Protean BioDiagnostics Finds Funding Success with FSBDC at UCF Support
Precision Oncology Firm Partners with FSBDC at UCF to Unlock SBA Funding and Fuel Innovation in Cancer Diagnostics.
September 16, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or HThayer@ucf.edu
John Hickle, Consultant, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4846 or John.Hickle@ucf.edu
Orlando, FL – For any business, but especially for small businesses, growth requires investment. Typically, that investment requires access to capital. For Protean BioDiagnostics, a groundbreaking innovator in precision oncology and cancer diagnostics, and its President and CEO, Dr. Anthony Magliocco, additional funding was the key that would unlock significant opportunities presented by revolutionary treatment advances for patients with cancer. But where could he turn to for help obtaining additional capital? Dr. Magliocco found the answers he needed from the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF).
Protean BioDiagnostics provides cancer profiling, next generation diagnostics, and data integration services and solutions. The company has developed a platform technology called Protean MAPS® to help guide doctors and patients regarding how to optimally treat cancer. “Our technology includes advanced and unique tests for early detection of cancer,” Dr. Magliocco states proudly, “as well as a guidance system to help doctors pick the right tests. In addition, we manage all that information for our doctors and patients to enable them to make effective treatment decisions.”
With that as the backdrop, Dr. Magliocco was eager to expand his business. He connected with the Florida SBDC at UCF and took advantage of its technical services, including no-cost, expert business consulting, training, and access to market research and data. “I was quite delighted about the services and about how they could help us develop our business,” Dr. Magliocco recalls.
Given Protean and Dr. Magliocco’s specific needs, John Hickle, an FSBDC consultant specializing in access to capital engagements, stepped in to offer guidance. “I found working with John really valuable,” Dr. Magliocco explains, “because John had really long and deep experience in the capital field, not only with the FSBDC but with other organizations. He was well equipped to guide me about things like SBA loans, about other sources of capital, and also ones to try to avoid. In addition, there are government agencies that we would like to work with, like the Veterans Administration, and the SBDC supplied really invaluable help connecting to those groups.”
Supported by the FSBDC, Dr. Magliocco quickly achieved his primary objective: unlocking new funding. “We were successful in obtaining an SBA loan and we’re continuing to look to bring in additional loans,” Dr. Magliocco summarized. “It was a tremendous experience and extremely pleasant working with the FSBDC and actually very successful. We raised over $300,000 on very good terms working together with them, which will help with corporate growth and debt consolidation.
“If I had to use one word to describe the FSBDC, it would be ‘helpful’” concluded Dr. Magliocco. “They were there to guide me through and help me every step of the way. I would encourage others to reach out, explore for yourself, and see the incredible value that can be delivered by working with the FSBDC.”
For information about Protean BioDiagnostics, please visit https://www.proteanbiodx.com/.
— FSBDC —
About the FSBDC at UCF
Hosted by the University of Central Florida (UCF), and with its main office in the National Entrepreneur Center located at the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando, the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) is part of part of UCF’s Office of the President and the Florida SBDC Network.
The Florida SBDC at UCF provides aspiring and existing small businesses with no-cost consulting, low-cost training, and access to business data and research resources. In addition to its core service offering, the Florida SBDC at UCF also offers specialized services to qualifying companies, including capital access, market growth, government contracting, international trade, business continuation, cybersecurity, disaster planning and recovery, and more. The FSBDC at UCF serves an eight-county area that includes Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia counties and maintains 9 service centers across Central Florida.
In 2024, the FSBDC at UCF served 2,277 entrepreneurs in Central Florida with consulting services, resulting in more than 2,855 jobs impacted; $564.3 million in sales growth; $57.2 million in capital formation; $161.1 million in government contract awards; and 142 new businesses started. For more information, please visit www.sbdcorlando.com.
About the Florida SBDC Network
For nearly 50 years, the Florida SBDC Network, the state’s principal provider of business assistance [Fl. Stat. 288.001], has nourished a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development to provide existing and emerging small and medium-sized business owners with management and knowledge resources that enable overall growth, increased profitability, and economic prosperity for Florida’s economy.
In 2024, the Florida SBDC Network delivered 107,812 hours of consulting to 15,474 small business clients – resulting in business owners securing $304 million in capital, $732 million in government contracting, impacting 19,800 jobs, increasing sales by over $3.8 billion, and creating 1,019 businesses.
With over 40 offices statewide, the Florida SBDC is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida and other private and public partners. Full funding disclosure available at www.floridasbdc.org/funding-disclosures/.
The Florida SBDC Network, headquartered at the University of West Florida, is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs and is a recipient of the President’s E Award for Export Service. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. For more information, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
FSBDC at UCF | 3201 E. Colonial Drive | Orlando, FL 32801 | p 407.420.4850 | f 407.420.4862
sbdc@ucf.edu | www.sbdcorlando.com
