OCTANe Launches Visionary Venture Fund to Expand Support for Ophthalmology Startups

ALISO VIEJO, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 2, 2016) - OCTANe, the Orange County business development accelerator, today announced the launch of the Visionary Venture Fund and Advisory Board to help accelerate the ophthalmology innovation ecosystem in Orange County and throughout the medical industry.

Select startup companies developing promising technologies will be candidates to tap into the unique resources established by the creation of the $50 million fund and counsel provided by some of the most influential experts in the ophthalmology field.

"This is a unique opportunity to create an inflection point in the development of groundbreaking research and technology development in the ophthalmology field," said Bill Carpou, president and CEO of OCTANe.

Added Carpou: "It's different than a simple investment. It provides OCTANe the ability to participate in one of the fastest growing areas in the world with direct involvement of the industry's top leaders. These leaders provide the insight to identify innovative trends and, when combined with the OCTANe LaunchPad process and advisor network, a greater level of support for startup success."

The Visionary Venture Fund Advisory Board includes more than 20 leaders from among the ophthalmology industry. 

Board members will help later-stage startup companies navigate the evolution from development and initial funding to commercialization. The members are intimately familiar with the market, know where there are needs in the practice and have unique insight into which products will have the potential to succeed in the marketplace.

OCTANe established the fund and board to tap into one of the strongest industry growth markets in the healthcare ecosystem. Ophthalmology procedures are expected to grow at a 5 percent rate as the average price per procedure increases. There's also a strong VC precedent, with more than $1.3 billion invested in 2014.

Companies and individuals fitting the fund's target profile can learn more about the fund, board members and services at visionaryvc.com or further about OCTANe at octaneoc.org.

About OCTANe:
OCTANe drives technology industry growth by connecting ideas and people with resources and capital. The organization's successful 13-year heritage as a business development accelerator for early-stage and startup companies has raised more than $1.1 billion and created over 5,000 jobs. OCTANe functions as an innovation and commercialization catalyst that drives a robust economic ecosystem; enabling companies to not just be formed and capitalized, but achieve revenue and profit goals faster and with greater success. The organization has supported more than 800 companies via the LaunchPad™ SBDC accelerator which taps into unique insights through data, predictive analytics and human interaction. OCTANe welcomes more than 8,000 people to its programs, conferences and investor summits annually. For more information, visit us at octaneoc.org.