Soarce LLC's co-founders spent the past four months in Lake Nona as part of the leAD Sports accelerator, but they're not ready to leave the master-planned community now that it has wrapped up.
In fact, Orlando-based biomaterials startup Soarce plans to establish a pilot manufacturing line in Lake Nona, the company announced during leAD Sports & Health Tech's Sept. 15 Demo Day event. The 2-year-old firm needs a wet lab facility — space where chemicals and biological materials can be handled — to begin its efforts to re-engineer algae into a sustainable, more efficient fiber for athletic wear, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Mason Mincey told Orlando Inno.
Started by Mason and Derek Saltzman while students at the University of Central Florida, Soarce is on a mission to create heat-managing material from algae that's an alternative to the synthetic plastic usually used in athletic attire. The company's goal is for its material to replace plastic that often winds up in landfills and oceans pound-for-pound, Saltzman previously told Orlando Inno.
Soarce's goals for the next 12 months include finding the space for pilot manufacturing, finalizing its research & development and raising a $750,000 pre-seed round. The company will seek out that space in Lake Nona, a hub for medical and life science facilities and companies. That includes the lab facilities at the University of Central Florida incubator in Lake Nona, a potential destination for Soarce, Mincey said. Soarce will work with Lake Nona master developer Tavistock, a partner in the leAD Lake Nona accelerator and an investor in Soarce, to find the right facility, Mincey added.
Soarce was one of six companies selected for leAD's third accelerator cohort. Since May, the six companies, all focused on sports and wellness technology, have received mentorship and coaching at the leAD accelerator facility in the Lake Nona Town Center. Here's a look at the other firms that celebrated their completion of the program alongside Soarce on Sept. 15:
- Encore: This New York-based firm is leveraging blockchain technology to build decentralized loyalty programs so teams can engage fans more effectively, increase revenue and create ways to monetize. Encore creates digital assets that fans control and use to unlock unique experiences, discounts and rewards.
- Gemini Sports Analytics: This Miami-based company helps sports teams win more games by using athlete data better. Its no-code predictive analytics platform helps non-technical executives better acquire, develop and manage their athletes.
- Icaro: This Orlando-based business uses the power of light technology to increase blood flow, stimulate the mitochondria in cells and increase the production of nitric oxide involved in vasodilation — the widening of blood vessels. This results in numerous health and wellness applications from post-workout recovery to increasing cognitive function.
- SM24: The Scottsdale, Arizona-based firm is developing a stick-it and-forget-it wearable patch with a user-friendly app that provides noninvasive, immediate and continuous glucose monitoring. Launching with glucose, the SM24 GO ecosystem also has the power to measure lactate, stress and hydration.
- Wavy: The Groningen, Netherlands-based firm offers personalized AI health assistant that uses continuous biofeedback monitoring and music to lower stress levels. The Wavy assistant collects data from wearables to track beats per minutes, heart rate variability and heart electrical signals, and provides music recommendations to de-stress the body, along with sharing data with medical professionals.
LeAD announced in 2020 it would partner with Lake Nona master developer Tavistock and expand from Berlin to Central Florida. Since then, 12 startups have completed the program, raising more than $20 million combined. Five cohort companies landed investment through the $30 million Lake Nona Health Tech Fund.
Of course, the program offers benefits for the Central Florida region as well as businesses. It can help local companies — such as Orlando-based Nestre Health & Performance Inc. — secure funding and grow.
The growth of tech-focused companies is important for the region, as it can lead to the creation of high-wage jobs. Plus, these companies can provide innovative solutions that benefit other businesses in the area.
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