High-tech companies are sprouting up throughout the region, helping to revitalize our local economy. Rising Stars, a quarterly event, showcases the entrepreneurs who are building some of Rochester’s most successful technology companies. It offers an opportunity to hear their personal stories and meet the individuals behind Rochester’s “rising stars.”

Companies that develop new products in the healthcare industry literally change people’s lives for the better. As rewarding as this may be, risks are high and lead times can be long. We’re about to hear what it takes to found and grow a company in this world of high risk – high reward!

Biotechnology (the use of the cellular and molecular processes to solve problems or make products ) is a research-driven industry, and companies often spend ten or more years researching a drug or procedure before it can become commercially viable. This didn’t stop Maurice Zauderer from building a company around his technology platform for discovery of fully human monoclonal antibodies. Today the 50+ employees at Vaccinex use this technology to create a pipeline of promising therapeutic antibodies for in-house development and co-development with world-class partners, as well as for client companies needing fee-based antibody discovery and research services.

At RTEmd, Bob Ruppenthal and his partner Jim Janicki, have been helping to develop complex medical equipment for over twenty five years. As a key partner with some of the biggest names in the healthcare industry, the company focuses on In-Vitro Diagnostics, Diagnostic Imaging and Health Care Information Systems. RTEmd’s ongoing client relationships include new product development, sustaining engineering and verification testing for FDA regulated devices.

Once again, Digital Rochester offers you the opportunity for an up close and personal session with Rochester success stories. We’ll hear the challenges of starting a healthcare based company and the secrets of 10-25 years of success! Join us on May 10th for Rising Stars!

[Register below]

SPEAKERS:

• Robert M. Ruppenthal, President and CEO, RTEmd
• Maurice Zauderer, PhD., President and CEO, Vaccinex

AGENDA:

7:30-8:00 am	Refreshments and Networking
8:00-9:00 am	Presentations
9:00-9:30 am	Q&A and Meet the Speakers

SPONSORS:

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Robert M. Ruppenthal

Bob Ruppenthal's career began designing automated test equipment for inertial guidance systems on the Viking Mission to Mars and Minuteman Missile. Later, he designed hardware and software for high-rise elevator control systems and developed software for early clinical chemistry systems.

Capitalizing on his experiences, Bob founded Real Time Enterprises, Inc. in 1981. Bob and co-founder, Jim Janicki, realized that adherence to process improves outcomes in software development–a novel idea in the early '80s. RTEmd is now an ISO 9001 registered, software engineering company that has been developing product software for complex medical equipment for over twenty five years.

Since 1998, RTEmd has increased the focus of its resources and expertise in the medical equipment industry, with emphasis on In-Vitro Diagnostics, Diagnostic Imaging and Health Care Information Systems. RTEmd’s ongoing client relationships include new product development, sustaining engineering and verification testing for FDA regulated devices.

Bob remains active in local economic development initiatives and commercialization of new technologies. His work in our community includes advising emerging technology companies and a committee role in Med Tech, a regional trade association focused on medical technologies. He holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida.

Maurice Zauderer, PhD.

Dr. Zauderer co-founded Vaccinex and has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Vaccinex since its inception. He is the inventor of Vaccinex’s core technology platform for discovery of fully human monoclonal antibodies. Immediately prior to founding Vaccinex, Dr. Zauderer was a Professor at the University of Rochester Cancer Center. He has also held a faculty appointment at Columbia University.

Dr. Zauderer holds a Ph.D. in cell biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the board of directors of the New York Biotechnology Association (NYBA), a former member of the Rochester Economic Development Board, and currently President-elect of the Hillel Community Day School in Rochester.

Vaccinex, Inc. is a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibodies to treat a variety of serious diseases. The company's patented ACTIVMAb® technology allows for the direct selection of high affinity, fully human monoclonal antibodies that would be difficult or impossible to identify using other systems. Unique to this technology is the capability to recover fully functional human antibodies from libraries expressed in mammalian cells.