Ben Shelton

Council for Entrepreneurial Development provides an interactive forum for entrepreneurs, investors, service professionals, academicians, researchers and public policy makers. Its services and programs include connections to capital, venture mentoring, and signature conferences empower member companies to go further. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Durham, NC.

Mountain Group Capital LLC (Mountain Group Capital) is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2002. The firm is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc. operates as a wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm. It offers equity research, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, public financing and fixed income services. The firm serves individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. The company was founded by Robert Wilson Baird in 1919 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI.

Limestone Fund LLC seeks investment opportunities in companies located in the US. The fund targets companies operating in the fields of life sciences and consumer technology. It provides financing for seed to early-stage capital requirements.

Circular Genomics, Inc. is a company that specializes in the development of circular RNA-based precision medicine tools, data, and diagnostics for neurology and psychiatry. The company is based in Albuquerque, NM. The company is focused on disrupting and improving the standard of care for major depressive disorder and other neurological diseases. The company offers assays that can assess and direct the best treatment protocol for an individual patient and validate treatment effectiveness in days-to-weeks rather than months. The company was founded in 2021 by Alexander Hafez, Kosmas Karadimitriou, and Nikolaos Mellios. Paul Sargeant has been the CEO of the company since 2023.

MiNDERA Corp. develops non-invasive diagnostic tests targeting skin diseases. Its invasive micro-needle device extracts the whole transcriptome from the skin of patients, eliminating the need for clinical researchers to source skin biopsies. The company was founded by Tahir Mahmood, Philippe Nore, and Tobin Dickerson and is headquartered in South San Francisco, CA.

Cerebrotech Medical Systems, Inc. develops a technology for non-invasive monitor for early detection of cerebral events that can be catastrophic for patients after stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain surgery and other conditions. The company was founded by Mitchell E. Levinson in 2010 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.

Lone Star Investment Advisors LLC (Lone Star Investment) is a private equity firm founded in 2005 by Arthur W. Hollingsworth. The firm is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Origami Capital Partners LLC (Origami Capital Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2008 by Thomas Elden. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Siguler Guff & Co. LP (Siguler Guff) is a private equity firm founded in 1995 by George William Siguler, Andrew Joseph Guff and Donald Paul Spencer. The firm is headquartered in New York.with additional offices Boston, Houstan, London.

Spire Group, Inc. is a private equity firm. The private company is based in Gulfport, FL and has subsidiaries in Canada.

Part of Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., Entira, Inc. is a company that provides business and marketing consulting services. The company is based in Germantown, TN. The company was founded in 2004 by Joy Parr Drach, Mike Karst. Entira was acquired by Sustainable Oils, Inc. on November 22, 2021 for $2.52 million.

CSA Medical, Inc. develops endoscopic cryoablation systems. It provides spray cryotherapy medical device solutions that improve patient outcomes, simplify procedures, and reduce the cost of healthcare. The company was founded by Lloyd Shue, Timothy E. Askew and Frank Majerowicz in 1985 and is headquartered in Lexington, MA.

Vytelle LLC is a precision livestock company that helps cattle producers worldwide optimize their herds through an integrated technology platform. The company is based in Lenexa, KS and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company aims to make generations of genetic gains in just a few years, allowing producers to sustainably deliver more protein with fewer inputs. This helps ensure that meat and milk remain viable and competitive food choices for future generations. The company was founded in 2015, and Kerryann Kocher has been the CEO of the company since 2020.

Borah LLC (doing business as Mt. Borah Designs) manufactures and distributes bicycle apparel. Its products include custom bicycle, ski, triathlon and running apparel. The firm offers multi-functional cool weather clothing, along with custom team apparel. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Coon Valley, WI

Borah, Inc. operates as an insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm. The private company is based in Apple Valley. The CEO of the American company is Robin S. Readnour.

Nusirt Sciences, Inc. manufactures food ingredients for healthcare markets. It has technology platform that uses a patented combination of leucine, an essential amino acid, and existing human medicines. The company was founded by Michael Zemel in 2007 and is headquartered in Nashville, TN.

Appello Pharmaceuticals, Inc. operates as a preclinical-stage company focused on advancing novel positive allosteric modulators of mGlu4 for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The company is headquartered in Nashville, TN.

Exubrion Therapeutics, Inc. develops electron therapeutic veterinary devices. The company is based in Buford, GA. The company was founded by Dennis F. Steadman. The CEO is Peter Selover.

Skyline Vet Pharma, Inc. engages in the manufacture of veterinary pharmaceutical products. The company was founded by Serge R. Martinod and George F. Murphy and is headquartered in Groton, CT.

Targan, Inc. engages in the research and development of a vaccination system. It improve bird health and productivity and reduce need for antibiotics for poultry, livestock, and aquaculture industries. The company was founded by Ramin Karimpour and is headquartered in Raleigh, NC.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center provides research and education grants. Its services include financing, technology assessment, business planning, and marketing strategies implementation. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Biotechnology Innovation Organization is the world's biotechnology organization, providing advocacy, business development and communications services for more than 1,200 members worldwide. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology technologies. Corporate members range from entrepreneurial companies developing a first product to Fortune 100 multinationals. also represent state and regional biotech associations, service providers to the industry and academic centers.