Companies will participate in a customized mentorship program and compete for $250K in Prizes on Oct. 13 in Carlsbad, Calif.

BioTools Innovator, the first accelerator focused on life science tools and diagnostics to advance cutting-edge research and improve human health, announced that 14 companies have been selected to participate in its annual program. The BioTools Innovator Accelerator is a four-month virtual program providing startups with in-depth, customized mentorship and support from senior industry leaders, funding opportunities, and continual engagement with peers and advisors.

As part of a rigorous selection process, together with the senior leadership teams of its corporate partners at Research Corporation Technologies, Broad Oak Capital Partners, Nissan Chemical America Corporation, and over 30 industry judges from leading life science firms, BioTools Innovator evaluated the pitches of 26 candidates out of more than 160 applicants from 23 countries and 28 U.S. states. Fourteen companies were then selected to participate in the BioTools Innovator Accelerator, which prominently features best-in-class life science startups from around the world.

Reviewers and experts that participated in BioTools Innovator Accelerator pitch events included representatives from Agilent, Alira Health, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Danaher, Draper, Eppendorf, General Inception, Hackensack Meridian Health, Illumina Ventures, InDevR, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, MilliporeSigma, Mira Life Science Ventures, Northpond Ventures, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tosoh USA, Teknova, VC23 among others.

“We launched BioTools Innovator to fill a gap in the life science industry where promising technologies falter due to lack of sophisticated guidance that prevents entrepreneurs from making avoidable mistakes,” said Kathryn Zavala, managing director of BioTools Innovator. “These 14 companies represent the next frontier of innovative technologies that will help us develop solutions to diagnose and treat diseases more effectively and live healthier. We are thrilled to welcome them to the cohort.”

The 14 companies are:

• Ananda Devices (Laval, Quebec, Canada) - Scalable neurons-on-a-chip platform to analyze over 3,000 neurons in 30 minutes using standard workflow
• Atom Bioworks (Cary, N.C.) - AI software programmed DNA scaffold that displays multiple ligands for multivalent binding to viruses and cancer cells
• Cellbox Solutions (Hamburg/Norderstedt, Germany) - Intelligent, active CO2 incubator for transporting living cells and cell therapy materials under ideal conditions
• CellChorus (Houston & San Carlos, Calif.) - Dynamic single-cell analysis that applies AI to conduct thousand 1000s of microscopy experiments in parallel
• Dalton Bioanalytics (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Dalton is building a next generation blood analysis using their advanced mass spectrometry platform Omni-MS® to digitize the biochemical composition of plasma and other tissues—quantifying thousands of molecules including proteins, lipids, and metabolites in a single shot assay.
• DropGenie (Montreal, Canada and Boston) - High throughput low volume discovery platform that enables genome wide arrayed CRISPR screens in immune cells
• Ferrologix (Carlsbad, Calif.) - Rapid, high-purity, efficient cell separations with FACS precision and MACS simplicity on a scalable disposable cartridge
• GenNext Technologies (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) - Solving biopharmaceutical structural problems using proprietary benchtop Hydroxyl Radical Protein Footprinting (HRPF) analysis
• Kolibri (Paris, France) - Unlocking patient access to high-value cell and gene therapy biomanufacturing using acoustic waves
• Opera Bioscience (Evanston, Ill.)- Scalable platform for efficiently manufacturing growth factors, reagents and other protein products
• RealSeq Biosciences (Santa Cruz, Calif.) - Highly accurate small RNA detection technology allowing for real-time profiling of disease markers dramatically improving diagnosis and treatment.
• Sequegenics (Atlanta, Ga.) - Cloud platform to launch genome-wide variant calling analysis using long-read NGS data
• xMDDiagnostics (Baltimore, Md.) - Molecular diagnostics tool company whose technology isolates, and enriches tumor cells from biopsies, thus improving PCR, sequencing & NGS molecular testing and patient outcomes
• Zymvol Biomodeling (Barcelona, Spain) - Multiscale computational protocol for screening enzyme variants

Five of the companies will be selected to compete in the final competition taking place during the BioTools Innovator Capstone Event on October 13, 2022 immediately following the conclusion of the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, Calif . The event will bring together senior executives, investors, and top industry decision-makers who will determine the winner of the $250,000 non-dilutive grand prize and the title of 2022 BioTools Innovator.

Funding for BioTools Innovator is provided by the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation of RCT. Additional support is provided by BroadOak Capital Partners and Nissan Chemical America Corporation.

About BioTools Innovator

Based in Los Angeles, Calif., BioTools Innovator was established to advance cutting-edge research and improve human health by accelerating the growth of a broad spectrum of life science tools and diagnostics. BioTools Innovator matches industry leaders with innovative early stage and emerging growth biotechnology-focused companies for mentorship and support.

BioTools Innovator is powered by MedTech Innovator, the largest accelerator of medical device companies in the world and the premier nonprofit startup accelerator in the medical technology industry.[i] To date, MedTech Innovator has supported 421 alumni that have gone on to raise $4.6 billion in follow-on funding, brought 130 products to market, and achieved 29 exits.

For more information about BioTools Innovator, visit http://biotoolsinnovator.org/ and follow @BTInnovator on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

[i] Gibbs, M., Johnson, B., Silva, B. A., & Berube, K. (2020, July 10). Q2 2020 Life Science Accelerators Insights Cipher Bio. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://www.cipherbio.com/blog/life-science-accelerators-insights/

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