Newsletter January: Holmenkol: Outdoor sector booming / positiv response to BioMers / Lumiphore successfully entered the therapy and diagnosis market / Letter to shareholders

January 31, 2011

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Dear reader,

Increasing numbers of people are now wearing functional clothing. Outdoor wear is no longer limited to hiking and mountain climbing. It's not unusual to see someone wearing a parka over a business suit these days. And appropriate care products are necessary to protect these weather-resistant shoes, trousers, and jackets. In this first newsletter of the new year, read about how our holding Holmenkol is profiting from the boom in the outdoor goods market. You'll also learn what the CEO of our company Lumiphore means when he talks about an intelligent bomb at the molecular level. We hope you find these and the other following reports enjoyable and informative.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Hans Joachim Dürr
Public Relations Manager

Short overview

Holmenkol: Outdoor sector booming
Nanostart holding Holmenkol closed out the previous year with record numbers. But contrary to what some may believe, the early onset of winter is only a partial explanation. The growth is largely due to the expansion of the outdoor goods market. >>

BioMers: A poem for transparent braces
Nanostart holding BioMers is the only company in the world that manufactures completely transparent dental braces. The response has been extremely positive, and now there is even a poem about them. >>

Lumiphore: An intelligent bomb for oncology
At the end of last year, Nanostart holding Lumiphore successfully entered the therapy and diagnosis market. The company concluded a cooperative agreement in the area of targeted radiotherapy and is currently working on an "intelligent bomb on a molecular scale." >>

Letter to shareholders
In his Letter to Shareholders in early January Nanostart CEO Marco Beckmann looks back on a very successful operational business in 2010 and is looking forward to an “even more exciting year in 2011” >>

Nanotechnology: From research discipline to economic factor
The German government will provide increased support for nanotechnology research and better inform the public about the opportunities it represents. A comprehensive "2015 Nano-Initiative – Plan of Action" was introduced in January. >>

Portfolio

Holmenkol: Outdoor sector booming
Nanostart holding Holmenkol closed out the previous year with record numbers. But contrary to what some may believe, the early onset of winter is only a partial explanation. The growth is largely due to the expansion of the outdoor goods market.

Nanostart holding Holmenkol achieved record sales in November and December. This was partly due to the early onset of winter, which drove up sales of ski waxes. But the greater increase in sales came from the care segment: waterproofing, care products, and special cleaning agents. Some of these products, such as Hightec Proof, which provides "nano" waterproofing for athletic shoes and textiles, more than doubled sales numbers for the same month of the previous year. Background: large key accounts have declared the secondary market of care products for high-end outdoor, functional, and winter sports apparel a strategic growth area. The subsidiary in Austria also posted increased sales at year's end thanks to care products.

According to Karim Grüber, CEO at Holmenkol, "For the next 5-10 years the focus at Holmenkol will be on the outdoor market, which in contrast to the winter sports market, is growing at 3-8 percent annually." German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) recently reported on this growth. According to FAZ, the outdoor market in Germany – 50 percent of which is textiles and 35 percent shoes – achieved a volume of nearly 1.7 billion euros and was the largest segment of the domestic sporting goods market in 2010 at 20 percent. Consumers are already spending approximately 45 billion euros worldwide. One expert commented: "Large markets in Asia, such as China and Russia, have not even discovered the outdoor segment yet."

BioMers: A poem for transparent braces
Nanostart holding BioMers is the only company in the world that manufactures completely transparent dental braces. The response has been extremely positive, and now there is even a poem about them.

The foundation of success for the Singaporean Nanostart holding BioMers is nanotechnology optimized, translucent, synthetic wire. It is used to produce rigid archwires, which provide the tension for the BioMers dental brace systems necessary to straighten teeth. For the first time, it is possible to wear braces without unsightly metal wires. At the end of last year, BioMers introduced its core product to the market: completely transparent braces that are also effective for severely misaligned teeth. Following the introduction of SimpliClear™ Full in Singapore, BioMers is planning to bring the product to market in other regions of Asia, Europe, and the United States. For the first time, students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) can look forward to BioMers braces. At the NUS "Back to School Carnival," a student celebration prior to the beginning of the semester, the company held a drawing for a complete SimpliClear braces package and ten additional treatments at a discount price. The winner, a 23-year-old medical student, has even written a poem that we would like to share with you:

To be able to greet the people I meet,
With a perfect smile that's bright and sweet,
To exude confidence during presentation,
And smile widely without hesitation,
To ace interviews with a good impression,
A beautiful smile is my best weapon!
Be it singing, dancing, acting or debating,
A great smile would help in winning!

To get the straight teeth I've always wanted,
Translucent braces I’ve always hunted
Although metal braces are cheaper and all,
They’d make me feel self conscious and small
I really want to get BioMers Braces / SimpliClear,
Santa please come early this year!

Lumiphore: An intelligent bomb for oncology
At the end of last year, Nanostart holding Lumiphore successfully entered the therapy and diagnosis market. The company concluded a cooperative agreement in the area of targeted radiotherapy and is currently working on an "intelligent bomb on a molecular scale."

The cooperative agreement was concluded with the oncology company Algeta, which specializes in the irradiation of tumors using alpha emitters. The objective of collaboration is to bring the radiation source, a radioactive material, directly to the tumor. Technology from Lumiphore ensures that a biomolecule finds the receptor molecule of the tumor and thereby delivers radiation to the tumor with pinpoint precision. Lumiphore CEO Ken Raymond says, "The ability to bond radioactive metal isotopes within a chelate complex and attach them to antibodies, proteins, or peptides – or other molecules that are in a position to find certain receptors with precise accuracy – represents an exciting new dimension for our business. Within this context of partnership, we will introduce diagnostic applications as well as therapeutic clinical applications.

In short: We have the ability to attach an extremely small warhead to a target-seeking molecule and thereby produce an intelligent bomb on a molecular scale. Because this is a treatment for advanced-stage cancers, the approval process can be accelerated and approval obtained more quickly than usual.

Nanostart

Letter to shareholders

Dear shareholders, ladies and gentlemen,

a successful and exciting year 2010 has finished. We are extremely satisfied with Nanostart operational business, and that is still an understatement. In the past year, we achieved the best semi-annual results in the history of the company and we can look forward to an equally good overall annual result and an even more exciting year in 2011 (...)

Please click here to read the complete letter >>

Nanotech Funding

Nanotechnology: From research discipline to economic factor

The German government will provide increased support for nanotechnology research and better inform the public about the opportunities it represents. A comprehensive "2015 Nano-Initiative – Plan of Action" was introduced in January.

Annette Schavan, Federal Minister for Education and Research, is enthusiastic about the opportunities that nanotechnology presents:

"Nanotechnology is a perfect example of what the future holds. Nanotechnology uses the (new) effects of the very smallest structures, which span only a few nanometers. And this is much more than simply implementing the same functionalities within a smaller space. The possible applications of the technology are immense. The future progress of nanotechnology will also determine the further development of future-oriented industries." She spoke in late January at the official announcement of the "2015 Nano-Initiative – Plan of Action."

Goals defined by the plan:

Design nanotechnology that is safe and sustainable
Use the potential of nanotechnology in education and research
Contribute to growth and innovation in Germany with nanotechnology
Use nanotechnology opportunities for health care
Take advantage of nanotechnology contributions to the environment, climate protection, and a secure energy supply
Use nanotechnology to achieve eco-friendlier and more energy-efficient mobility
Use the opportunities of nanotechnology for sustainable agriculture and a secure food supply

Annually by 2015, around 400 million Euros will be invested. The president of the Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), Jochen Flasbarth, also spoke positively about nanotechnology in an interview: "The number of possible applications is so enormous that this technology has massive potential to drive the economy and make our society more sustainable."

Further information about the 2015 Plan of Action is available here: BMBF (in German) >>

Media coverage

The increasing consumption and diminishing reserves of fossil fuels will create significant issues for civilization. Thus the need for new and more efficient energy sources is high. Lux Research explains how the quantum dots technology can lead to a reduction of $12.7 billion in annual spending for electricity. Lux Research >>

The Singaporean Nanostart-holding, BioMers, holds SimpliClear Contest in National University of Singapore. The winner of the contest will receive completely free treatment with SimpliClear braces, the world's only completely clear braces solution. More information can be found here >>

Nanosys CEO, Jason Hartlove, in an interview with Fox Business Network about Nanosys' cooperation with Samsung and LG Innotek in the field of nano battaries. VIDEO >>

"Translucent braces hit the market", Nanostart-holding BioMers was featured in the Business Times in Singapore on the launch of their new product, the SimpliClear Full system.
PDF Download (177 KB) >>

Press releases

24.01.2011
Nanostart holding ItN Nanovation receives patent for CO2 sensor technology >>

13.01.2011
Nanostart AG welcomes German government’s Nanotechnology Action Plan >>

06.01.2011
Nanostart CEO Marco Beckmann: Positive Outlook for 2011 >>

Upcoming Events - February

Thursday, February 3rd | 17:45 - 18:30

Close Brothers Seydler Bank AG - Small & Mid Cap Conference 2011; Frankfurt/Main >>

Wednesday, February 16th | 12:50 - 13:10

nanotech Tokyo 2011; Tokyo / Japan >>

Service

Contact

Dr. Hans Joachim Dürr
Public Relations Manager

phone: +49 (0) 69-21 93 96-111
fax: +49 (0) 69-21 93 96-150
e-mail: presse@nanostart.de
website: www.nanostart.de

Nanostart AG
Goethestraße 26-28
D-60313 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

CEO: Marco Beckmann
Supervisory Board: Dr. Alfred Krammer (chairman),
Prof. Wolfgang M. Heckl (vice chairman), Achim Lindner
Commercial register: Frankfurt am Main, HRB 74535

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Holmenkol: Outdoor sector booming
Nanostart holding Holmenkol closed out the previous year with record numbers. But contrary to what some may believe, the early onset of winter is only a partial explanation. The growth is largely due to the expansion of the outdoor goods market.

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