MassMEDIC Announces IGNITE 2021 Cohort

BOSTON, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Virtual Accelerator Selects 12 Start-Ups from Record Number of Applicants

MassMEDIC, the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, announced today the 2021 IGNITE Cohort. IGNITE, a virtual accelerator focused on identifying and nurturing medical device leaders of the future, received a record number of applicants this year from around the globe. Not only were submissions more than double the number received in the prior year, but nearly 50 percent were female-led ventures.

“We could not be prouder and more excited about this year’s IGNITE Cohort and program. It’s already a banner year for our program—with a record number of applicants, double the number of corporate sponsors, significant cash and services prizes, and the most diverse and inclusive cohort to date,” said Rachel Robinson, Vice President of MassMEDIC. “The IGNITE program would not be possible without the tremendous support of our corporate sponsors and partners, including Mass Life Sciences Center, as well as the many industry leaders who give so generously of their time and expertise to mentor and advise the IGNITE cohort founders.”

This year’s IGNITE cohort companies are developing new surgical devices, wearables, diagnostics, and home health technology innovations. The 2021 IGNITE Cohort includes:

1. Alva Health Inc. Founder: Sandra Saldana, Ph.D.
2. AOA Dx Co-Founders: Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, Anna Jeter, Alex Fisher
3. CRIAMKNOWLEDGE Founder: Vitor Crespo
4. Dialysis X Founder: Oluwagbebemi D. Oyeniyi
5. Encora Therapeutics Founder: Daniel Carballo
6. Innotech Precision Medicine Founder: Roya Khosravi-Far
7. Isola Therapeutics Co-Founders: Brian Craig, Dwight Meglan
8. Kalia Health Founder: Happy Ghosh
9. Kleincise Inc. Founder: Dara Azar, Ph.D.
10. OxiWear Founder: Shavini Fernando
11. Phiex Founder: CL Tian
12. Ruby Nanomed Co-Founders: Lorena Dieguez, Sara Abalde-Cela, Paulina Piairo

Since the relaunch of IGNITE in 2019, 38 medtech startups have completed the program, and IGNITE alumni have collectively raised over $40M in Series A, seed and grant funding. Many of the IGNITE company founders have also won significant prizes including MassChallenge, the BRight Futures Prize, the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, the Harvard President’s 2021 Innovation Challenge Award, and the Tufts University Ricci Interdisciplinary Prize. Four have been named MLSC MassNextGen Entrepreneurs.

IGNITE is creating a pipeline of medtech startups who will help fuel the future of the Commonwealth’s medtech ecosystem by establishing offices, hiring teams, partnering with strategics and engaging professional services firms. The program has attracted startups globally, with a focus on outstanding innovation among its founders.

About IGNITE:
IGNITE is a virtual accelerator offering an experiential training, mentorship, and networking curriculum, to attract and nurture the next generation of medtech founders and entrepreneurs. IGNITE was relaunched in 2019 with support from a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and is supported by our corporate sponsors, Agile Search, Alira Health, Boyd Technologies, Wilson Sonsini, Formlabs, Kohler, Teijin and UMass Lowell M2D2.

About MassMEDIC:
The Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC), an organization of more than 300 manufacturers, suppliers, research institutions, and academic health centers, promotes the unique interests of the Bay State’s growing and vibrant medical device sector. Through a variety of programs, informational seminars, advocacy campaigns and other projects, MassMEDIC provides medical device manufacturers and suppliers with information on industry trends and regulatory policies and creates forums that allow members to exchange ideas and information on issues affecting the industry. For more information, visit http://www.massmedic.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Helen Shik, MassMEDIC, +1 6175104373, ShikPR@MassMEDIC.com

SOURCE MassMEDIC