BioTools Innovator Announces EmGenisys the 2024 Winner of $250,000 Grand Prize at Capstone Event

BioTools Innovator VANGUARD, the new BARDA Enabling Technologies Hub, is celebrated with a ribbon-cutting

LOS ANGELES & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTools Innovator, the first-ever accelerator focused on life science tools, today announced the 2024 BioTools Innovator Grand Prize Winner. EmGenisys was awarded the $250,000 non-dilutive Grand Prize at the accelerator’s Capstone Event on September 26 in Boston during Biotech Week Boston. EmGenisys received the most audience votes from among four finalists, who each presented on stage in a live pitch event. The other finalists, Nyctea Technologies (Gothenburg, Sweden), Redbud Labs (Chapel Hill, NC), and Syenex (Chicago), each received a $10,000 cash prize.

EmGenisys (Houston, Texas) is developing non-invasive embryo analysis software designed by veterinarians and embryologists to improve embryo transfer pregnancy outcomes with objective, data-driven embryo analysis.

“It is exciting and exhilarating to be chosen by our industry peers as the BioTools Innovator 2024 Grand Prize winner! What an incredible feeling to make it all the way from the application process to being selected as a finalist, where we shared a stage with three outstanding companies who will each continue to advance the development of tools that will enable the future of biotechnology,” said Cara Wells, CEO, EmGenisys. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from our friendly competitors - many of whom we may become clients of! - and our many mentors we worked closely with throughout the accelerator. We are excited to take what we’ve learned, along with our prize winnings, to focus 100% on creating our next-generation product: a highly scalable, agile solution to more easily service thousands of customers, including the largest farms and dairies in the country.”

“Congratulations to EmGenisys for winning this year’s Grand Prize. Their technology perfectly embodies the type of innovations we champion, which often have the potential to positively impact multiple sectors,” said Kathryn Zavala, managing director of BioTools Innovator. “We’re thrilled to support and showcase the entire 2024 BioTools Innovator cohort. As graduates of this year’s program, this group of exceptional founders now have the network, knowledge and support they need to advance their next-generation life science tools to improve human health by accelerating the development of new therapeutics and diagnostics.”

The 2024 Best Video Award, recognizing cohort companies' excellence in effectively and creatively communicating their value proposition in a short video format, was also presented during the Capstone Event. As voted by industry peers, Redbud Labs won the title of Best Company Video and earned the $10,000 cash prize.

“It was an honor for Redbud Labs to be chosen as the 2024 BioTools Innovator Best Video winner. We’d never created a company video before, and I don’t particularly enjoy being on camera. But the process of scripting, shooting, and editing really helped us refine our core messages. And Jason Van Sant at Reach Creative was a great partner in making it come to life,” said Richard Spero, CEO of Redbud Labs.

BioTools Innovator evaluated the pitches of 53 candidates out of more than 300 applicants from 43 countries and 42 U.S. states. Twenty companies were then selected to participate in the 2024 BioTools Innovator Accelerator, which highlights best-in-class life science startups worldwide. The complete list of the BioTools Innovator 2024 cohort companies can be found here.

The Capstone Event, held as part of the BioProcess International conference during Biotech Week Boston, was attended by senior executives, investors, and top decision-makers in the industry. The event, supported by Wilson Sonsini and PubGrade, featured keynote presentations, panel discussions, the BioTools Innovator 2024 Cohort Showcase, and the Grand Prize competition. During the competition finals, each finalist presented their company’s value proposition and answered questions from a panel of industry experts. After the pitches, the audience voted in real-time to select the winner.

BioTools Innovator VANGUARD Launch

Also, at the Capstone Event, BTI celebrated its selection by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) as the Enabling Technologies Hub in the next generation of the BARDA Accelerator Network (BAN). The Network will foster the growth of the health security innovation ecosystem, with particular attention to next-generation medical countermeasures.

BTI’s Enabling Technologies Hub, BioTools Innovator VANGUARD, is one of five strategic BAN hubs. VANGUARD will lead innovations to increase speed, capacity, portability, and scalability for drug discovery and development, biomanufacturing, and clinical research and clinical care coordination.

About BioTools Innovator

BioTools Innovator was established to advance cutting-edge research and improve human health by accelerating the growth of a broad spectrum of life science tools and diagnostics. BioTools Innovator matches industry leaders with innovative early-stage and emerging growth biotechnology-focused companies for mentorship and support.

BioTools Innovator provides startups individualized mentorship and feedback, funding opportunities, and continual engagement with peers and advisors. Funding for BioTools Innovator is provided by the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation of Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. (RCT). Additional support is provided by BroadOak Capital Partners, Nissan Chemical America Corporation, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

BioTools Innovator is powered by MedTech Innovator, the world’s largest accelerator of medical technology companies. Its mission is to improve human health by accelerating the growth of companies transforming patient care. MedTech Innovator has been a catalyst for groundbreaking healthcare solutions, reviewing nearly 12,000 applicants and fostering the growth of 717 companies that have collectively raised over USD 8 billion in follow-on funding and introduced 345 products to the market, improving the lives of millions.

For more information about BioTools Innovator, visit the website and follow the program on LinkedIn and Twitter.