Venture Investors (www.ventureinvestors.com)

Venture Investors (VI) was founded in 1982 and is one of the leading venture capital firms in the Midwest. VI focuses on making seed and early stage healthcare and technology investments. The firm is currently investing out of its fifth fund and has over $200 million under management. The firm is based in Madison, Wisconsin, an emerging entrepreneurial hub and home to the nation’s second largest research institution, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. VI has a second office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, located near the University of Michigan, the fourth largest research institution in the country. The partners at VI have worked together for over two decades in identifying, financing and assisting seed and early-stage healthcare and technology companies.

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan recently made a direct investment in TRS as part of an initiative called Michigan Investment in New Technology Startups (MINTS), a program introduced by University in October, 2011. This program funds and promotes startup companies utilizing technology developed and spun out of the university.

Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Founded in 1999 the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is a public-private partnership serving as the state's marketing arm and lead agency for business, talent and jobs, and overall economic growth. MEDC offers a number of business assistance services and capital programs for business attraction and acceleration, entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships, talent enhancement and urban and community development. The MEDC investment in TRS was through the Pure Michigan Venture Match Fund (PMVM Fund), which makes matching investments in Michigan-based companies that have received an equity investment commitment from a qualified venture fund for commercialization and growth purposes.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is an independent, nonprofit foundation chartered to support research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and act as the designated technology transfer organization for the university. WARF is a separate entity from the university but partners closely with it. WARF patents inventions arising from university research, licenses the technologies to companies for commercialization, and returns the licensing income to the university to support further scientific endeavor.

Michigan Accelerator Fund I

Michigan Accelerator Fund I is an investment partnership headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Fund size is $15.1 million: $6 million invested by the State of Michigan, and more than $9 million from individual and institutional investors. While the purpose of this venture capital fund is to achieve significant, long-term capital appreciation for our investors, MAF-1 is contributing significantly to the growth of the Michigan economy. The Fund invests in Michigan-based, early stage companies in six target sectors: advanced manufacturing, life sciences technology, homeland security, alternative energy technology, information technology, and agriculture.