BIOSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS CENTER INC

IN 2024, THE BIOSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS CENTER (BTBC), DOING BUSINESS AS KU INNOVATION PARK (THE PARK), CONTINUED ITS EFFORTS TO CREATE, RECRUIT, GROW, AND RETAIN TECHNOLOGY AND BIOSCIENCE COMPANIES IN NORTHEAST KANSAS, WITH THE GOAL OF BUILDING A MORE MODERN, RESILIENT, AND DIVERSE REGIONAL ECONOMY. IN MARCH, ADAM COURTNEY, A LONGTIME EMPLOYEE AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, WAS NAMED CEO AFTER SERVING AS INTERIM CEO FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THE PARK SECURED 22 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ITS NEXT FACILITY, THE PHASE IV BUILDING, WHICH WILL HOUSE THE KANSAS NATIONAL SECURITY INNOVATION CENTER, AMONG OTHER ENTITIES. THE PARK EXPANDED ITS STAFF BY HIRING CHRIS REHKAMP AS THE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SERVICES, PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE BOOST TO SUPPORT FOR STARTUP AND ESTABLISHED COMPANIES WITHIN ITS FACILITIES AND BEYOND. THE PHASE III FACILITY REACHED CAPACITY IN MAY, HOUSING 11 COMPANIES FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE, BIOSCIENCE AND ANIMAL HEALTH, AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. THE PARK LAUNCHED MULTIPLE NEW PROGRAMS, INCLUDING FREE MONTHLY LUNCH-AND-LEARNS ON TOPICS AIMED AT ENTREPRENEURS, A CAPITAL RAISE BOOT CAMP, AND LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN ACCELERATOR PROGRAM SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 2025 TO HELP UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS BRING DISCOVERIES TO MARKET. THROUGHOUT 2024, THE PARK ADDED FOUR COMPANIES, BRINGING ITS TOTAL TO 74, WHICH CREATED 70 JOBS AND ADDED OVER 700,000 TO THE ANNUAL PAYROLL, TOTALING 750 JOBS AND A 49.7 MILLION ANNUAL PAYROLL ACROSS THE PARK SYSTEM. THANKS TO A GRANT FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, THE PARK CREATED A NEW CAPITAL OPTION, THE OREAD ANGEL INVESTORS NETWORK. IN ITS FIRST PITCH EVENT, NETWORK MEMBERS INVESTED OVER 500,000 IN STARTUPS AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS OR THE PARK. OVERALL, THE PARK CONTINUES TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF BIOSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES BY PROVIDING: 1) SPECIALIZED LAB AND OFFICE SPACE ON THE WEST CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, 2) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, 3) ACCESS TO THE UNIVERSITY IN A VARIETY OF WAYS, INCLUDING COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, LAB ACCESS AND A TALENT PIPELINE, 4) RECRUITMENT AND RELOCATION ASSISTANCE, 5) ACCESS TO CAPITAL THROUGH THE ANGEL NETWORK, VARIOUS VENTURE CAPITAL PARNTERS, AND THROUGH EDUCATION AND SUPPORT FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS, AND 6) ACCESS TO THE VAST NETWORK OF RESOURCES THE PARK HAS CREATED THROUGH COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP.