The Upside Fund, a venture capital fund managed by the UH Foundation in conjunction with the Hawaiʻi Strategic Development Corporation and the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi (RCUH) has invested $100,000 to help launch Protekai, Inc.

Formed by Omar S. Sultan, Protekai Inc. commercializes intellectual property developed in Dr. Angel Yanagihara's research laboratory. The economic benefits of this spinoff could be significant for the University and Hawaiʻi.

Dr. Yanagihara is a researcher in the Dept. of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology in UH Mānoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine. During the course of 12 years of research, Dr. Yanagihara has discovered and patented Physalia Fluorescent Proteins. These proteins have the potential to create powerful new biomedical research and diagnostic tools.

The Upside Fund's $100,000 will be used to fund the additional work to isolate and sequence these proteins.

The Upside Fund provides seed venture capital to support UH System President M.R.C. Greenwood's strategy to create a 21st century capability for technology innovation to support a multi-billion dollar industry for Hawaiʻi.

Left, Dr.Angel Yanagihara at work

To fuel innovation https://www.uhfoundation.org/give/giving-gift.aspx?allocation=12584204