U.S. innovation program brings international entrepreneurs to Purdue to advance heart therapy and combat counterfeit drugs

Entrepreneurs Marcos Valadares and Allan Eden are spending time in West Lafayette with the Purdue Foundry as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology Initiative. (Purdue Research Foundation image/Chris Adam) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue Foundry entrepreneurial community are helping to host a pair of entrepreneurs from Brazil and Uganda as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology Initiative.

Marcos Valadares and Allan Eden are spending four weeks in West Lafayette with the Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship in Purdue’s Discovery Park, and additional time in Washington, D.C. They are learning about the U.S. market and startup resources. The entrepreneurs also are working on refining their ideas, connecting with business experts and finding the right markets for their products and services.

“It has been interesting to experience for myself the biotech ecosystem in Greater Lafayette,” said Valadares, the co-founder and CEO of PluriCell, which is working on human heart cell therapy.

A U.S. innovation program brought international entrepreneurs to Purdue Foundry to advance heart therapy and combat counterfeit drugs. (Purdue Research Foundation image/Chris Adam) Download image

Eden works for Feyti, which created an interactive artificial intelligence platform to help battle counterfeit drugs.

West Lafayette is one of 10 cities across the U.S. where the GIST Business Incubation has launched, bringing nearly 30 global startups to entrepreneurial ecosystems across a handful of states. The program supports international science and technology innovators who are looking to expand their startups into the U.S. market.

The Business Incubation program also provides the U.S. startup ecosystem the opportunity to forge new connections with entrepreneurs who are abroad.

“Being in the U.S. made me realize the power of strong networking to build connections that lead to results,” Valadares said.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship in Purdue’s Discovery Park whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was co-named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. 

Writer: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org

Sources: Marcos Valadares, marcos.valadares@pluricellbiotech.com

Allan Eden, atuheire.allaneden@gmail.com