Richmond’s Activation Capital is launching a new accelerator program for companies focused on pharma, biotech, medical devices and other health-focused consumer products.
Frontier BioHealth, as the program is called, plans to offer highly specialized training, targeted mentorship and relationship building, according to Activation Capital’s announcement.
The program will run for four months with a focus on bringing research-intense medical products and companies to market. Activation Capital said the program will be “additive” to Virginia Commonwealth University’s proof of concept fund, a new pre-accelerator program and other offerings in the region. The Frontier BioHealth program does not include funding for participants.
“Our goal is to ensure more of that research and technology is translated into successful products, companies and jobs, which is the intended return on research investments," Chandra Briggman, president and CEO of Activation Capital, said in a statement. "These companies are important contributors to regional economic growth because they are associated with higher-paying jobs and with delivering innovations that improve all varieties of life. Our Frontier BioHealth initiative is designed to help deliver these outcomes more consistently."
The Richmond entity, which bills itself as an innovation ecosystem development organization, operates the 34-acre VA Bio+Tech Park in downtown.
Dr. Jim Pannucci, Activation Capital’s new vice president of entrepreneurship, will oversee Frontier BioHealth.
The program will begin in August and run through November. Participating companies will have access to resources from Activation Capital, including its national partnerships with accelerators like gener8tor, FedTech and Fat Robin Consulting.
Activation Capital said companies with a full-time founder, a clear path to commercialization and a strong scientific discovery that’s ready to scale are urged to apply.
“Our goal is to provide startups with a comprehensive array of resources, connections and guidance — helping them navigate market-readiness challenges and scale their solutions," Pannucci said in a statement.
