STARTUPS & INNOVATIONS

ACCELERATORS

Aliso Viejo-based Octane, an accelerator for innovative tech and life science businesses, is innovating with its own operations.

The nonprofit-turned-content provider moved three of its conferences and a major tech awards show to an online format, the first of which took place on Aug. 6 to 8.

Attendance and engagement couldn’t have been better at the just-completed Ophthalmology Technology Summit, according to Octane Chief Executive Bill Carpou. 

Attendance rates tripled to about 1,200 participants, and an attendee survey revealed 77% were satisfied with the virtual format, he said. 

“Having a digital platform gives us the ability to grow our attendance and brand,” Carpou said. “COVID-19 accelerated us to a place that we might’ve reached in 18 months on our own. It forced us to adapt sooner and it’ll allow us to expand our footprint outside of OC next year.”

OC Initiatives

Octane has seen strong support from its partners and sponsors amid the pandemic, said Carpou, and it will continue advancing its OC community-based initiative in the digital environment.

A major focus since 2019 has been leveraging artificial intelligence in technology, medical devices, legal and real estate sectors—something that is increasing a component in companies that it screens for its Launchpad accelerator program, he said.

AI is an emerging area that OC has taken a leading role in, and it could very well become the next super center for the sector with the collective support of the community, Carpou said.

In the back half of 2020, Carpou said expect to hear more from Octane on its young leaders’ initiative and a new capital fund for early-stage companies. 

FINANCING

Orange-based real estate marketing platform ListReports Inc. recently closed an $8.5 million round of funding. Investors were undisclosed. 

ListReports is free for real estate agents and aims to make agents “more successful by making buying and selling a home a truly delightful experience,” according to co-founder Matt Duffy. 

When an agent gets a new listing, ListReports will automatically generate all the marketing assets required, ranging from custom flyers and postcard templates to property websites and other digital assets. 

These assets are downloadable, shareable on social media and printable. 

Recent updates to the ListReports platform include an online portfolio that allows agents to list homes based on particular amenities or commonalities and a lead-capture tool that generates mortgage interest rates in specific markets for loan officers. 

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the company also launched an “Agentpreneur” group on Facebook and added a free video conferencing feature to its platform. 

Since inception, the 6-year-old firm has generated 3.95 million marketing kits, including 30,000 kits just last week. 

It’s garnered business from about 270,000 agents and 9,000 loan officers to date. 

Clients include First Team Real Estate and Foothill Ranch-based mortgage lender loanDepot. 

TriFlo Cardiovascular Inc. raised about $4.6 million from 127 investors in a Series A round of funding last month. 

Founded in 2017, the Huntington Beach-based firm is developing a novel transcatheter technology for the treatment of vascular diseases. 

It is led by Chief Executive Thierre Thauer and Chief Operating Officer Luca Pesce, whose résumé includes engineer positions with Rancho Santa Margarita-based Applied Medical Resources Corp.; Edwards Lifesciences Corp. in Irvine; and CardiAQ Valve Technologies Inc., a transcatheter mitral valve replacement system developer that was acquired by Edwards Lifesciences for about $350 million in cash in 2015.  

Board members who joined TriFlo with the Series A round include Aldo Maccari, director of Milan-based Indosuez Wealth Management; and Stephanie Piat, a former vice president for Abbott and Johnson & Johnson. 

Regulatory filings indicate TriFlo has raised about $5.9 million to date. 

Santa Ana-based Aqua Medical Inc., the developer of a technology platform for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, raised $6.8 million this month, according to regulatory filings. 

The 4-year-old firm has developed a noninvasive, vapor-based technology that destroys body tissue to treat Barrett’s esophagus and pancreatic cysts; both conditions can lead to cancer when left untreated. 

The company said its platform offers a faster, easier-to-use treatment compared to current options, as well as the only nonsurgical treatment for pancreatic cysts.

Aqua Medical said it’s demonstrated proof of concept on animal tissue; it plans to develop a second-generation platform ahead of launching pre-clinical bench and animal testing and submission to the FDA.

Virender Sharma, a trained surgeon and gastroenterologist, started Aqua Medical in 2016. He served as a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic for a decade before launching his own ventures. 

He is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Digestive Health and SynerZ Medical Inc., the developer of a new procedure for the treatment of diabetes, which was acquired by medical device maker W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. for $10 million in 2016. 

Aqua Medical is led by Chief Executive Lloyd Mencinger. Pete Nicholas, founder and ex-chairman of Boston Scientific Corp., serves as a board adviser to the company.

NEW HIRES

WurkNow Inc., an Irvine-based workforce management software firm, tapped Rob Henshaw to lead product management, where he will oversee the company’s modules in staffing, onboarding, human resources and timekeeping and compliance. 

He previously held roles as director of technology and product management for Bullhorn Inc., a customer management platform for the staffing industry, and e-commerce marketing firm Vistaprint. 

Meanwhile, Mohammed Firdouse was named director of software development. He will ensure development, quality and security best practices for the blockchain-based platform, the company said. 

Firdouse held senior information technology roles at Thales, Psychemedics Corp., Mudhill IT Solutions, and CCIS Inc. prior to joining WurkNow. 

WurkNow has grown its team this year to over 20 employees in its Irvine, Fullerton and Riverside offices. 

Irvine-based adtech firm Mobilize Solutions Inc. recently named Jeff Lucas an executive adviser and board member.

Mobilize is the creator of a camera platform with custom filters, which drives customer insights, brand opportunities and revenue generation for advertisers and shareholders, the company said. 

Lucas is the head of North American sales and global client solutions at Verizon Media, part of Verizon Communications Inc. 

His résumé spans two decades in executive roles in sales at marketing with media companies such as Snap Inc., ViacomCBS Inc., and NBCUniversal Inc.

“I am happy to be a resource as Mobilize embarks on the exciting world of camera-marketing. There is still no playbook for this new media, but innovative companies like Mobilize will help pave the way,” Lucas said.

Additional Mobilize board members include former Verizon execs Marni Walden and Greg Haller.

Mike Benventui, manager of the Cove Fund II in Irvine, is an adviser.