Today is the last day of Red Herring Spring 2007, the annual event held by its namesake magazine that gathers over 400 executives and investors to talk about innovation and emerging technologies. One of the highlights of the event is the announcement of the Red Herring 100, winners of the magazine’s now decade-old contest in which editors select the year’s most promising startup companies. According to the Spring 2007 event Web site, investors and industry watchers consider the Red Herring 100 an “invaluable instrument to discover and advocate the promising startups that will lead the next wave of disruption and innovation.”
Here are the med tech companies that made the list:
Athenahealth, of Watertown, MA, sells an Internet-based practice management system for helping doctors with scheduling, billing and claims processing.
Codon Devices is a privately held company focused on enabling commercial applications of synthetic biology. The Cambridge, MA, firm is using its BioFAB platform to develop genetic devices.
CoreValue, based in Southern California, is working on a technology that allows for non-invasive heart valve replacements.
EnteroMedics, of St. Paul, MN, is developing medical devices to treat obesity and gastrointestinal disorders. Its VBLOC (Vagal Blocking for Obesity Control) therapy delivers high-frequency, low-power electrical signals through laparoscopically implanted leads to block vagal nerve transmission.
Inner Pulse, from Research Triangle Park, NC, is working on a less invasive and cumbersome alternative to currently available cardiac defibrillators. The company says its percutaneous implantable defibrillator (PICD) is minimally invasive and following implantation, goes unfelt and unseen by the patient (standard deflibrillators can cause a “cardiac bump” that is visible underneath a patient’s skin).
MediNotes, of West Des Moines, IA, makes electronic medical record solutions for physician practices of 15 docs or less. Its MediNotes e software is focused on the ambulatory market.
Pervasis Therapeutics, from Cambridge, MA, is developing cell-based therapies that induce tissue repair and regeneration. Its endothelial cell technology is shown to reverse vascular dysfunction and disruption.
Purkinje, of St. Louis, MO, makes and sells solutions for practice management, managing electronic health records and personal health records, and electronic prescribing.
Satiety, of Palo Alto, CA, is working on a device that restricts how much food the stomach can hold. Unlike gastric banding, Satiety’s device is inserted orally then grabs at the stomach walls and staples them to create a smaller pouch.