OCTANe Sees Record Attendance at Medical Technology Innovation Forum

ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 2, 2017) - OCTANe, Orange County's technology and life sciences accelerator organization, is pleased to announce the continued growth of its signature forum, Medical Technology Innovation Forum (MTIF) with over 850 attendees present at the largest high-growth and medical technology investments conference in Southern California.

"Our focus as a startup accelerator is to drive innovation and growth by connecting people, resources and capital. With MTIF, we have done just that for the medical technology industry here in Southern California," said Bill Carpou, CEO of OCTANe, "We want to spark new ideas, build new relationships and help medical technology leaders continue to elevate the industry in Orange County and throughout Southern California."

At MTIF 2017, five of Southern California's top engineering schools were present on stage together. Gregory Washington, dean of the University of California, Irvine Samueli School of Engineering, Yannis Yortsos, dean of the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, Jayathi Murthy, dean of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Albert Pisano, dean of the University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering were joined by Guruswami Ravichandran, division chair-engineering at CalTech.

MTIF 2017 also featured keynote speaker, Omar Ishrak, CEO of Medtronic and was chaired by Jim Mazzo, president of Zeiss. Featured panels focused on the future of medical technology innovation, healthcare reform and molecular diagnostic among other topics. Additionally, a human interest story was presented by Allergan featuring the personal experience of a breast cancer survivor who underwent reconstructive surgery.

Finally, MTIF 2017 showcased eight presentations by OCTANe's Launchpad companies showcasing new ideas and technology.

The LaunchPad companies that presenting at MTIF included:

• Branchpoint Technologies, a developer of an advanced intracranial pressure monitoring technology currently pending FDA clearance
• Cellegen Diagnostics, a creator of a novel liquid biopsy enabled companion diagnostic platform
• Eyes4Lives, a promoter of visual health in a digital world
• Fischer Imaging, a developer of an advanced mammography system that doubles the resolution of today's systems and provides higher contrast using less than half the radiation dose
• Fresca Medical, a company that works to address the $4.3/$7 billion U.S. and Global therapeutic Obstructive Sleep Apnea market (OSA) with a clinically-proven, patient-friendly and ergonomically-elegant solution
• Perimeter, a group that is devoted to the development and commercialization of advanced clinical imaging products that enable greater surgical accuracy, drive better real-time clinical decisions, and result in improved patient care and cost savings for healthcare providers
• Recros Medica, a developer of a new medical aesthetic technology platform, Rotational Fractional Resection, with multiple clinical applications for medical aesthetic physicians
• SpineOvations, a creator of a novel, minimally invasive treatment for discogenic lower back pain based on a proprietary technology platform

Recros Medical was named the winner of the LaunchPad award at MTIF 2018 and will receive $135,000 worth of donated services.

The date for MTIF 2018 will take place from October 29 to 30, 2018 at the Newport Beach Marriott located at 900 Newport Center Dr. OCTANe has also released dates for all three of their 2018 signature events. The Technology Innovation Forum (TIF) will be held from May 31 to June 1 at the Newport Beach Marriott and the Ophthalmology Technology Summit (OTS) will be from June 29 to 30 at the Island Hotel.

About OCTANe:
OCTANe drives innovation and growth by connecting people, resources and capital to fuel technology growth in Southern California. Its members represent technology executive leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, academicians, and strategic advisors, all working together to fuel innovation in the OC. The organization has helped more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator. LaunchPad™ companies have received more than $2.1 billion in investment and equity exits. OCTANe annually welcomes more than 7,000 people to its programs and events. More than 2,000 business leaders throughout the region are OCTANe members. For more information, visit www.octaneoc.org.