About the WBT
Rick Brenner USDA, Wes Jurey Center for Innovation at Arlington, Chris Christopher DHS, Cynthia Gonsalves DoD, and Marc Stanley NIST Representatives
SIGMA Panel at WBT2010
SIGMA is a group of science fiction writers who offer futurism consulting to the United States government and appropriate NGOs
VIP Reception
WBT Exhibit Hall
WBT09 Presenter - Air Force Research Lab
WBT2010 Award Winners
Platinum: Orthogonal
Gold: Astronix Research
Silver: FibeRio
University Poster Session
World class mentoring for emerging technologies...
by investors and licensees, for investors and licensees
What began as an idea in early 2002, the WBT Innovation Marketplace has emerged as the nation's premier event showcasing the largest collection of vetted and mentored companies and technologies emanating from top universities, labs, research institutions, and the private sector from across the country and around the globe.
Since its inception in 2002 the WBT Innovation Marketplace has presented over 560 emerging companies and technologies representing 49 states and 19 countries. To date WBT presenters have received over $490 Million in early and seed stage funding and licensing. These figures do not consider subsequent federal R&D grants or sources of other government, state, local grant funding, or licensing agreements of undisclosed amounts.
Focus
The WBT Innovation Marketplace (WBT) represents the collaborative, year-long effort of investors, licensees, and tech commercialization professionals. The WBT is deal-focused and diverse, showcasing companies and technologies that vary by geography, funding source, and type of research institution. Participating technologies are selected by - and presented to - over 100 seasoned venture investors and Fortune 500 licensing scouts representing a variety of industries, each supported by private funding, federal R&D grants or both. Most companies are presenting for the very first time. All selected presenters are coached and prepped to make a concise, investor-oriented presentation.
Who participates
The WBT serves as an efficient and effective means for emerging companies to build their network of resources, and helps launch world-class technologies from leading laboratories and universities into the marketplace. Presenting technologies are selected on the merits of their innovation and the specific investment or licensing opportunity. Exhibit space is limited to selected presenting technologies and event sponsors only. WBT staff do not solicit participants' ancillary products, consulting services or otherwise compete with participating investors, licensees and consultants.
Prospective presenters can be broadly divided into two groups - actual startup companies and pure technologies (i.e. institutions representing researchers still in the lab.) Each candidate is seeking seed/venture capital, corporate licensing partners, or a strategic partner . The WBT is not an event recognizing and highlighting technology for technology's sake. Rather, prospective WBT presenters must demonstrate that their technology has the potential to form the basis for high growth commercial enterprise or be easily licensed to solve a specific market problem. Selected technologies are typically supported by a number of federal R&D programs including SBIR, STTR, the US Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) program, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions
The Process
Applicants are screened by a national panel of seed investors, venture capitalists and corporate licensing executives. Up to one hundred (100) presenters are chosen to make a 6-minute presentation. In the weeks leading up to the WBT Marketplace presenters are provided guidance on their 6-minute presentations and groomed by individually assembled mentor teams comprised of seasoned experts. All presenters are also eligible to compete for a "Innovation Marketplace Award " where investors and licensing scouts ultimately select the most promising technologies in each of the 5 designated industry sectors. Presenting technologies represent a convergence of industry sectors including Lifescience, Materials Science, Energy, Information Technology and Nano.
Technologies are judged on the following basic criteria:
Is it a Platform Technology that could spawn many products?
Is it First in the Space, having the potential to give rise to a whole new industry?
Is it Close to Market, having few barriers remaining to commercial application?
Results
The WBT2010 brought together 90 world-class companies and technologies drawing nearly 600 attendees--including 140 bonafide investors and Fortune 1000 licensees, and 8 federal agencies.
WBT02 selected presenters successfully raised over $227 Million in first (or next) round venture capital or secured licensing agreements. This figure includes the $169 Million acquisition of MeshNetworks, a DARPA funded technology by Motorola.
Likewise, WBT04 presenters, successfully raised over $49 Million in first round venture capital or secured licensing agreements, including the acquisition of Sensant, a National Science Foundation SBIR sponsored technology, by Siemens AG for an undisclosed amount. This also includes the acquisition of OrganicID by Weyerhaeuser in 2006 for an undisclosed amount.
WBT05 presenters have secured over $160 Million in first (or next round) venture capital, including the $42 Million acquisition of Planning Systems, Inc, a US Army and NIH backed technology by QinetiQ North America. WBT05 results also include the purchase of the NASA spinout, Institute for Development's technology by Lextel Intelligence Systems, LLC for an undisclosed amount. NASA reports that the introduction that resulted in the purchase occurred at the WBT.
WBT06 presenters have raised over $7 Million in first round venture capital or secured licensing agreements. WBT07 presenters have received funding totaling $6.1 Million, not including TravellingWave’s undisclosed Series A investment. WBT2008 – WBT2010 presenters have collectively raised $39,850,000.
According to the Center for Venture Research, venture capital firms regularly receive hundreds of business plans each month. From among these, it is not unusual for a VC firm to actually fund only 0.25% — 0.5%. When compared to industry norms the track record of the WBT and the success of WBT presenters is significant. To learn more about WBT Past Presenters visit, Presenter Update
Investment Facts:
The most famous and successful venture capital firms regularly receive hundreds of business plans each month. From among these, it is not unusual for a VC firm to actually fund only 0.25% — 0.5% according to the Center for Venture Research
According to The MoneyTree™ Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association based on data from Thomson Reuters
In 2010 Q1 - $1.4 billion was invested in 299 Seed and Early stage investments
In 2010 Q1 - $972 million, First-time financing (companies receiving venture capital for the first time) dollars were invested in 208 companies