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For Immediate Release
Alan Fogg, Director of Communications
afogg@fceda.org, 703-790-0600 (o) or 571-213-5065 (m)
Fairfax County BioAccelerator peps up with arrival of Germany’s Jerini Peptide Technologies
Berlin-based company won competition for BioAccelerator office space; firm is second European company in the business incubator
Fairfax County , Virginia , October 18, 2004 — Jerini Peptide Technologies, GmbH (JPT) a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berlin-based Jerini AG, a venture-backed German pharmaceutical company, has taken up residence at the Fairfax County BioAccelerator business incubator. JPT will expand into the North American market from its new Fairfax County location.
JPT (www.jpt.com) manufactures and markets advanced tools and innovative arrays made of synthetic peptides which consist of consecutive amino acids. JPT´s products and services are widely used among pharmaceutical companies in various fields of biomedical research and drug discovery.
JPT enters the BioAccelerator after winning a 2003 FCEDA business plan competition among eight German biotechnology companies. The award consists of free business development services and office space in the BioAccelerator, which supports the growth of early-stage bioscience and biomedical companies. In June 2004, JPT’s parent company, Jerini, completed a series B venture capital round of 31 million Euros ($38 million). In September 2004, it was awarded second prize at the European BioTechnica Forum for Excellence in Biotech Business.
“We are very excited to have this assistance in entering the U.S. market. Fairfax County is an excellent location because of its proximity to our customers and to federal decision makers,” said Holger Wenschuh, Ph.D., Managing Director of JPT. “Being close to our customers will allow us to insure quality customer support. When you look at a map, it is easy to see that Fairfax County is located in the middle of our biomedical customer base on the east coast.”
“This is an exciting announcement. Innovative biotechnology growth companies from around the world are coming to Fairfax County,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, which opened the Fairfax County BioAccelerator last year. The FCEDA chose U.K.-based ANGLE Technology Group to manage the BioAccelerator.
JPT is the second European company to locate in the BioAccelerator. Last year, ProImmune from Cambridge, England, won a competition among British bioscience companies to win free business development assistance and office space in the center.
Business growth helps Fairfax County fund public services, such as the nation’s top-rated school system, that contribute to the quality of life of its residents. Fairfax County offers businesses a state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure, access to domestic and international markets through Washington Dulles International Airport, and a well-educated workforce.
About the FCEDA (www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org)
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. The FCEDA assists businesses by identifying possible sites and facilities, and is a source for up-to-date demographic and economic information. The FCEDA’s Capital Attraction Program links technology entrepreneurs with potential investors. Another program supports the growth of minority and woman-owned businesses. The FCEDA maintains overseas marketing offices in Bangalore, Frankfurt, London, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.
About ANGLE Technology Group (www.angletechnology.com)
ANGLE Technology Group is an international venture management and commercialization firm. It develops and manages research parks, accelerators and incubators; creates, manages and finances technology-based companies; and collaborates with companies, universities and government institutes to create companies based on protected intellectual property. ANGLE is based in Guildford, U.K., and has its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax County.
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