Calling Cork start-up firms! Boston-based accelerator company wants to help you
Cork start-up firms have been urged to enter a programme that could see them receive intensive training from a Boston-based accelerator that has helped raise almost €1.7bn and and assisted more than 1,200 start-ups in the past seven years.
Cork County Council has collaborated with Boston-based MassChallenge, among the largest not-for-profit and no-equity start-up accelerators in the world, to find start-up firms to participate in its full MassChallenge Accelerator programme.
The Bridge to MassChallenge Cork aims to help entrepreneurs across the life sciences, medical technology and digital health sectors.
Applicants will be evaluated by a panel of experts who will select 20 start-ups in the life sciences, medical technology and digital health sectors.
The start-ups should have plans to scale up and connect internationally and will be offered the opportunity to participate in a week-long Cork boot camp in February.
The boot camp will conclude with a competition to determine the top 10 start-ups.
These 10 will then advance to a one-week all expenses paid intensive boot camp in Boston in April 2018.
The top two companies will be selected to go forward to second round judging for one of MassChallenge’s international accelerators.
To date, MassChallenge has accelerated 1,211 start-ups worldwide, which together have raised around $2bn in funding, generated $900m in revenue and created over 65,000 direct and indirect jobs in several locations across the world, including Boston, London, Jerusalem, Lausanne and more recently Austin, Texas.
Mentor for Bridge to MassChallenge Cork, Paul Sturrock of Slingshot Venture, said: “This is a unique and once in a lifetime opportunity, one that many of us wish we had when we were starting out in the industry.”
Chief executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey said the partnership with MassChallenge would enhance “the creation of high-quality jobs by supporting our native entrepreneurs”.
