Raleigh startup Archives - Serious Startups

Raleigh Startup’s Media Coverage Earns A Visit From A Zoning Inspector

When 31 year old Justin Miller was interviewed by Raleigh North Carolina’s local newspaper, the News & Observer on Monday he proudly talked about his startup Deja Mi. The city of Raleigh has been very proactive about entrepreneurship and startups over the past few years. Deja Mi, an app development startup, employs 13 people, which under normal circumstances would be welcomed by the city.

After Miller’s story appeared in the paper and on the paper’s website Monday it prompted a visit from a zoning inspector the very next day. As Miller explained to the News & Observer, the company has 30 days to move their office out of the basement of Miller’s home.

According to Miller the company has been working out of the basement for over a year in an effort to preserve some of the $800,000 they’ve received in angel investments to date.

The News & Observer calls the incident awkward for city officials because they’ve been pushing startups so hard as ways to create more jobs. Obviously Miller has achieved that goal.

Justin Miller and the Deja Mi staff (photo: News & Observer)

Miller and his 13 employees have developed to photo sharing apps for the iPhone. Their newest creation, WedPics, allows wedding guests and attendees the opportunity to upload and share wedding day photos collectively. Their other app is similar in nature but focuses on event photos.

While Miller and his employees dress “startup casual” they haven’t had any incidents in the last year at the residence.

“We’re trying to build a business,” Miller said to the News & Observer. “We’ve brought in people from other cities and states to move to Raleigh to become paying citizens of the city to contribute to the economic growth …, and this is what happens.”

“Here we are trying to create an image of being business friendly, especially to technology companies – in my mind that is unacceptable,” said Raleigh City Councilwoman Mary-Ann Baldwin.

Linkage:

Source: News & Observer

Deja Mi online

More startup news from “everywhere else”

And here’s the big show!

Raleigh Startup: Sprout Scores $20M Round For Female Viagra

If you’re in a relationship with a woman, whether it’s a long term relationship, marriage, or even same sex marriage, and your female partner tells you she’s not in the mood, a lot, it may not be you after all. A Raleigh NC based startup called Sprout may actually be able to help you and your partner, down the road if they get FDA approval.

In 1998 Pfizer rocked the market when they introduced Viagra the first commercially available medication for men with erectile dysfunction. Viagra spawned a new category of prescription medications that have now turned into a $5 billion dollar industry. No one thought about women though.

Female sexual dysfunction, or low sexual desire is an actual problem. An Illinois based company called BioSante Pharmaceuticals suggests that as many as 43% of women between the ages of 18 and 59 experience some kind of female sexual dysfunction. The company made that statement based on figures published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. They project that female sexual dysfunction could turn into a $2 billion dollar a year industry.

Sprout, is working toward FDA approval for fibanserin a compound developed to treat hypoactive sexual disorder which is a form of female sexual dysfunction. Sprout purchased the compound from German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The FDA denied Boehringer approval of fibanserin in 2010.

Sprout’s Chief Commercial Officer Cynthia Whitehead thinks that Sprout will be more successful with FDA approval. Whiethead told WRAL that there were “flawed metrics” in the first FDA submission by Boehringer. She went on to say “It will be a review issue,” she said. “We feel we have all of the data we need.”

Whitehead also said that Boehringer’s submission for fibarnserin was as a depression treatment.

Sprout has received a $20 million dollar angel investment from 59 angel investors, the same group of investors that backed Slate Pharmaceuticals which was the company that spun out Sprout. The company will use the money to support their operations and growth. They will also use the money to hire regulatory personnel and scientists to work on the resubmission of the drug in 2013.

Source: WRAL