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BIC Stage 2 Accelerator

The BIC Stage 2 Accelerator is a 35-week hands-on and results-oriented program designed to serve early-stage tech startups that are building a physical product and moving toward the manufacturing phase.

With the BIC Stage 2 Accelerator, we added structures to crystallize and expand our current offerings so that we can provide the full range of BIC resources to more entrepreneurs. The program will continue to leverage our existing strengths and assets and will be an opportunity to increase access, expand our partnerships, and activate more of the connections that we have built over the last four years.

 

This program is provided without cost to the selected startups and the BIC does not take any equity in the firms in exchange for the services provided. 

Meet the 2024-2025 Cohort

The BIC Accelerator Program is made possible through the generous support of:

Foundation Partner

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Presenting Sponsor

Community Sponsors

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The Program Objectives

Capture new startups referred to us from our industry members, university partners, and fellow economic development organizations and take them from an early prototype to a first industrial series, complemented with market validation, and a growth strategy.

Build a highly prestigious and competitive program that attracts and retains talent, increases access to elite programming, and becomes an engine for continued economic development

Promote the region's tech entrepreneurial ecosystem, strengthen the role of the industrial sector & improve our overall competitiveness.

The Accelerator is a 35-week program that runs from September to June. Awardees receive a dedicated workspace at the BIC and have full access to our labs, advanced equipment, digital media studio, and our internal team of subject matter experts.

The firms also have access in our BIC Manufacturing Academy (BMA), a comprehensive training, leadership, and human skill development program built in partnership with MIT, the Mass Tech Collaborative, and our regional industry partners, and field by the US Department of Commerce, and will receive training specifically geared toward rapid growth enterprises curated by our Chief Learning Officer. Firms will be also paired with screened interns from our local and regional academic partners. Programming will be both in person and hybrid, and will end with a DemoDay.

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Firms will be selected through a competitive application process that will be overseen by a diverse review committee.

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This Stage2 support, provided from BIC staff and curated from the BIC network, will help the firms:

Reach a manufacturing-ready stage with their physical product

Find market validation with pre-orders, commitment letters, or paid pilots

Develop a balanced leadership team

Build a public and private fundraising strategy

Develop a phased-strategy for growth

Specifically, startups will be coached through the following

Market Mapping and Operations Strategy: Identify the existing and/or anticipated market for their IP, refine their product to an MVP, evaluate potential market segments, create a viable go to market strategy, identify and collect a potential customer base

Product design process: Perform an engineering review to address strengths and weaknesses of initial design, assist in refining prototypes, evaluate manufacturing possibilities, produce a proof of concept.

Digital Media Production: Work with BIC studios to produce audio, video and still photo content. Refine the “story” of their product. Learn to highlight value and generate interest through marketing.

BIC Catalyst Day Series: Regular meetings with cohort and guests on a key topics curated based on the unique needs of the firms participating.

Guidelines for Participation

Preference will be given to firms that meet the following:

01.

Hardware-Based

Sectors might include: Life Sciences, Medical Devices, Climate Technologies, Robotics & Automation, Aerospace and Defense, and Advanced Manufacturing, among others.

02.

Massachusetts-Based

03.

Committed Team

We are seeking ventures with more than one member that demonstrates a sustained commitment to the initiative.

04.

Prototyping Needs

We are seeking firms that can best leverage our prototyping capabilities.

05.

Incorporation

The company does not need to be legally established at the time of enrollment, but we are looking for the company to be on that path by December 31, 2024.

The Application

Those interested in participating in the program should submit a letter of interest and an accompanying slide deck. The deck should consist of no more than 10 slides, and include the following to the extent relevant: 

  • General details of the venture

  • Problem definition

  • Overview of the product and the market

  • Summary of the innovation and the technology readiness level

  • Funding track record and needs projections

  • Applicable intellectual property

  • Team description

The letter of interest should speak to the value you see in the program, the ways in which you see the Berkshire Innovation Center and the BIC network as able to help advance your venture, and your vision of where your firm will be at this time next year should you be selected to participate.

 

The letter of interest and slide deck must be submitted via email to ben@the-bic.org by July 31, 2024.

Selection Process & Application Criteria

We anticipate inviting five to six firms to participate in the 2024-2025 cohort. Applications are due on July 31, 2024.  The selection committee will announce the startups invited to the Stage2 accelerator program on or before August 15, 2024.

The evaluation criteria used to select startups will include the following

Economic viability of the project and market opportunity

Technological advantage

Growth potential regionally and nationally

Potential positive impact on the local economy

Experience and engagement of the startup team

Presentation of the company plan

Applications will be kept confidential throughout the duration of the process. Dedicated space for invitees will be available starting in September 2024 and formal programming will begin in Mid-September.  

2023/2024 Cohort 

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eSki is a Masschusetts based, blind-owned startup looking to revolutionize the personal watercraft market.  Their mission is simple - to bring the first electric powered personal watercraft to market with features you have been waiting for.

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Fibrocor Therapeutics is a biotech startup specializing in early-stage treatments for fibrotic diseases, bringing potentially life-changing therapies to patients with few existing options.

MacFarlane Medical has developed a revolutionary wearable insulin delivery device that leverages proprietary technology to deliver insulin in a faster, more comfortable, and less resource dependent way than existing options.

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PathogenX develops, manufacturers, and distributes proprietary technology designed to transform the process of medical waste management.  The company's stand-alone onsite device transforms medical waste into a harmless, solid block, allowing for disposal in the common trash.

Noble Carbon is seeking to revolutionize the way electricity grids are managed using their proprietary smart circuit breaker technology.  Their solution allows them to provide a resolution of demand data that was previously unavailable to utilities and grid managers.

SQE Holdings is the first quantum secure, decentralized blockchain-based platform for industrial, commercial, and general public consumption, powered by patent-pending Simulated Quantum Entanglement.

This new Accelerator represents the next phase of the BIC’s growth and would not be possible without the strength of the programs, resources, and partnerships we have built over the past four years. Thank you for your interest and we are excited to see what our 2024-2025 cohort brings.

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