Colorado BioScience Association Seeks Region’s Top Start-up Companies for Venture Showcase Competition at BioWest 2012

The deadline for entry is Friday, May 11th. Venture Showcase sponsors include Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Ernst & Young, and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation.

DENVER--()--Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) is now accepting applications from emerging bioscience companies for the Venture Showcase Competition at BioWest 2012, being held September 11th at the Marriott City Center, Denver. The announcement is made by CBSA President & CEO Holli Riebel, who says, "Six finalists will be selected from the applicants and the winner will receive a $7,500 cash prize at the competition."

"The Venture Showcase creates a huge amount of excitement at the BioWest Conference and gives our emerging bioscience companies an opportunity to present their technologies on a large scale. Our sponsors this year include Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Ernst & Young, and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. We're appreciative of their support of this important, and popular, competition," Riebel explains.

The six selected finalists will receive expert coaching to fine tune their presentations leading up to the conference. Each start-up company will have 15 minutes to pitch their technologies and business plans to a panel of bioscience experts and venture capitalists in front of a live audience at the BioWest Conference & Expo. The cash prize will be given to the outstanding presenting company live at the Conference closing reception.

Emerging bioscience companies make up 38% of CBSA membership. “In supporting the growth of the bioscience industry CBSA presents platforms for our emerging companies to get in front of investors,” Riebel stated. On average 20 to 25 new start-up bioscience companies form each year within the state.

The deadline for entries is Friday, May 11th. Additional details and link to the application pdf are found at http://www.cobioscience.com/biowest/venture-showcase.

Past winners of the Venture Showcase Competition, that have all gone on to achieve continued funding and success, include:

2005 - Inviragen - http://www.inviragen.com
2006 - ApopLogic - http://www.apoplogic.com
2007 - ValveXchange - http://www.valvexchange.com
2008 - Oberon FMR - http://oberonfmr.com
2010 - Sharklet Technologies - http://www.sharklet.com

About BioWest

BioWest 2012 is a one-day event attended by more than 500 national and international industry leaders, government representatives, executives, researchers, investors and entrepreneurs. In addition to the Venture Showcase Competition, the Conference includes nationally known keynote speakers including Mike Huckman, former CNBC bioscience reporter and Ginger Graham of Harvard Business School and past president of Amylin Pharmaceuticals. The Conference programs are segmented into two tracks – Business Development and Clinical Trials and the title sponsors are Colorado Science + Technology Park at Fitzsimons, EKS&H and Cooley LLP. Registration opens May 2012. For more information, visit http://www.CoBioScience.com/Biowest.

About Colorado BioScience Association

The CBSA is a not-for-profit organization providing services and support for Colorado's bioscience industry. With more than 350 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry by advocating for a better business environment, growing the state's biotech workforce, fighting for policies that support a strong bioscience industry in the state, and speaking with a single voice on behalf of the industry. For more information, visit http://www.cobioscience.com.

CBSA also is found on these social media sites:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/COBioscience
LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=98468&trk=anet_ug_grppro
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ColoradoBioScienceAssociation
News Feed: http://coloradobio.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/COBioscience
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/COBioscience

Contacts

Colorado BioScience Association
Mae Desaire, Director of Marketing
720-382-5918
mdesaire@cobioscience.com
http://www.cobioscience.com
or
APR, Absolutely Public Relations
Maggie Chamberlin Holben
303-984-9801
maggie@absolutelypr.com
http://www.absolutelypr.com

Release Summary

Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) is now accepting applications from emerging bioscience companies for the Venture Showcase Competition at BioWest 2012.

Contacts

Colorado BioScience Association
Mae Desaire, Director of Marketing
720-382-5918
mdesaire@cobioscience.com
http://www.cobioscience.com
or
APR, Absolutely Public Relations
Maggie Chamberlin Holben
303-984-9801
maggie@absolutelypr.com
http://www.absolutelypr.com