One of Rice Alliance Business Plan Contest Winners Attracted to Houston

Houston Business Journal: Funding winners consider required move to Houston, 2008-Apr-11, by Mary Ann Azevedo: Carnegie Mellon University-affiliated NeuroBank -- is considering making the move from Pittsburgh. NeuroBank is an early-stage life science company focused on the storage of adult neural stem cells for individuals with or without neurological disease. Dr. Raymond Sekula, CEO of NeuroBank, says he and his partner tentatively agreed this week to move to Houston. While NeuroBank has already been offered some funds from a local incubator in Pittsburgh, Sekula says "what's different here is more that the local investors in Houston are much more forward-thinking."" It seems like a very good environment for us," Sekula says. "Houston might be the ideal place to launch this company." NeuroBank's grant was announced at an April 5 gala that capped off a competition in which 36 of the top MBA/graduate schools from around the world presented business plans in front of a judging panel of more than 170 venture capitalists, investors and business executives. The University of Texas' Qcue of Austin won the top prize....The two-employee NeuroBank took home the third-place prize overall, but as the recipient of the Partnership-sponsored life science award, the company is being offered the incentive to relocate.