Feel the winds of change for May? It just might be that shift in Tech+Bio funding growth, with Lux Bio + Tech, Harmonix, Alix Ventures and their BIOS Community + Medium Channel, NFX Bio, Petri Bio, KdT Ventures, Red Tree Venture Capital, companies like Centessa, Capsida, and Seed announcing funding plus venerable Versant Ventures and other funds continuing to make themselves seen and heard. Or maybe it's the new book by Ali Tamaseb (DCVC) called Super Founders: What Data Reveals About Billion-Dollar Startups coming out later this month!
Two high-level suggestions on upcoming accelerator deadlines:
1) Duality: Duality’s purpose is to help quantum startups bridge the difficult chasm between the laboratory and the marketplace -- a critical barrier to success for emerging, deep tech. 10+ selected teams will receive: $50K non-dilutive funding, 30+ hours of entrepreneurial training, Access to premier facilities (pending security checks), and much more.
2) NSIN/AI for Command Challenge: NSIN, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate is seeking novel AI-based techniques that push the state of the art to compete in the AI for Command Challenge. The Grand Prize for this challenge is $100,000. Finalists will be eligible for a Memorandum of Understanding in support of their proposals for a $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award.
With our updated interface, you can see all ventures here: AVX Feed
Conversation Statistics
We are up to 12,006 total connections and conversations on the AVX network - 565 more over the last month (over 5% month over month growth!). We are currently tracking 25 potential match negotiations and another 137 with multi-month long discussions heading toward possible matches (and a handful of matches in stealth). We have now actively connected 557 different ventures (out of 1620+ examined) with 1326 different entrepreneurs and investors (out of a pool of 3000+)
Top Digital Events
May 5: Mount Sinai Innovation Partners Pitch Challenge 2021 Join Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP) on May 5 for this year’s Pitch Challenge and hear teams present their technologies and innovative products with commercial / business potential for a chance to win a $25,000 cash prize and other pro bono services!
May 5: Harvard President's Innovation Challenge Discover the Harvard ventures actively changing our world for the better at the President’s Innovation Challenge Virtual Awards Ceremony! Join us as we discover the winners of the 2021 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge! Throughout this spring, venture teams in the Harvard i-lab, Launch Lab X GEO, and Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab have been developing their ideas into ventures that reimagine the future.
May 18-21: Yale Innovation Summit The Yale Innovation Summit is the largest entrepreneurship event on campus, and the largest gathering of venture capital investors in Connecticut. Over 100 startups founded by Yale biotech and tech innovators are joined by top ventures from around the state to pitch their ideas in a Shark Tank format to prospective industry partners and investors.
May 25: LA Bioscience Ecosystem Summit 2021 The UCLA Los Angeles Bioscience Ecosystem Summit 2021 (LABEST) is the premiere showcase for bioscience innovation in Los Angeles County. Formerly known as UCLA Bioscience Innovation Day, this event is a collaboration with colleagues from across the LA who will present promising academic research, entrepreneurial faculty investigators, as well as local start- up companies.
DIGITAL EVENTS
May 3: In Conversation with Rebecca Oppenheimer
May 4: Finding and working with Angels in Life Sciences
May 4: Digital Health: Predictive Diagnosis of Ocular Disease
May 4: TenU Hosts International Investment
May 5: Mount Sinai Innovation Partners Pitch Challenge 2021
May 5: Harvard President's Innovation Challenge
May 6: Applying Your Platform
May 6: Where is Medtech Going?
May 7-15: Philly Tech Week
May 10: Penn Emerging Startup Showcase
May 10: AI for Command: NSIN Grand Challenge
May 11: Automating Personalized Cell Therapy
May 11: Unexpected Biotech
May 11: Healthy Returns Summit
May 11-12: 2021 STAT Health Summit
May 12: New York Defense Innovation Summit
May 13-14: Federal Technology Transfer Workshop
May 14: Are we ready for the medicines of tomorrow?
May 18-21: Yale Innovation Summit 2021
May 18: Funding Fundamentals - Early Stage Strategies
May 19: University Startups: Tips from Early Stage Investors
May 20: BlueTech Global Connect
May 20: Life Sciences Evolution Forum
May 21: Venture Capital: An Insider's Insights
May 25: LA Bioscience Ecosystem Summit 2021
May 25: Capital, Cash, & Coffee
May 26: SynBioBeta Biopharma Conference 2021
Jun 2-3: Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator Pitch Day
Jun 3: Navigating Transitions
Jun 10: The Wave Summit
Jun 16: Examining DEI in Life Sciences
Jun 17: The Science of Saving the Planet
Jun 22: In Conversation with Padmanee Sharma
Jul 22: MALSI+ 2021: The Hub at Warp Speed
Some Thought Pieces
Looking for more teams to explore? Check out the company pages for Harvard Innovation Labs and Deep Tech U! Both have a wide range of teams focused on opportunities in energy, hardware/software, industrial, and life sciences. While Silicon Valley may have eaten itself, Boston and the MidWest have a number of intriguing emerging ventures to explore!
DEI in VC: Plenty of digital ink has been spilled on just this topic, but If I can suggest a few pieces to dive into, you should check out this interview with Zach Ellis is leading the launch of a new, unannounced venture fund focused on minority-led deep technology ventures, Fortune's look into the progress so far, and MassVenture's work to help demystify & diversify VC. And if you are looking to get what a first VC meeting should be like, check out what Kara Nortman has shared.
As always, thank you for reading – Hamdi