FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICAGO — Inventors of 50 promising healthcare technologies from nine Midwestern universities connected with 100 investors and industry executives Monday night at the Midwest University HealthTech Showcase at MATTER.
Organized by Chicago healthcare incubator MATTER and the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., the networking event brought together innovators from some of the Midwest’s top research institutions and industry investors from across the nation. Sponsored by MB Real Estate, the showcase was held in conjunction with the MidAmerica Healthcare Venture Forum, a leading healthcare investing conference March 10 and 11 in Chicago.
The universities represented included seven Big Ten schools — Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin — along with Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. A number of MATTER companies also took part in the program. The showcase also attracted industry professionals responsible for in-licensing and investment opportunities from companies such as Merck, Baxter, AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Marathon Pharmaceuticals, Horizon Pharma and Cook Medical.
“Indiana University is a leading health sciences innovator, and we are delighted to show off nine of the most interesting technologies developed at Indiana University,” said David Wilhite, IURTC’s head of marketing and competitive analysis. “The goal of the showcase is to bring a mix of new technologies and early-stage healthcare startups together with investors and industry executives to accelerate the commercialization process. Our approach is to connect people and then get out of the way.”
A not-for-profit organization, MATTER was developed by a team of entrepreneurs and industry leaders with the support of the state of Illinois. MATTER began as a project of ChicagoNEXT, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s council on technology and innovation, and officially opened Feb. 13.
Maryam Saleh, MATTER’s director of member experience, said she is thrilled to have MATTER bring in university researchers from outside Chicago.
“MATTER opened three weeks ago with a mission of building the healthcare technology community in the Midwest, and this event does just that,” Saleh said. “It’s great to see so many investors from across the country converge on Chicago to look at technologies that will shape the future of healthcare.”
About Indiana University Research and Technology Corp.
IURTC is a not-for-profit agency that helps IU faculty and researchers realize the commercial potential of their discoveries. Since 1997, IURTC’s university clients have accounted for more than 2,800 inventions, nearly 1,900 patent applications and 77 startup companies. IURTC is part of the Innovate Indiana initiative, which engages strategic partners to leverage and advance IU’s intellectual resources and expertise, enhance Indiana’s economic growth and contribute to the overall quality of life for Hoosiers.
About MATTER
MATTER is a community of healthcare entrepreneurs and industry leaders working together in a shared space to individually and collectively fuel the future of healthcare innovation. MATTER’s mission is to proactively connect and promote collaboration between entrepreneurs, scientists, physicians and industry partners in order to bring next-generation products and services to market that improve quality of care and save lives. For more information, visit www.matterchicago.com and follow @matterchicago.