Maine Angels, a group that has invested more than $10 million in early-stage companies, is preparing to receive a return on those investments – its first since it was formed in 2003.

One of the Maine Angels’ portfolio companies recently went public, meaning two members of the Maine Angels who were early investors could be in a position to sell their shares and cash in on the bets they made on the startup. In venture-capital lingo, the investors are preparing for a successful “exit.”

The company, Corbus Pharmaceuticals, was founded in April 2009 in Norwood, Massachusetts. It was known as JB Therapeutics when John Goodrich and a second Maine Angels member (who requested not to be identified in the media) invested a combined $125,000 in the company in two rounds in 2012 and 2014.

The company focuses on the development and commercialization of treatments for diseases such as cystic fibrosis. It filed its paperwork to go public on Sept. 3 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and went public on Oct. 24. It is traded on the OTCQB, a marketplace for over-the-counter stocks, under the symbol CRBP. A single unit of stock was worth $3 on Monday.

Though the company is now publicly traded, restrictions built into the process mean Goodrich and the other Maine Angel won’t be able to sell their stock in the company until Jan. 1. Goodrich declined to speak about his plans before that date.

Jenene Thomas, a spokeswoman for Corbus, said the company is expected to reach several important “value-driving” milestones in 2015, which means investors who sold their stock on Jan. 1, 2015, would not realize the greatest potential return on their investment.

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“From my perspective looking at this company, they are doing all the right things for a successful investment opportunity,” she said.

Angel investing is an important element in Maine’s startup community as it provides funding to early-stage companies that in most cases have yet to begin generating revenue. It’s in that pre-revenue stage where many entrepreneurs falter because they’ve often exhausted credit cards and tapped out families and friends for financing, and traditional banks are typically wary of providing commercial loans to startups. It’s in that stage – commonly referred to as the Valley of Death – that angel investors, like Maine Angels, can provide an infusion of capital that allows a startup to reach commercialization.

When Maine Angels started, it invested only in Maine startups. Some of those include Pika Energy in Westbrook, which is producing residential-scale wind turbines, and Ocean Renewable Power Co. in Portland, which has put a tidal energy system into Cobscook Bay in Washington County. However, as the group forged closer ties to other angel investment groups in New England, it has looked for opportunities beyond Maine’s borders.

“We’ve worked hard over the last three years to build strong relationships with other angel groups throughout New England and (the Corbus deal) is a direct result because this is a deal that was led by some Massachusetts angel groups and we were able to participate,” said Don Gooding, the Maine Angels’ vice chairman. “We’re finding the flip side as well – Massachusetts angel groups are interested in the companies we’re leading investments on here in Maine. It’s certainly a validation that we need to continue to strengthen those relationships across New England.”

Although Corbus is not based in Maine, the investors’ exit could still benefit Maine. Once investors get their investments back, it means they have more cash to invest in other promising startups, Gooding said.

“Liquidity is a wonderful thing,” he said.

 


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