A company whose patent-pending technology holds promise for reducing the cost of making pharmaceutical agents now has the backing of the Johnson School.

BR Ventures, the Johnson School's student-managed venture capital firm, has invested an undisclosed amount in convertible debt in Systanix Inc., based in Lansing, N.Y.

In 2005 Systanix received free start-up help from BR Legal, a Johnson School-based legal services program for new companies, by winning the BR Ventures Business Idea Competition that year. This year's winners will be announced April 20.

BR Ventures is co-investing in Systanix with Excell Partners, a seed-stage venture capital firm that focuses on economic development in upstate New York.

Systanix holds the exclusive license to patent-pending technology that has the potential to reduce the cost of synthesizing pharmaceutical agents and specialty chemicals by 35 percent or more.

The company has developed a chemical synthesis method of combining advanced microreactor design and catalyst technology, a process called SysFlo.

Systanix's approach to chemical synthesis is applicable to the needs of the pharmaceutical, fine chemical and veterinary medicine sectors.