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20 n e w h a v e n B I Z | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m T e c h 2 5 A dvances in medicine have provided breakthroughs in so many areas but one area where progress has been slow has been in treating spinal cord injuries. Now New Haven bioscience startup ReNetX Bio is offering a ray of hope. "Ray" is the key concept here; there is no suggestion of a cure. While ReNetX Bio's NoGo Trap therapeutic has been given "fast track" status by the Food and Drug Administration, the firm's mission statement is clear and precise: "to boldly advance first-in-class therapeutics for people living with currently incurable neurological disorders." e science comes from the lab of the firm founder, Dr. Steve Strittmatter. He's the Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology and co-founded the Yale Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair. His NoGo Trap blocks inhibitors in the central nervous system thereby allowing the body to repair itself by re-growing nerve fiber connections. e injected therapeutic has shown promise in primates leading to a rare human trial using patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. Human trials are expensive, and the early stages are taking place at six sites with an undisclosed number of participants. Dr. Crista Adamson knows both the science and patient experience. She suffered a spinal cord injury at the age of 20 and has been moving through life in a wheelchair for 35 years. She earned her Ph.D. at Rutgers and has been involved in spinal cord research for decades. Today she's the director of clinical engagement at ReNetX. She knows well the stages of dealing with a spinal cord injury and her insights guide the firm's march through early-stage human trials that will establish the safety and optimum dosing of the product. Hope is relative and is measured in incremental progress, she says — an extra degree of motion here, an extra bit of hand strength there. She says she has seen too many trials overpromise. is won't be one of those. She describes Strittmatter as "a rock star" in the field. In February, he was awarded the King Faisal Prize for Medicine for his work on the NoGo receptor pathway. But ReNetX isn't pure science. It's designed as a business and that's the province of CEO Erika Smith. Her background includes launching three venture funds and co-authoring a book on empowering women entrepreneurs. She points to early funding support from the Wings of Life Foundation. So far, ReNetX has raised about $30 million, including a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. But, if the therapeutic passes early clinical testing, a move to the commercialization phase will require finding a deep-pocketed partner, she acknowledges. ere are about 300,000 spinal cord patients in the U.S. but the therapeutic also could improve life for 3 million glaucoma patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy. at's the next hurdle for ReNetX. Today, a staff of 20 works on advancing NoGo Trap through the FDA trials process. Smith points to a supportive and collaborative New Haven ecosystem as a valuable asset in ReNetX's progress. n ReNetX Bio's technology offers ray of hope for spinal cord injury patients N o list of New Haven area's intriguing tech firms would be complete without Square 9 Soworks. For 15 years, Square 9 has built an impressive portfolio of clients for its document management systems. Today, it claims more than 15,000 customers that span the globe. It's also built an impressive portfolio of awards. Buyer's Laboratory was among the first to flag the quality of Square 9's products. e company became a regular on Inc.'s lists of the fastest- growing companies and entered Marcum's Hall of Fame aer earning six consecutive Connecticut Tech Top 40 honors. e success story has a uniquely New Haven flavor. Square 9 Soworks got its start in 2001 as a division of InfiNet Business Systems. Enterprise Content Management was in its infancy and by 2006 Square 9 Soworks struck out on its own as a separately incorporated operation. e name? e founders were meeting regularly in a coffee shop in New Haven's Ninth Square District. ey decided to go for it and adopted the district's name. e Global Search product line took off and spawned Global Capture and Global Forms as the world quickly embraced the concept of digital searchable files. e explosion of cloud computing opened more frontiers. An early decision to rely on a resellers network as a sales force has paid dividends in building a $15 million-per-year revenue stream. Education Essentials is the newest product, released in February. Square 9 has been in the education space for years, delivering a range of accounts payable/ receivable, human resources and contract management solutions. But incorporating K-12 student records was a unique challenge that required a special release. Education Essentials has a special meaning for Stephen Young, Square 9's CEO. He explains he has a child with autism. e file of student records is thick, he says, gesturing to indicate a pile more than a yard thick. e new Square 9 product ensures the privacy of those records while eliminating the paperwork and leaving a searchable digital file. Next on the drawing board is a package for local governments and small businesses that connects to QuickBooks. Young speaks with pride about bootstrapping the firm through early growing pains. But recently Square 9 hit what Young describes as "an inflection point." e staff had simply outgrown available space and for the first time Young admits he considered taking Square 9 outside the city. at idea just wouldn't fly with the former longtime New Haven economic development leader Matthew Nemerson, Young recalls. He credits Nemerson with helping orchestrate a state loan to finance a move into new space downtown. Young has signed a seven-year lease at 127 Church St. Young says his staff of 66 — down from a pre-COVID high of 80 — values the access to downtown amenities. Looking ahead, Young says Square 9 is eager to become more active in the New Haven community. Dawn Duchene, the firm's director of marketing, is in charge of evaluating potential partnerships with area nonprofits. n Longtime New Haven tech firm Square 9 Softworks reconfirms commitment to Elm City Dr. Crista Adamson is the director of clinical engagement at ReNetX. By Norm Bell At a glance Company: ReNetX Bio Industry: Bioscience Top Executive: Erika Smith, CEO HQ: 157 Church St., New Haven No. of Employees: 20 Company Website: https:// www.renetx.com Erika Smith, CEO At a glance Company: Square 9 Softworks Industry: Software Top Executive: Stephen Young, CEO HQ: 127 Church St., New Haven No. of Employees: 66 Company Website: https:// www.square-9.com Phone Number: 203-789-0889 By Norm Bell Stephen Young, CEO A Square 9 employee provides client training.

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