Robert Paull

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was formed in 1997 as the William H. Gates Foundation. In 1999, the foundation was renamed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust was created in January 2000 through the merger of the Gates Learning Foundation, which worked to expand access to technology through public libraries and the William H. Gates Foundation, which focused on improving global health. The foundation participates in preventive approaches and collaborative endeavors with government, philanthropic and not-for-profit partners. Priority is given to grants that leverage additional support and serve as a catalyst for long-term, systemic change. The foundation also provides funds to promote greater equity in global health, education and public libraries. Through their partnerships in communities across the US, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to raising the high school graduation rate and helping all students, regardless of race or family income. The foundation is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

Kereos, Inc. develops and manufactures biotechnology products. The firm focuses on nanodroplet technology that allows delivery of a range of drug compounds to a target in the body for the treatment of diseases. The company was founded by Samuel A. Wickline and Gregory M. Lanza in 1999 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

Lux Research, Inc. provides strategic advice and on-going intelligence for emerging technologies. Its products include subscription intelligence, market data products and consulting projects. The firm's solutions include understanding emerging technology markets, technology scouting and open innovation, formulating market entry strategies, evaluating technology companies, performing due diligence, market sizing and forecasting, establishing technology adoption roadmaps, driving economic development from emerging tech and understanding China innovation. The company was founded by Eric Greenberg, DeSoto S. Jordan, Ken Allard, Francis Mark Modzelewski and Matthew M. Nordan in 2004 and is headquartered in Boston, MA.

Visterra, Inc. Is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which engages in the development and commercialization of antibody-based therapies for kidney diseases, and other chronic diseases. It focuses on its research technology platform, HIEROTOPE technology. The company was founded by Alan L. Crane, Kevin J. Bitterman and Ram Sasisekharan on December 20, 2007 and is headquartered in Waltham, MA.

Lux Capital Group LLC (Lux Capita Group) is a venture capital firm founded in 2000 by Peter Hebert and Josh Wolfe. The firm is headquartered in New York with an additional office in Menlo Park, California.

Cerulean Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage, oncology-focused company, which provides proprietary Dynamic Tumor Targeting Platform to develop differentiated therapies. It specializes in the design and development of nanopharmaceuticals. Cerulean's nanopharmaceuticals are drug-containing nanoparticles designed and optimized to enhance therapeutic agents, ranging from small molecules to therapeutic peptides and RNAi molecules. The company was founded by Alan L. Crane and Ram Sasisekharn on November 28, 2005 and is headquartered in Waltham, MA.

Angstrom Publishing LLC provides publishing services. It owns and operates media properties covering emerging technologies. The firm publishes the monthly Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Tech Report, Forbes Weekly Insider e-letter, and regularly contributes to Forbes.com, Forbes Video Network, and Forbes iConferences. The company was founded in Mrach 2002 and is headquartered in New York, NY.