Companies move into new MU business incubator

by David Reed

May 13,2009

The MU Life Science Business Incubator has cut the ribbon. On May 4, the facility geared toward turning university research into viable businesses held its official opening and welcomed its first tenants. Owned by the university and operated by the Missouri Innovation Center, the building off Providence Road has 33,000 square feet of space, can accommodate 14 companies with lab space and has room for another 30 entrepreneurs.

            The facility is designed to help high-tech startups by providing cheap laboratory space and other shared resources until the company grows to a point where it can move out on its own. The incubator is hosting five companies now:

            Equinosis, LLC uses technology developed by MU professor Kevin Keegan to diagnose lameness in horses, a more objective method than prior techniques.

            PetScreen is the only company in the world offering the Canine Lymphoma Blood Test, which finds cancer-indicating proteins in the blood. MU researchers will work with the company to find biomarkers in humans and animals.

            Terminus Energy offers low-carbon distributive generation and solid oxide fuel cells. The company works with both MU researchers and Missouri University of Science and Technology researchers.

            Value Ag, LLC is an agribusiness services and technology spin-off from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

            Centennial Investors, a Columbia-based, 53-member investor network, will also occupy space as a "strategic tenant" and be used as a source of seed-capital funds for current and future incubator tenants.