MassVentures Announces $4.5 Million in Grant Funding to Help 26 Massachusetts Startups Grow and Create Jobs

MassVentures Announces $4.5 Million in Grant Funding to Help 26 Massachusetts Startups Grow and Create Jobs   START grants help companies turn cutting-edge research into new products, businesses and jobs in Massachusetts

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration and MassVentures today announced $4.5 million in grants to 26 Massachusetts startups developing cutting-edge technologies in life sciences, robotics, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, clean energy and other growing industries.  The funding is being awarded through MassVentures’ SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) Grant Program, which helps Massachusetts companies turn federally funded research into new products and businesses. START grants provide companies with funding to grow their businesses, bring new technologies to market and create jobs in Massachusetts.     “Some of the most exciting new technologies in the world are being developed right here in Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We want the entrepreneurs behind those ideas to start their businesses, create jobs and grow right here too. These grants will help 26 innovative companies take the next step and continue building their future in Massachusetts.”  “Massachusetts has incredible researchers and entrepreneurs with ideas that can change industries and improve people’s lives,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “START gives early-stage companies the support they need to turn those ideas into real products, attract investment and create jobs in communities across our state.”  "Massachusetts has long been a place where groundbreaking ideas become world-changing companies," said Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. "These START grants help companies move breakthrough research from the lab into the marketplace, creating jobs, attracting investment and helping the next generation of deep tech businesses start and scale here in Massachusetts." “The record number of applications we received this year tells us that demand for this kind of support has never been higher,” said MassVentures President and CEO Charlie Hipwood. “The companies we are announcing today represent some of the most exciting science and engineering coming out of Massachusetts — and with state support behind them, they are positioned to turn that research into jobs, capital, and lasting economic impact for the Commonwealth.”  Since launching START in 2012, MassVentures has awarded $46.2 million to 157 companies that have employed more than 3,400 and raised more than $5 billion in private capital. The businesses, 65 percent of which are outside Boston and Cambridge, cover more than 40 locations throughout the state.    START provides grants of $100,000 to $500,000 to help early-stage companies turn federally funded research into growing businesses. The funding supports critical needs not covered by federal research grants, including marketing, business development and intellectual property strategy, helping companies bring new technologies to market and grow in Massachusetts. START supports companies across industries including biotech, robotics, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and clean technology.   The recipients of this year’s Stage III Awards ($500,000) are:     Bloomer Tech (Boston) is making cardiovascular disease visible in women at its earliest, most treatable stages. Its clinically validated Bloomer TAG™ (a medical-grade wearable bra) and digital biomarker platform addresses one of the largest and most costly blind spots in cardiovascular care.  Emvolon (Woburn) is commercializing a platform technology that converts greenhouse gas emissions into carbon-negative fuels and chemicals today.   PhagePro, P.B.C. (Mansfield) is an early-stage biotech startup reimagining bacterial outbreak prevention with rapid-response, oral bacteriophage-based prophylactics.  The recipients of this year’s Stage II Awards ($200,000) are:    AutonomUS Medical Technologies (Cambridge) is developing “The Pocket Interventionalist™,” a handheld device that combines artificial intelligence, ultrasound, and robotics to perform critical medical procedures quickly, safely, and reliably across civilian, military, and point-of-care environments.   Enigma Aerospace (Burlington) is redefining logistics with ultra long-range, autonomous cargo aircraft designed for dual-use applications.    Highland Instruments (Cambridge) is innovating ESStim™, a novel noninvasive brain stimulation platform to help patients address Parkinson's Disease.   Nanopath (Cambridge) is a diagnostics company pioneering the use of plasmonic biosensing to enable point-of-care molecular diagnostics for women's health applications.   Optigon (Somerville) is developing high-speed research instruments and manufacturing inspection tools to accelerate the deployment of solar photovoltaics and other advanced material technologies.   Qunett (Boston) is building the foundational hardware stack for scalable, platform-agnostic quantum networks, paving the way for global quantum connectivity.   Sangtera (Lowell) is developing a breakthrough electrostatic actuation system, delivering high performance in an ultra-compact form factor, for applications from robotics to semiconductor advanced packaging.   The recipients of this year’s Stage I Awards ($100,000) are:   AiRANACULUS (Lowell) is building the future of adaptive, high-performance communications for the world’s most demanding environments with intelligent RF, passive sensing and networking technology that senses, adapts, and reconfigures in real time.  BioDevek (Cambridge) is building the next generation of minimally invasive bleeding control with a sprayable liquid bandage that instantly seals and protects tissue during endoscopy.  CranioSense (Bedford) is building the first noninvasive platform to measure intracranial pressure, delivering a fast, accurate, and low-cost alternative to today’s invasive, high-risk methods.  EvoDenovo (Andover) is developing a breakthrough, rapid-acting biologic to transform the standard of care for severe and treatment-resistant depression.  GelSight (Waltham) is commercializing high-resolution tactile sensing technology for robotics and manufacturing.   InnoTech Precision Medicine (Natick/Cambridge) has developed a pioneering liquid biopsy platform that integrates cancer-risk and host-response biomarkers with AI decision support.  Koi Biotherapeutics (Boston) a spinout of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is developing a protein-based technology designed to improve the activity, persistence, and durability of engineered cell therapies such as CAR-T.  Limax Biosciences (Boston) has developed a hydrogel-based tissue adhesive platform that delivers rapid, durable bonding to wet tissue surfaces, up to 100–1000× stronger than competing products, to transform biosurgery and integrated drug delivery.  Matrisome Bio (Cambridge) By unlocking the tumor matrix as a powerful therapeutic platform, Matrisome Bio is tackling the largest unmet need in oncology: metastatic solid tumors that often evade traditional cell-targeted therapies.  Myrias Optics, Inc. (Amherst) focuses on metaoptics, diffractive optics, and AR waveguides, delivering wafer-level optical solutions that integrate advanced nanostructures with cost-efficient, high-throughput manufacturing.  Optical Waters (Amherst) is developing patent-pending ultraviolet optical fiber solutions that emit germicidal UV light along their entire length to disinfect small channels, complex geometries, and narrow-diameter tubing where traditional disinfection methods cannot reach.  RISE Robotics (Somerville) is electrifying heavy machinery by replacing traditional hydraulics with high-efficiency, fluid-free actuation systems.  rStream (Somerville) deploys AI-driven waste sorting systems to help the largest events in the world recycle effectively.  SpaceRake (Watertown) is building software-defined laser mesh networks for drones, ground vehicles, and satellites to deliver secure and interference-free connectivity for military and industrial platforms.   Valis Insights (Worcester) is building AI-powered solutions that make recycling more profitable, material supply chains more sustainable, and close the loop on a circular economy for metal production.  Venova Technologies (Cambridge) is developing a novel female contraceptive device designed to be highly effective, long-acting, and side-effect-free.