A program to help the nation's most promising life science startup companies grow.

The National Institute of Health Commercialization Program (NIH-CAP), now in its fourth year, is a nation wide program funded by NIH and managed and executed by Larta. The program is designed to assist some of the most promising life science companies bring their technologies to market. The NIH-CAP is a ten-month program for a select number of NIH SBIR Phase II grantees. The program comprises of training workshops, individual mentoring and consulting sessions, and public events in which companies present their technologies to the investment community, potential strategic partners and licensees.

There are numerous obstacles and challenges in bringing a new technology to market and include building strategic alliances, identifying sources for funding, defining intellectual property rights, creating a long- and short-term marketing strategy and building a management team. These are just some of the mentoring issues that are addressed by Larta's team of life science experts in the NIH-CAP. In addition to guidance and mentoring on commercialization issues, the CAP companies are exposed to and put in contact with a number of investors and industry representatives through the course of the program.

At the end of the program, a select group of NIH-CAP companies present their technologies at the Venture Forum, Larta's annual showcase of promising technologies. The Forum gives the CAP companies the opportunity to present their technologies to a national audience of life science investors and industry players.

For more information on the NIH-CAP, contact Ketaki Sood, Program Director, NIH-CAP, Larta Institute at (213) 538-1444 or ksood@larta.org.