MassRobotics introduced the second cohort of its Accelerator program. The non-profit robotics hub welcomed a diverse and dynamic group that includes Haystack Ag, LiftLabs, Mito Robotics, Nexterity, p!ng, Redefine Surgery, ReviMo, Revolute Robotics, Tatum Robotics, and Variable Machines.
The three-month accelerator program begins today. The cohort will have the opportunity to introduce their startups at MassRobotics’ annual sponsor’s celebration this week.
During the course of the program, MassRobotics said the startups will experience a robust curriculum of business topics. These span customer discovery, value proposition discovery, manufacturing for excellence, fundraising tactics, and team management. Since graduating, the 10 companies from the first program deployed multiple customer activations, with 80% of the companies having become revenue-generating.
Similar to last year, competition was fierce for the Accelerator, with an 8% acceptance rate. More than 130 startups applied to this program, with applicants from more than 25 countries. The selection process was carried out by a selection committee composed of notable roboticists, entrepreneurs, and academics.
Over the course of two years, MassRobotics has awarded $2,000,000 to 20 promising robotics startups through this accelerator program. The program is powered by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech) Innovation Institute. With the Accelerator, MassRobotics takes an equity-free approach. Each startup participating in the program will be awarded a $100,000 non-dilutive grant from MassTech.
“The MassRobotics Accelerator has exposed us to more than 250 new startups developing amazing robots from across the globe. Our selected cohorts are truly best-in-class. We look forward to new partners and sponsors that will join us in finding the next group of robotics startups that will change the world,” said Tom Ryden, executive director of MassRobotics.” This opportunity to help power and impact our Accelerator is critical and unique.”
Meet the startups at Robotics Summit & Expo
Companies in this cohort represent a number of industries, including health care, manufacturing, consumer, assistive technology, and ocean tech. Importantly, female founders make up 40% of the cohort. The cohort includes:
- Haystack Ag: Specializes in cost-effective and high-accuracy soil carbon measurement. According to Haystack, this could remove one of the last major barriers to soil carbon market development and scalability.
- LiftLabs: Develops fast and user-friendly ropeless gear for local lobstermen. Its technology can be attached to the top of a lobster trap, leaving the trap still fishable but removing the vertical rope and buoy typically used to raise traps. It also offers a larger Offshore Lift.
- Mito Robotics: Provides AI-powered robotics for wet lab automation. It combines AI’s computational power with robotics’ precision to create an intelligent robotic scientist.
- Nexterity: A hands-free robotic tool to autonomously bolt and unbolt pipeline flanges in the field for industrial manufacturing asset owners.
- p!ng: A fast and convenient automated drive-thru. Powered by proprietary automation and AI, p!ng delivers a scanless customer experience – you press a one-click order button on the app, drive up, grab your order, and go.
- Redefine Surgery: An AI model for surgery to advance the field and improve patient outcomes. Its vision system captures and transforms surgery into 3D experiences, enabling surgeons to learn from anywhere and collaborate at any time while creating the foundational dataset for AI-assisted surgery.
- ReviMo: Personal robotic assistants to help people with limited mobility take care of themselves independently and reduce the burden on their caregivers. It designed its product for people who cannot get out of bed without assistance.
- Revolute Robotics: Hybrid mobility robots that switch between driving on the ground and flying through the air to enable entirely new applications for inspection and surveillance robots.
- Tatum Robotics: A 2022 RoboBusiness Pitchfire winner, Tatum Robotics is developing first-of-its-kind assistive communication systems for the DeafBlind community. Its Tatum T1 robotic hand signs tactile ASL, the primary communication method of people with severe deafblindness.
- Variable Machines: A new type of reconfigurable tool that allows for faster, more affordable, and more sustainable composite manufacturing. It combines hybrid additive 3D printing with a novel scalable array of closed-loop force-sensing linear actuators. This allows it to print lightweight mold tools at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional additive machines.
Now accepting session submissions!
The MassRobotics Accelerator will culminate in an Accelerator Showcase at the Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place April 30-May 1 in Boston. Produced by The Robot Report, the Robotics Summit & Expo brings together 5,000+ developers focused on building robots for a variety of commercial industries. Attendees will gain insights into the latest enabling technologies, engineering best practices, and emerging trends. There will be 70-plus speakers on stage, 10+ hours of dedicated networking time, a Women in Robotics Breakfast, a career fair, startup showcase, and more. Returning to the show is the RBR50 Pavilion and RBR50 Awards Dinner that will honor the winners of the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards.
“Imagine if overnight your company grew 10X and is now full of experts ready to help you gracefully navigate any issue or make decisions small or large. Imagine if that continued for 13 weeks and your company got paid for it! That’s what the MassRobotics Accelerator is and it’s been an invaluable asset to our startup,” said Demitri Balabanov, CEO and co-founder of Apparel Robotics, a MassRobotics Accelerator portfolio company.
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