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Contacts Us 865 Brook Street Rocky Hill, CT 06067 www.ctinnovations.com Toll-free: 888.337.5454 Tel: 860.563.5851 Fax: 860.563.4877 Claire Leonardi, Chief Executive Officer Linda Wieleba, Senior Vice President, Senior Loan Officer Deb Santy, Director, Small Business Innovation Jeremy Crisp, Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer Karin Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Specialty Finance Quick Links Angel Investor Tax Credit Program www.ctinnovations.com/ angels Business Support www.ctinnovations.com/ entrepreneurs Small Business Innovation Team www.ctinnovations.com/sbi CTNext www.ctnext.com Connectiuct Bioscience Innovation Fund www.ctinnovations.com/cbif IRBS and Specialty Finance www.ctinnovations.com/irb SPONSORED PROFILE Above: CI's venture team backs companies like Madison's NovaTract Surgical, which makes innovative laparoscopic medical devices. The technology used in the NovaTract retractor pictured here was recognized in 2013 as an Innovation of the Year by the Society for Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. ing a potential investment. What makes CI unique is its double-bottom-line approach to investing. Besides returns, it also considers the impact its investment may have in spur- ring high-quality job growth in Connecticut. The venture team makes investments through several equity funds, each with different investment amounts and criteria. CI also manages the state's Angel Investor Tax Credit Program. Lending CI's lending team includes seasoned commercial lenders who support growing business- es in diverse industries through- out Connecticut. It does this by partnering with traditional commercial lenders to meet their borrowers' needs. When a business is unable to meet a bank's underwriting criteria for financing — for example, it has inadequate collateral — CI can step in and work with the bank to bridge the gap. CI also has the flexibility to help free up availability under the bor- rower's line of credit, extend the maturity of an existing loan and more. CI offers flexible terms and loans of up to $5 million. Small Business Innovation The Small Business Innova- tion (SBI) team at CI helps myr- iad small businesses through- out the state identify and win state and federal grants, find talent, form powerful connec- tions and partnerships with universities and big businesses and more. The SBI team also of- fers reviews of technology and marketability, and can guide businesses toward in-house programs that increase their odds of winning a federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Tech- nology Transfer Program (STTR) award. In addition, the SBI group manages CTNext, a new initiative of Governor Malloy, which promotes the entrepre- neurial community and acts as a statewide support network for startups. Bioscience Innovation CI manages the Con- necticut Bioscience Innovation Fund, a $200-million fund that seeks to drive innovation in the biosciences by providing focused financial assistance to startups, early stage busi- nesses, nonprofits and accred- ited colleges and universities throughout Connecticut. Through CBIF, CI will make invest- ments over the next 10 years in the form of grants, equity investments, loans and loan guarantees to foster innovation. The fund will provide the means to speed commercializable bio- science breakthroughs toward the market. Specialty Finance CI manages Connecticut's Industrial Revenue Bonds pro- gram, which provides a unique type of tax-exempt revenue bond primarily to manufactur- ers working on major initiatives. CI also provides sales tax incre- mental financing and manages the Connecticut Brownfields Redevelopment Authority (CBRA), a group that creates and administers programs for remediation and economic redevelopment of the state's contaminated industrial sites. Bottom Line With all of these unique programs and funds in place, innovative businesses of any stage can get the assistance they need to start and grow right here in Connecticut. Visit ctinnovations.com for more information. Above: Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford used CI funding to turn an old industrial building into a modern craft brewery — now the largest in Connecticut.