The G2M accelerator provides advanced training, business resources and services to support Iowa companies developing technology-driven innovative products or services
AMES, Iowa (February 23, 2021) – BioConnect Iowa President and CEO Jim Register today announced the launch of the inaugural cohort of the Iowa Go-To-Market (G2M) Accelerator.
The G2M Accelerator is enabled by a grant to BioConnect Iowa and its partners, VentureNet Iowa and ISU Startup Factory, from the US Economic Development Administration. The accelerator is specifically designed to support Iowa companies developing technology-driven innovative products or services that have participated in another incubator, accelerator, or business assistance program, but could benefit from additional focused, customized guidance getting to market.
Register introduced the inaugural G2M cohort during a Feb. 23 Startup Community Celebration held to honor past and graduating ISU Startup Factory cohort members and introduce the incoming ISU Startup Factory and G2M cohorts.
“The partners who envisioned the G2M accelerator are all excited to see it coming to life,” said Register. “The inaugural G2M cohort reflects the growing strength of the high-tech startup community in Iowa and we look forward to helping them on their journey to commercial success.”
The following companies have been accepted into the inaugural, 2021 G2M cohort:
- CartilaGen (Iowa City) – CartilaGen was founded around a medical technology developed in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Iowa. CartilaGen’s product can prevent the onset of post-traumatic osteoarthritis, an entirely novel feat, fulfilling a clear, unmet medical need.
- Classroom Clinic (Carroll) – Classroom Clinic provides rural school districts with timely and convenient access to children’s mental health services through the use of telehealth technologies.
- FBB Biomed (Coralville) – FBB Biomed is a biotechnology company creating blood and saliva tests to predict patients’ health outcomes.
- Mazen Animal Health (Ames and St. Joseph, MO) – Mazen Animal Health, Inc. is developing and commercializing orally-delivered animal vaccines that revolutionize animal disease prevention and provide elegant solutions to the challenges associated with injectable vaccines.
- Sushi3D (Ames) – Sushi3D helps product designers keep their projects on track through rapid delivery of machined prototype parts. The company is building a network of local machine shops and providing them with the technology to automate quoting, planning, and programming to reduce their lead times.
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About BioConnect Iowa
BioConnect Iowa works with innovators and entrepreneurs statewide to create a homegrown bioscience industry that is second to none.
Together with the Iowa Go-To-Market program, BioConnect Iowa administers the state’s Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Outreach Program, providing a gateway to federal funding dollars through America’s Seed Fund Program.
BioConnect Iowa’s goal is to support Iowa’s world-class researchers and innovators on their path towards commercialization in a global marketplace. For more information on BioConnect Iowa, visit bioconnectiowa.org.
About Iowa G2M
The Iowa Go-To-Market (G2M) Accelerator program, a partnership between BioConnect Iowa, the Iowa State University Startup Factory, and VentureNet Iowa, seeks to provide follow-on support for Iowa entrepreneurs who are developing technology-driven innovative products or services and need additional support to increase their likelihood of commercial success. The program provides entrepreneurs advanced training in sales, marketing, corporate development, and finance, and facilitates connections with support services and providers across Iowa. For more information on G2M, visit iowag2m.org.
About VentureNet Iowa
VentureNet Iowa connects ideas to resources, management, and investors, to create jobs and build businesses in Iowa. VentureNet Iowa administers Iowa’s Public Innovation Funds, a series of low interest loans for early stage, Iowa-based small businesses commercializing proprietary technology in the IT, bioscience and advanced manufacturing sectors. For more information on VentureNet Iowa, visit venturenetiowa.com.
About ISU Startup Factory
The Iowa State University (ISU) Startup Factory is a 52-week intensive program operated by the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs in the ISU Startup Factory receive formal training, resources, and access to a network of business mentors, advisors, counselors, and investors in two 26-week blocks: the first a formal curriculum centered on business validation, and the second, customized to their individual business needs. For more information on the ISU Startup Factory program, visit isustartupfactory.org.
Contact:
Jim Register
515-209-2828, jim.register@bioconnectiowa.org
BioConnect Iowa
666 Walnut St., Suite 1285
Des Moines, IA
