With just one cohort under its belt, The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator has already seen early success. The first startups to complete the program in December have raised more than $7 million and created 17 jobs in the state of Maine.
The accelerator is now announcing its second cohort of nine startups, which includes one company from Rhode Island.
“Maine is at a very exciting inflection point where we have seen a huge number of exciting early-stage tech companies setting up shop in the state over the past couple of years,” Ben Chesler, director of venture creation and acceleration at The Roux Institute, said in a statement. “The Roux Institute is humbled to be a small part of supporting the growth of this ecosystem and, more importantly, supporting early-stage founders who want to build their companies in Maine.”
Techstars, which operates more than 40 startup accelerators worldwide, launched its new Portland-based program with The Roux Institute at Northeastern University in 2021. The Roux Institute is a digital engineering and life sciences hub that opened its 25,000-square-foot campus in 2020.
The nine startups in this new cohort are set to arrive in Portland before the program kicks off next Monday. They will spend the next three months working with mentors from Techstars and The Roux Institute. The program will conclude with a demo day where founders will pitch their startups to a live audience on Dec. 15.
The accelerator said it looked for companies building products and solutions in areas that “will revolutionize how we live and work.” It selected companies from Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, California and Concepción, Chile.
“They stood out in demonstrating a deep understanding of their markets and customers’ pains, as well as having teams able to execute quickly. We look forward to helping them hone their operations and plugging them into Techstars’ worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed by opening doors and scaling rapidly,” said Lars Perkins, managing director for the Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator.
Meet the startups in the second cohort of The Roux Institute Techstars Accelerator:
ByDesign
Boston, Massachusetts
ByDesign was created by two teachers who wanted to build a social and achievement-oriented planning tool. The startup participated in Dartmouth College’s Tuck Incubator in 2020, raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding in August 2021 and launched its mobile app this past May.
CICLA
Concepción, Chile
This startup was founded in 2018 and develops and produces advanced composites materials for 3D printers.
Cypress Health
Los Angeles, California
This startup wants to help people take control of their IBD symptoms. It says its wellness program addresses root causes of the disease, including the immune response, intestinal barrier, microbiome and nervous system.
HotDrop
Newton, Massachusetts
HotDrop was founded by two Indiana University students to make it easier to discover new music. Users swipe on songs within HotDrop’s platform to review and refer aspiring artists’ music.
Pointz
Providence, Rhode Island
Pointz is a mapping app that crowdsources safer bike & scooter routes. It licenses the data to delivery companies and operators. The company was founded in January 2021 by Brown University students.
ReVert Technologies
New York, New York
This startup makes AI-enabled power outlets to help consumers conserve energy. It says that each week its tech will suggest times to turn power on or off to devices to reduce unnecessary energy use.
The PS Collective
Brooklyn, New York
The PS Collective is an online marketplace that connects women to independent designers. Users take a style assessment and receive a curated list of clothes.
Torque
Portland, Maine
Torque has created a self-service tool to build, run, deploy and evolve software systems with a single command. The startup says its tool eliminates the need for direct DevOps intervention for day-to-day operations.
Virtual Sapiens
Boston, Massachusetts
This Boston startup uses AI and behavioral science to provide insights on nonverbal communication cues through video.
