Rutgers Entepreneurship Day Recognizes NJ Companies

This announcement was submitted by the Rutgers University Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development

At the recent Rutgers Entrepreneurship Day, Polymer Therapeutics Inc., a startup company in Parsippany (www.polymerx.com), won the SNR Denton Elevator Pitch Competition. The company’s CEO, Braun C. Kiess, gave a presentation on their polymer drug-delivery technology.

A panel of judges chose the pitch as the best, and the company will receive a $2,500 cash award and one year of cost-free mentoring through the new Rutgers Entrepreneur Mentor Program. Two runners-up in the pitch competition also won a year of mentoring from university’s entrepreneur mentor program. They are New Jersey residents John Vitug of Wayne with “Heart Juice” and Lawrence Sasso, Ph. D., of Fluimetrics LLC in New Brunswick.

In another competition, three New Jersey entrepreneurs, or at least potential entrepreneurs, were winners in the poster contest, as selected in voting by many of the nearly 450 attendees.
• Most Likely to Get Funded: John Eibelheuser of Flemington, with “Triple Jays” snacks
• Greatest Potential for Social Impact: William Ward, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Rutgers-New Brunswick, Brighter Ideas Inc., North Brunswick
• Most Innovative Technology: Tamara Minko, Professor II and Chair, Department of Pharmaceutics, Rutgers-New Brunswick (Piscataway)

Entrepreneurship Day is sponsored annually by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, which promotes excellence in research at Rutgers. Research is fundamental to the university’s overall mission and enhances its education and service missions. Research also contributes to economic development. Rutgers increasingly is engaged in commercialization of research through the transfer of new technologies to industry, contributing to economic development in New Jersey and nationally. From the Nobel prize-winning discovery of streptomycin — the first cure for tuberculosis — to the technology behind Ask.com, Rutgers continues to make a tremendous impact in the commercial world.