Photo Credit: Enzo Figueres, Getty Images
Enzo Figueres
At the end of every month, we recap the biggest tech and startup happenings in Rhode Island. We have an archive of past roundups here. To get this info weekly (Tuesday afternoons, to be exact), sign up for the Rhode Island Inno Beat newsletter.
Let’s take a look.
- The National Cancer Institute has awarded Medley Genomics, a Providence-based health tech company, with a Phase I SBIR grant of nearly $300,000, the company announced in a statement. The funding will help the company develop its software, used “to personalize cancer treatments according to the unique ecosystem within a patient’s tumor.”
- On May 31, the 13 participating companies in the Design Catalyst headed to the Social Enterprise Greenhouse Hub to celebrate the conclusion of their cohort.The Design Catalyst is run thanks to a partnership between DesignxRI, a nonprofit economic development organization, the city of Providence, RISD and Real Jobs RI, a state Department of Labor and Training program. It’s most recent cohort ran from 2015-2016. The newer version of the program offers a total of $130,000 to Providence-based “micro” enterprises (less than five employees) with Providence-based owners. Each accepted business can receive up to $15,000 in grants. Ambo Studios, J Schatz, RA HA Jewelry and Wild Power Games were among the 13 graduates.
- Cambridge, Mass.-based Rubius Therapeutics, a biotech company, is considering building a $155 million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the Ocean State, Providence Business News reports. As such, the company is pursuing state incentives from the R.I. Commerce Corp. If the company moves ahead, it will be among a string of large tech companies coming to Rhode Island. One of the most recent? Infosys, which opened an Ocean State branch earlier this year.
- Rite-Solutions Inc. has recevied a $21 million, 7-year Naval Sea Systems Command contract, Providence Business News reports. The story states that the funds will help the company “provide development and engineering services on two subsystems of the AN/BYG-1 combat system deployed on U.S. Navy submarines and Collins Class submarines in the Royal Australian Navy."
- Providence-based consulting and technology firm Infosys has announced a new partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design that will result in the training of 1,000 global designers within the next two years.The move is an effort to both increase the development of Infosys’ designers and find ways to tackle industry problems that straddle both the design and technology spaces.
- Providence-based Slater Technology Fund has announced that four Rhode Island-based startups will participate in Cleantech Open Northeast, a regional chapter of biggest and oldest cleantech accelerator programs in the world. Aquabytes, Heliotrope Energy, OysterTracker and TechStyle Materials were the four companies whose application costs and accelerator fees were underwritten by Slater, and that will ultimately go on to participate in the accelerator.
- The Social Enterprise Greenhouse is expanding its Providence-based location, otherwise known as the Hub. As a result, the SEG launched a capital campaign, including a crowdfunding endeavor, in effort to raise the money necessary to bring the Hub into the rest of the first floor.
- Providence-based immunology biotech firm EpiVax announced that it has moved its headquarters to the Rising Sun building on 188 Valley St., Providence Business News reports. The move will allow the company to better fit the internal team.
- Rhode Island’s Department of Education has awarded $1.2 million in innovation and equity grants to help students have greater access to career education, the AP reports. Eight schools across the state will each get $150K over two years.
