University of Illinois Team Takes Top Honor at the University of San Francisco's International Business Plan Competition

Business Wire, March 27, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO -- The University of San Francisco's annual International Business Plan Competition was held in San Francisco on March 23-25, 2006. The University of Illinois at Chicago team, SanoGene Therapeutics, Inc., presented their plan to develop biopharmaceutical products that prevent tumor progression and promote cancer cell death to more than fifty of Silicon Valley's premier venture capitalists, and was awarded the first place prize of $10,000.00.

"Competition was fierce this year, and I was impressed by the quality and global reach of the business plans," said John Denniston, partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. "USF's global business plan competition is first-rate in every respect."

Duke University's Cytex Therapeutics took second place and Remedy Diagnostics, from the University of Texas at Austin, was awarded the third place prize. Nineteen semi-finalist teams from the world's top universities, including London School of Economics, Stanford University, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, and the University of Michigan, presented to more than sixty judges at the competition, which is regarded by industry insiders and academic observers as the premier showcase for technology ventures.

Competition judges include partners from top venture firms, such as: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Hummer-Winblad, Intel Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Garage Technology Ventures, Cross Link Capital, De Novo Ventures, and Burrill & Company. Additionally, attorneys with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Hanson Bridgett, and Montgomery Law Group, and executives with Cisco Systems, Intuit, and T-Mobile/Deutsche Telekom served as judges.

More information regarding the competition and the judges can be found by visiting the website, www.BusinessPlanCompetition.org.