MBI graduates third cohort from life sciences mentorship program

Image | Courtesy of Google Maps Worcester-based incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives

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Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, the Worcester-based life incubator and the longest-running nonprofit incubator in the state, had three new startups graduate from its SPARK program.

MBI’s SPARK program is a free eight-week opportunity pairing aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors from MBI’s network to help the startups overcome certain obstacles, according to a Friday press release from the incubator.

The three graduating startups were Eascra Biotech, SauveBio, and 100X Bio.

Boston-based Eascra Biotech, co-founded by Mari Anne Snow and Yupeng Chen, focuses on precise therapies targeting hard-to-penetrate tissues like cartilage, kidneys, and solid tumors. Its proprietary Janus-base nanoparticles deliver a variety of therapeutic cargo, including siRNA, mRNA, Cas9, proteins, peptides, and other drug agents. Eascra Biotech partnered with SPARK to develop strategic partnerships.

SauveBio, based in Worcester, is a specialized flow cytometry contract research organization collaborating with SPARK to develop marketing and sales strategies, which resulted in securing its first major client. SauveBio creates flow cytometry solutions, technology analyzing the characteristics of cells, enabling researchers to advance their research and achieve their scientific goals. SauveBio was founded by Hannah Sheehan and Jeff Sauve.

100X Bio, founded by Timofei Bondarev and Sergei Pustylnikov, is a startup in immunotherapy research for cancer vaccines and T-cells, aiming to deliver one hundred times more data on T-cell antigen from limited sample volumes of specimens such as blood, tumor, and lymph nodes. SPARK helped the Boston-based company refine its pitch deck and raise funds.

MBI has assisted more than 200 companies that have created over 1,800 jobs and resulted in $2 billion economic impact, according to the press release.

MBI is the third-largest incubator in Central Massachusetts, with 35 active companies as of the second quarter, according to information provided to the WBJ Research Department. WorcLab in Worcester is the largest, with 49 companies, followed by ABI-LAB in Natick, with 46 companies.

Lucy Coran is an editorial intern for Worcester Business Journal and a rising sophomore at Smith College.