ZCube, the research venture of Zambon, an Italian pharmaceutical and fine-chemical multinational company, has launched the second edition of Open Accelerator, a Milan, Italy-based fast track acceleration program for life science startup projects.
The call for ideas will be open until 16th July 2017 and covers four main areas:
– Drug delivery systems (systems that allow better drug delivery either through particles or devices);
– Open source prototyping: medical devices, biomarkers, diagnostics (instruments and devices that allow safe and effective treatment, rehabilitation, prevention and diagnosis of diseases);
– Wearables and digital health (technological solutions through wearable devices that improve patient outcomes; technological platforms or mobile applications that offer new solutions to improve patient health);
– Big data (projects related to data analysis and solutions to improve medical treatment, develop personalized medicine, identify new markers for early diagnosis and reduce healthcare costs).
Open Accelerator is a 12-steps program providing training to international researchers, scientists and aspiring entrepreneurs that, following a selection process, could receive seed investment of up to €100k per project. A maximum of 30 projects will be selected to take part in the acceleration program that offers training and mentoring by specialized advisors including entrepreneurs, business angels, venture capitalists and experts from other disciplinary areas.
The acceleration path is open to researchers and scientists that have the ambition to conduct translational science. The program will be based on the established methodology of the Business Model Canvas that has been adopted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States.
ZCube has recently signed a partnership with IAB – Italian Angels for Biotech, an association of business angels dedicated to Life Sciences – and Innogest, a venture capital firm operating in Italy and in Europe. Advisors from IAB and Innogest, along with other international experts, will take part in the acceleration path providing mentoring and advice to guide founders through business model creation and go-to-market strategy development.
At the end of the program, the most innovative ideas could receive a seed investment of up to €100k, which will serve as an important catalyst to enter the market.
Entries can be made following this link: http://www.openaccelerator.it.
FinSMEs
16/06/2017