Five Startup Entrepreneurs of North Shore InnoVentures Technology Incubator Have Been Past Winners
Beverly, MA — February 10, 2015 — North Shore InnoVentures (NSIV), one of New England’s leading technology incubators and business accelerators, announced today that incubator member William Bardosh, Founder & CEO of TerraVerdae BioWorks, was recently chosen to participate in the Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YEi), organized by the Boston Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States. This is the fifth entrepreneur from North Shore InnoVentures to receive this prestigious award, designed to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses in France and Europe.
Bardosh is one of twelve laureates to receive the award this year, selected from a pool of nearly 200 applicants from all over the US. The prize includes a fully funded trip to France and a weeklong immersion in the French ecosystem that offers recipients a customized business network, individual coaching, and connections to the best resources and companies in Europe.
“Being able to work with the thriving innovation community in France this past week has opened up opportunities for TerraVerdae that we would not have had otherwise,” said Bardosh, of TerraVerdae BioWorks. “We learned firsthand about market opportunities in France, connected with local startups, and explored possible synergies and partnerships. I was most impressed with the global caliber of capabilities in France’s Industrial Biotech Sector. This will help further our business in European and other overseas markets.”
Past NSIV winners of the YEi competition include:
Marc Bazin (2008), President of HepatoChem (www.hepatochem.com)
Joel Berniac (2010), Founder & CEO of Akrivis Techologies (www.akrivis.com)
Richard Gabriel (2012), COO of GLG Pharma (www.glgpharma.com)
Roger Nassar (2013), CEO of RAN Biotechnologies (www.ranbiotechnologies.com)
“The YEi program is focused on connecting American entrepreneurs with all the resources they need to develop their company and address a market of 500 million European customers,” said Jean-Jacques Yarmoff, Scientific Attaché at the Consulate General of France in Boston. “The success of companies incubated by North Shore InnoVentures in this competition is a reflection of both the quality of the companies and of the support they get from NSIV. We look forward to having more candidates from NSIV in this year’s contest that will start next month.”
“Our entrepreneurs at NSIV have had unprecedented success in tapping this important international business opportunity,” said Martha Farmer, President & CEO of North Shore InnoVentures. “NSIV has worked closely with our French counterparts in the innovation community to help our entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses in France, as a gateway to European markets and beyond.”
2013 YEi Laureate, Roger Nassar of RAN Biotechnologies commented on his experience last year. “The connections that I’ve made through the Young Entrepreneurs Initiative have been extremely valuable for the growth of our business in general, and for establishing a presence in France and Europe in particular.”
About Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YEi)
YEi is a competition for American entrepreneurs who are interested in expanding their business in Europe and benefit from the very active innovation ecosystems they can find in France. It is organized by the Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States, with its partners, the Invest in France Agency and RETIS, a French innovation incubator network. (www.yeifrance.com)
About TerraVerdae BioWorks
TerraVerdae BioWorks develops engineered biomaterials, specialty bioactive metabolites, and industrial biochemicals in a biorefinery platform utilizing feedstocks such as waste-derived methanol and methane. Target markets include industrial materials, specialty chemicals, flavors, fragrances, nutraceuticals, automotive and agriculture. TerraVerdae offers a bioprocess development service that links strong expertise in metabolic engineering/systems biology, industrial bioprocess optimization/scale up and biopolymer product development, and includes proprietary genetic, protein expression and bioprocessing capability. (www.terraverdae.com)
About North Shore InnoVentures
North Shore InnoVentures (NSIV) is a non-profit business incubator headquartered at the burgeoning cluster of more than sixty life sciences and cleantech businesses at the Cummings Center in Beverly, MA. NSIV is dedicated to accelerating the growth of innovative early-stage life sciences and cleantech businesses and supporting the economic growth of Boston’s North Shore. Its management, board of directors, advisory board, and mentors bring a wealth of entrepreneurship experience in addition to business development and technical expertise. Further support comes from sponsors who contribute marketing, legal, operational and educational services. (www.nsiv.org).
Contacts:
Martha Farmer, Ph.D.
President & CEO
North Shore InnoVentures
508-527-1832
martha.farmer@nsiv.org
Media:
Paul Sagan
KCSA Strategic Communications
617-852-0495
psagan@kcsa.com
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