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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, October 13, 2007

Health R&D lab sets up in Honolulu

Advertiser Staff

MediKeeper, a San Diego-based provider of technology solutions for the health and wellness industry, said it is establishing a research and development lab in Hawai'i and has completed a round of funding led by Honolulu-based PacifiCap.

MediKeeper was founded in 2003 with the mission of making medical records secure, mobile and accessible online.

The company said it now has a line of Web-based health and wellness tools that are used by governments, healthcare providers, health plans and consumers.

Rich Tarzy, MediKeeper president, said the company is in the process of leasing space in downtown Honolulu and will have a minimum of five people working in the lab.

In addition, he said key personnel, including the company's chief technology officer, will be devoting a minimum of 25 percent of their time working on the lab.

"It's not just a commitment of dollars, but a commitment of time," Tarzy said of PacifiCap's investment in the company. He declined to disclose how much PacifiCap had invested.

PacifiCap said the state is an ideal setting for the early deployment of MediKeeper's products and that having the research and development facility here will help promote economic diversification.

PacifiCap holds a stake in companies with operations in Hawai'i, on the Mainland and in Asia.

"We like MediKeeper's patient-centered, best-of-breed partnership approach to this market segment," said PacifiCap principal Dew-Anne Langcaon in a news release.

PacifiCap, which says it is the largest Hawai'i-based venture capital firm, focuses on investing in technology and other growth companies.