ALISO VIEJO, Calif., November 6, 2018 – OCTANe, Orange County’s startup accelerator, is pleased to announce the continued growth of one of its signature forums, Medical Technology Innovation Forum (MTIF). MTIF is the largest conference in Southern California focusing on high growth and medical technology investments.

“Disruption challenges the status quo and is the ability to anticipate or understand future needs. What you will see at MTIF are companies that have innovative ideas and push the envelope to do things differently than they have been done in the past,” said Bill Carpou, CEO of OCTANe. “Our ecosystem drives innovation by helping to enable and build the future of Southern California.  We are collectively supporting those companies that define the future and bring jobs into our region. The region leads the country in several areas including university ecosystem, medical device and pharma as well as other industries such as cyber, data analytics and fintech. We are an epicenter of global innovation for aesthetics and ophthalmology.”

The medical technology forum featured a keynote address from Henry Samueli, chief technical officer and board member of Broadcom Inc. Additionally, panels covered trending topics ranging from disruption in medical technology and medical aesthetics to healthcare reform and women entrepreneurs as a key focus in medical technology.

The event also featured eight presentations by OCTANe’s Launchpad companies, showcasing innovative ideas and technology.

• AtaCor Medicalis developing a novel cardiac pacing method that does not require any direct connection to a patient’s heart.
• CarlsMedhas a proprietary process that utilizes 3D imaging and 3D printing technology to design and deliver patient specific implants, improving treatment for adult degenerative scoliosis.
• Evoke Neuroscienceis working to improve diagnosis and treatment of cognitive disorders with objective, clinically meaningful and easy-to-use products.
• Hillhurst Biopharmaceuticalsis developing an oral pharmaceutical product, HBI-002, to treat Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) based on low, non-toxic doses of carbon monoxide (CO), which provides a highly novel dual mechanism of action to this orphan disease.
• Leo Lens Technology has developed a proprietary technology and ink that allows for the sustained release of ophthalmic drugs via contact lenses.
• Patchmiis developing an at-home beauty device for busy woman and men who want to get rid of puffy bags under their eyes.
• Stromahas developed a patented laser technology to safely, effectively and permanently change eye color from brown, hazel or black to a natural blue color.
• Synova Life Sciences is currently bringing a device to market that harvests a person’s own stem cells from their adipose tissue.

AtaCor Medical was named the winner of the LaunchPad award and will receive $135,000 worth of donated services.

Medical Technology Innovation Forum 2019 will take place on October 28-29, 2019 at the Newport Beach Marriott.  Additionally, OCTANe has released dates for all three signature events in 2019.  The Technology Innovation Forum will be held on May 13 – May 14 at the Newport Beach Marriott, Ophthalmology Technology Summit June 28 at the Island Hotel.

About OCTANe:

OCTANe is building the SoCal of Tomorrow by connecting people, resources and capital to fuel technology growth in Southern California. Its members represent technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in the OC. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad SBDC accelerator. LaunchPad companies have received more than $2.1 billion in investment and equity exits. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 7,000 people to its programs and events. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Cara Parchment

cara@octaneoc.org

(949) 412-7671