Boston, Mass. (September 29, 2020) VERI Nano, Inc. was selected today as one of the top 20 startups of the MassChallenge Accelerator Program in Boston. Veri Nano will now participate in a final round of judging, along with 20 other startups, where they will compete for up to $1,000,000 in equity-free cash prizes. The prize winners will be announced on Thursday, October 22, 2020 as part of the 2020 MassChallenge Virtual U.S. Awards, which will livestream on the MassChallenge website.
Veri Nano, a bionanotechnology company composed of world-renowned experts, innovators and serial entrepreneurs trained at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is using nanotechnology to provide solutions to different problems in numerous markets such as human and animal health, cosmetics, agriculture and food. The startup was selected based on its novel approach to prevent bovine mastitis.
“This year has been remarkable for our startups to say the least. Nevertheless, in the face of a pandemic and an economic crisis, our startups demonstrated the resiliency, creativity and relentless perseverance to launch their new ventures,” said Cait Brumme, Managing Director of MassChallenge Boston. “Across the board, our startups leveraged MassChallenge’s resources to hit critical milestones including securing first customers, raising funding, and growing teams. When successful, these startups will not only solve critical challenges but support job growth and recovery. We are proud that our community has come together in an unprecedented form to carry these startups forward.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 100-early-stage startups from around the world participated in a completely virtual 2020 MassChallenge Boston accelerator.
During the four-month program, the startups leveraged expert mentorship, tailored curriculum, and the MC global network to launch and grow their companies. With more than a decade of experience, MassChallenge’s proven zero-equity model and global network works for its startups – not against them – by providing the vital resources they need to grow without taking any equity in return.
“We had a great experience during our time with Mass Challenge and due to that experience, VERI Nano continues to demonstrate the innovation and vision of our world-class team. We are very thankful for all the support from MassChallenge, as we have met so many great cohort teams, Mass Challenge employees, investors and potential advisors along the way, while also learning and having a lot of fun”, said Cofounder Guillermo Ruiz-Esparaza, MD, PhD, FRSA.“ We are beyond excited and honored to be selected to the finals and to take our company to the next level”.
ABOUT THE MASSCHALLENGE VIRTUAL U.S. AWARDS CEREMONY
MassChallenge is hosting its first-ever virtual celebration of innovation and creativity featuring 200+ startups from the 2020 accelerator programs in Austin, Boston, Houston, and Rhode Island. The event will showcase the progress the startups have made during their program, feature industry-leading speakers Arianna Huffington (Thrive Global), Linda Pizzuti Henry (Boston Globe Media Partners), and Chris Denson (Innovation Crush) to speak on the transformative power of startups, and award up to $2M in equity-free cash prizes to the top startups from the programs.
ABOUT THE 2020 MASSCHALLENGE PROGRAMS
This year, the U.S. programs in Austin, Boston, Houston, and Rhode Island welcomed a total of 244 early-stage startups from more than 30 countries. Selected from thousands of applicants, the 2020 cohorts represent the best and brightest ideas that tackle some of the world’s most massive challenges. Collectively the startups engaged in over 1,000 office hours and mentor engagements, 200+ classes, and 7 cross program seminar sessions hosted by speakers like Niraj Shah (CEO, Wayfair), Brian Halligan (CEO, Hubspot), Kirk Arnold (EiR, General Catalyst), Deb Benton (Willow Growth Partners), and more.
MASSCHALLENGE PARTNERS
Agrosuper, Altus Dental, Amica Insurance, Analog Devices, Austin Technology Incubator, Autodesk, Babson College, BAE Systems, Boston University, Brandeis University, Brex, Carta, Central Houston, City of Houston, Cydan Development, Defense Innovation Unit, Dell for Entrepreneurs, Delta Dental, Department of Defense, Downtown Redevelopment Authority, Duane Morris LLP, First Republic Bank, FM Global, Foley Hoag LLP, Hasbro, Henkel, IOwnIt, ISS National Laboratory, J.P. Morgan, Juice Consulting, KPMG LLP, MassCEC, McKinsey & Company, MITRE, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsui & Co., Office of Economic Adjustment/DIA, Oracle for Startups, PwC, Raytheon, Reliant, an NRG Company, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, Sanofi, SOMPO, Stadia Ventures, Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities, The Boston Foundation, TMAC, University of Texas at Austin, UPS, Upstream, US Air Force, WeWork, Winstead
ABOUT VERI NANO, INC.
Veri Nano is an innovative bionanotechnology company emerged from world-renowned experts, innovators and serial entrepreneurs trained at Harvard Medical School and MIT. We are creating the future by designing novel nanotechnologies that could be applied to multiple industries. By using different types of biomaterials as building blocks, we have fabricated diverse types of novel systems such as nanoengineered hydrogels, nanosized molecular delivery systems, and nanocomposite materials. The startup was selected based on its novel approach to treat bovine mastitis.
ABOUT MASSCHALLENGE
MassChallenge is the global network for innovators. Headquartered in the United States with seven locations worldwide, MassChallenge equips bold entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo and to create meaningful change. Since launching in 2009, more than 2,400 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $6.2B in funding, generated more than $3B in revenue, and created more than 157,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Lauren Fish
Head of Marketing and Operations
Lauren@verinano.com
857-222-7477