Innovative Startup Focused on Developing Clinical Diagnostic Tools Wins Startup Incubation Support through Collaboration Between the University of Arizona and Forward-Looking Legal Firm
University of Arizona Tech Parks
The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is pleased to announce the winning startup team for the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by Spencer Fane LLP competition. The startup, TheraCea, will continue to receive support in the UACI incubation program including resources, facilities, services and expert guidance to grow its business.
TheraCea was selected from the pool of applicants for its drive in pursuing an innovative solution that addresses a real-world challenge. TheraCea is unleashing the power of precision medicine by developing clinical diagnostic tools for faster and more accurate detection of cancer and neurological disorders, as well as for best-in-class therapy matching and rapid assessment of therapy efficacy.
The selection was based on TheraCea’s dedication to commercializing its innovation and pursuing a scalable business model. TheraCea has partnered with the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health to move its technology from the chemistry bench to clinics. With more business support, the team has an even greater ability to make a difference both locally and globally.
In alignment with its mission to grow scalable startup ventures that fuel the Arizona economy, UACI has teamed up with legal firm Spencer Fane LLP to support science and technology startup companies. Competition judges include Raj Gangadean, a partner in the Spencer Fane business transactions group; Allen Freed, founder & principal, AJ Freed Foods LLC; and Lydia Kennedy, Advanced Manufacturing Incubator manager, Pima Community College. The judges selected TheraCea to receive one year of sponsored admission at UACI which includes a structured incubation program, customized business mentoring and the ability to work alongside other startups in a fast-paced environment. UACI provides the people, programming and place needed to successfully launch and scale a business. The incubation program also provides its clients with office and laboratory space and assistance through a 28-point roadmap that helps them with everything from refining their business models to obtaining funding. In addition to a one-year sponsored entry into UACI, the winning startup will receive legal services from Spencer Fane. The total package value is $16,800 and is funded by Spencer Fane.
Because of the synergy within the incubator network, TheraCea co-founder, Iman Daryaei, PhD, has grown the team by recruiting fellow startup founder; Scott Zentack, MBA. The two business founders met when working alongside each other in the bioscience-focused lab located in UACI at Oro Valley. The liked-minded and exceptional talent of Mr. Zentack coupled with a shared passion for medical imaging and diagnosis make him an invaluable addition at a perfect time when his business objectives had run their course.
“As a firm, we are honored to support and work with TheraCea as the winning startup through the University of Arizona Center for Innovation. We are both leaders in our respective industries and strive to provide best-in-class services to our clients, whether that is clinical diagnostic tools or legal consultancy. It’s a great match in terms of dedication and client service” Raj Gangadean, partner, Spencer Fane shared. “We are excited to partner with a team that is focused on providing answers to patients and their oncologists or neurologists through faster and more accurate detection of cancer and neurological disorders.”
About University of Arizona Center for Innovation
The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region. For two decades, the program has directly served over 300 companies, impacting thousands of entrepreneurs who have attracted $105.8M in external capital. This is done by providing access to people, programming, and places that help entrepreneurs take their companies from idea to market. With the mission to fuel the Arizona economy, UACI works to help scale science and tech-based startups under the scope of Tech Parks Arizona creating university-based economic impact.
About Spencer Fane
Spencer Fane is a full-service business law firm focused on providing results that move clients and their businesses forward. With direct access to firm leadership and a different approach to client
engagement, its attorneys instill confidence and certainty that the clients’ interests are the firm’s priority. The firm has offices in Phoenix, Arizona; San Jose (Silicon Valley) and Santa Monica (Los Angeles), California; Denver, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; Overland Park, Kansas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cape Girardeau, Jefferson City, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; Las Vegas, Nevada; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Greenville, South Carolina; Dakota Dunes, South Dakota; Hendersonville and Nashville, Tennessee; and Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Plano, Texas. For more information, visit spencerfane.com or follow @spencerfane.