive metro areas, such as LA, NYC, and SF. And it’s not hard to understand why: A recent Harvard study found that nearly half of U.S. renters are burdened (spending more than 30 percent of income on housing), with rents having increased by nearly 53 percent between 2000 and 2014. Vacancy rates are close to 3 percent, their lowest level since 1985, and rents are rising at the fastest pace in nearly 30 years, about 3.5 percent annually.
Co-living can ease the burden by half or more, depending on prorating decisions and the number of housemates. As a result, co-living is becoming the new norm for professionals, single parents, and the elderly, in addition to college students.
Despite co-living’s rising popularity, finding the right housemate largely remains a challenging and lengthy process. Available search tools leave many with security fears, especially given the recent news of yet another Craigslist-related murder in New York.
And most development of better marketplace platforms continues to center around iOS.
Roomi to the Rescue:
Roomi is designed to be the first user-friendly peer-to-peer co-living marketplace with a seamless experience across mobile and Web platforms. Developed with the individual’s needs in mind, Roomi blends beautiful design with intelligent functionality to specifically address the top priorities of shared housing and housemate seekers, such as decreased search time, increased safety during the search and better overall
housemate compatibility.
“Roomi is a step into the future,” said Osuke Honda, General Partner at DCM Ventures. “Roomi’s social graph and housing details make it possible to have more transparency and security about a potential living situation.”
“Compatibility for things like noise tolerance and openness to pets — things that may seem small but can easily turn into sources of conflict or even dealbreakers
— makes all the difference,” said Ajay Yadav, Founder and CEO of Roomi.
Roomi is currently live in New York and San Francisco, and is launching in Southern California on Jan. 14 for iOS, Android and Web platforms.
About Roomi
Roomi is a free mobile platform that helps people find flexible, affordable coliving
solutions. That starts with building back trust in the peer-to-peer marketplace, so we set out to create the simplest and safest choice for the housing search. With verified listings, the right tools and personalized support, Roomi community members are empowered to make the savviest choices for their individual needs. The platform makes it simple to post rooms, connect through the in-app chat and share a happy home — across the city or around the world. Our goal is to help everyone connect to their new spaces and communities, and live better together.
About DCM Ventures
DCM Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, Beijing and Tokyo with more than $2.5 billion under management. Our team’s global DNA and extensive industry expertise empowers our entrepreneurs with hands-on operational guidance and a global network of business and financial resources. DCM Ventures has invested in more than 250 technology companies across the United States and Asia backing numerous industry leaders over our 20-year history. Successful exits (IPOs and M&As) include, among others, China-based: 51job, 58.com, 99Bill (Wanda Group), BitAuto, Dangdang, Luxin, Renren, Tuniu, and Vipshop; Japan-based: JCI, Kabu.com, Pokelabo (GREE), Scigineer, and StarFlyer; U.S.-based: About.com, Basis (Intel), Fortinet, PGP Corporation (Symantec), SandForce (LSI), Slice Technologies (Rakuten), and Sling Media (EchoStar) as well as eDreams in Spain and Daum Kakao in Korea.
Drs. Magda Marquet and François Ferré Selected as 2016 Inductees into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Press ReleaseSAN DIEGO (DECEMBER 17, 2015) – CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, announced today that it has chosen co-founders of Althea Technologies, Magda Marquet, Ph.D., and François Ferré, Ph.D., for its highest honor – induction into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Marquet is being recognized as the first-ever female recipient of the award, and the couple, business partners who will also celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in 2016, are being honored for their extensive contributions within San Diego’s research, healthcare, and entrepreneur communities.
“Our business is centered around the people and organizations that truly impact the city of San Diego, and without the contributions of Magda and François the local biotech community would not be what it is today,” said Greg McKee, CEO of CONNECT. “Inducting these two outstanding individuals into the esteemed CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame gives us great joy—it is hard to find more deserving innovators for this award. We are thrilled to have Magda as our first female inductee to the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame as she truly represents the best qualities of an entrepreneur – creativity, tenacity, and her unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.”
Dr. Marquet, the co-founder and co-chair of Althea (a member of the Ajinomoto Group), a leading provider of contract services to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology field in the United States and Europe. She is also a co-founder of AltheaDX, a precision medicine company. Notably, during her tenure as the former executive director of Pharmaceutical Development at Vical Incorporated, she patented several novel methods for the production of clinical grade DNA for use in gene therapy and DNA vaccines. Marquet also serves on the boards of Sente, Independa and Portable Genomics. A highly regarded scientist and business person, Dr. Marquet is also very involved in service and philanthropy. She serves on the Boards of BIOCOM (past Chairman 2013-2014), EDC, The Kyoto Symposium Organization and she is the incoming Chairman of the UCSD Moores Cancer Center Board. She has received numerous awards throughout her career including the Ernst & Young’s Regional Entrepreneur of the Year award, the UCSD Athena Pinnacle and Chairman awards, the San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business award, and the 2015 San Diego Business Journal’s Exemplary Service Award.
Dr. François Ferré is co-founder and Director of Althea (a member of the Ajinomoto Group) and he is also the co-chairman and co-founder of AltheaDx, a privately-held company focusing on personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics. He serves on the board of a number of private companies including Biomatrica and Portable Genomics. He is co-Chairman of the Advisory Board of MD Revolution. He serves as a Director of the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) and of the Chopra Foundation (Executive Committee). Dr. Ferré is a leader in gene quantification and biomarker development and has published several authoritative reviews on these topics, including the co-edition of a bestseller book on PCR with Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Kary Mullis. Dr. Ferré was the winner of the 2005 Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Life Sciences category.
With a passion for entrepreneurship, Marquet and Ferre are also the Founders of ALMA Life Sciences, LLC, an early stage investment firm focusing on the creation and growth of innovative health care companies in San Diego. ALMA’s portfolio includes over 20 life sciences companies and its main focus is prevention with numerous investments in diagnostics and e-health.
“I am deeply honored to be entering the CONNECT Hall of Fame as the first woman entrepreneur, joining such a prestigious circle of San Diego great innovators and icons,” said Dr. Magda Marquet. “We would like to dedicate this incredible award to the San Diego community and to everyone who has helped us in our entrepreneurial journey and specifically to all the employees, investors, customers and friends of Althea as well as to our two sons for always being here for us.”
“Being selected as a Hall of Fame winner is incredible, extremely humbling and flat out extraordinary. I am so honored. Starting a company from scratch with Magda and growing it has been an incredible adventure,” said Dr. François Ferré. “It would be unimaginable to have done this in a place other than San Diego and we are so grateful to the San Diego community for allowing us to achieve our entrepreneurial dreams.”
Drs. Marquet and Ferré are the fourteenth and fifteenth inductees into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Past inductees include Andrew Viterbi, Irwin Jacobs, Walter Zable, Ivor Royston, William Rastetter, J. Robert Beyster, Neal Blue, Linden Blue, Peter Preuss, Gene Ray, Howard “Ted” Greene, Ron Taylor and Peter Farrell.
An award dinner honoring Drs. Marquet and Ferré will be held on April 14, 2016 at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel. In addition to recognizing these two outstanding individuals, CONNECT will also be honoring esteemed members of the community for their contributions in both the life science and technology sectors via the Duane Roth Distinguished Contribution Awards. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.connect.org/events/connect-entrepreneur-hall-fame.
For more information on CONNECT, please visit www.connect.org.
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ABOUT CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.
The ONLY true coloring book experience on iOS — Pigment 1.0
Press ReleaseDecember 17, 2015 — San Diego, CA — Pixite LLC announced today the release of Pigment 1.0 for iPhone and iPad. With built-in support for Apple Pencil, 3D touch, and a wide assortment of coloring tools, Pigment is the only coloring book app to support freehand coloring, and is the closest thing digitally to coloring on paper. Pigment also stands out with its hundreds of hand curated, professionally drawn illustrations, 8 different kinds of pencils, markers and brushes, and an unlimited number of colors to choose from.
Research has shown that coloring and doodling on paper have substantial therapeutic effects by lowering stress and anxiety, and improving relaxation and concentration. By allowing artists to color using strokes of their finger, Apple Pencil, or a third-party stylus, Pigment can offer those same therapeutic effects on the iPhone and iPad. In fact, Pigment is the only coloring book app that allows freehand coloring, while the rest of the apps are tap-to-fill.
By varying the strokes, the coloring tool, and tool characteristics, each piece of artwork takes a life of its own like never before. The size and opacity of the tools like the colored pencil can always be adjusted using the intuitive onscreen controls. 3D Touch enabled iPads and iPhones, and the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil take the controls to the next level by allowing the user to change the opacity using pressure. Using the Apple Pencil, the user can even control the shape of the tip by changing direction and tilt. The outcome is the most realistic coloring experience on a digital device.
Color selection is often a challenge for the coloring book artist, especially when there is an unlimited number of colors to choose from. Pigment’s innovative approach is 14 hand selected palettes of 9 colors, with a shade control for each. The palettes offer a cohesive combination of colors, a great starting point for anyone. In addition, by using Pigment’s shade control, artists are able to select any shade of any color in the palette instantly. Not only does the shade control save time in selecting similar colors, it lets the user access an unlimited number of colors in the simplest way possible.
Although coloring is often done to fulfill personal needs, Pigment also makes it easy to share work with friends and family. The available sharing options are email, SMS text, Facebook, and other social networks.
Pigment is a free app with an optional subscription to the Pigment Premium Access service, the key to the entire library of 200+ professionally drawn illustrations and updates to new books. Premium Access also unlocks the saving of non-watermarked, high-resolution images of artwork, up to 4096×4096 pixels.
Features
Pigment is the only coloring book app that lets you color in without tapping-and-fill 200+ professionally illustrated works to color 8 kinds of coloring tools — colored pencil, marker, paint brush, fill, airbrush, circle brush, linear gradient, and radial gradient
Fully supports finger, Apple Pencil, and third-party stylus input
Unlimited number of colors using the professionally curated palettes and the innovative shade control
App Details
Supports iPhones and iPads running iOS 8 and above
Free universal app with in-app subscription
App Store page: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pigment-only-true-coloring/id1062006344?ls=1&mt=8&pt=14691&ct=medium&at=11l4HQ
Links, Photos, and Screenshots
COMPLETE PRESS KIT including images below: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hytk6qvtbox61f2/AADebYRU3doRga8DGwW8csI3a?dl=0
Website: http://pigmentapp.co
Video: https://vimeo.com/148680379
Download: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pigment-only-true-coloring/id1062006344?ls=1&mt=8&pt=14691&ct=medium&at=11l4HQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pigment_app
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pigment_app/