We do not have crystal balls, we guess you would have a few questions for us.
Read the Open Call and apply for the 2nd Round of BioStartup Lab.
Applications are open from May 2nd to June 26th, 2016.
READ THE CALL START APPLICATION
Straightforwardly, BioStartup Lab is an initiative powered by Biominas Brasil and Sebrae Minas, in a strategic partnership with SEDECTES, for boosting the creative process of new business ideas and accelerating the emergence of new startups in the areas of the life sciences sector. It is, therefore, a permanent strategy of empowerment of this sector. Our model is based is four elements: Inspiration (generation of relevant and open knowledge), Drive (generation of community connections), Pre- acceleration (12-week program that seeks to validate and accelerate the construction of business strategies of the teams selected), and Impact (creation a new generation of entrepreneurs, new startups and partnerships).
Building a new generation of entrepreneurs and support it in the creative processes of new solutions for challenges in the life sciences sector, more precisely: human health, agribusiness/animal health, environment and digital health.
No… Well, maybe we’re a “hip” accelerator. What we do is supporting teams of entrepreneurs through methodologies and activities adopted by acceleration programs, but the similarities stop there. There are a few reasons why the model we have built isn’t compatible with a traditional accelerator, the main are: a) we do not require a National Entity Registration Code (“CNPJ”) for applicants, because we don’t only receive companies in our program (teams with an idea or a project too); b) we do not become partners, shareholders and we don’t do equity investment.
In each batch, about 20 startups are selected for participating on an immersion program that takes approximately 10 weeks. During this period, the teams follow the methodology elaborated by Biominas Brasil and which is geared towards the development of entrepreneurship projects in the life sciences. This methodology includes workshops and training, mentorship, validation sessions (with the participation of large companies), lessons learned and networking activities. Throughout the process, the teams go under evaluations by a board of specialists and get points and feedback. The highest scores teams present their solution to potential partners and investors in DemoDay, an event that closes each round and chooses the winning team. Click here to learn all the details of the methodology.
Teams made up by 2 or more people that have an idea, a project or a research aimed on solving challenges in the following fields: human health, agribusiness/animal health, environment and digital health. We’re looking for researchers, students or even professionals that are already in the market and are searching for new possibilities.
It’s necessary that at least a duo is formed. We believe that turning an idea into reality require different sorts of abilities, and forming a team is an efficient method of balancing strengths and weaknesses, sharing responsibilities and acquiring new knowledge. Furthermore, convincing someone to join your team is a way of testing your execution. Your team can have as many people as necessary, but be careful: it is usually problematic having a team with too many people. At BioStartup Lab, it will be possible to register from 2 to 4 members. Pick well! Promising ideas and projects always attract a lot of people.
Click here and meet other entrepreneurs in our online community. It’s the ideal place for forming a team.
Absolutely not! Good ideas and good projects have no nationality. People from anywhere in the world may apply (by the way, we’d love to practice our English a bit more and our Español un poquito).
No. Entrepreneur teams not legally established yet as a company can apply.
Nope. We believe that, in life sciences, “opening a company” is only one of the various possibilities to transform an idea into something relevant. BioStartup Lab’s methodology helps entrepreneur teams to verify if that is the really best option. Some other possibilities are: partnerships for co-development or technology transfer.
During the Pre-acceleration program, we open possibilities for the applicability of your knowledge and your research. We give you hand going beyond the academic universe, building a suitable strategy and searching for the best conditions to execute it, which includes new skills, partners, fundraising and connecting to a network of people and institutions that support innovation and entrepreneurship in Brazil.
Awesome! We’re dying to meet you. If it’s a life sciences product or service (it means a human health, agribusiness/animal health, environment or a digital health solution), during the Pre-acceleration program, we’ll support you validating, improving and building an adequate and competitive strategy to commercialize it. Our methodology aims to develop new skills, connect you to potential partners or investors and help with fundraising.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The land of pão-de-queijo (heard of it?).
We would love if you could, but we know that this might be a little complicated. We recommend that at least one member of each team participate of all activities. It’s only 12 weeks, it’s worth it! Besides, the days and hours of the activities will be carefully set to be compatible with the availability of the most part of the selected teams. That way, participants may choose to live in BH during the whole program or they might just come to the city only in the days when activities will happen.
During the Pre-acceleration program we welcome the teams to work as many hours as they want on our co-working space, free of charge. However, we do not cover personal expenses, housing, food and transportation, since we do not offer grants or scholarships. Fairly, this may be the counterpart of the participants. We know that is not the case of your team, but there are many people who participate in initiatives like ours with the only interest in receiving assistance grants. This definitely does not suit us, right?
No and here’s why: the selected teams come to BioStartup Lab to validate or to build their business model, this means that even the strategies of investment and fundraising is still being structure or redefined. We believe that, before being invested, entrepreneurs need to be conscious of how much they need, for what purpose and what kind of resource would be most viable for their project. We’ll validate your solution and your business model and our network will help you to connect to investors when the time is right.
No. BioStartup Lab does not become a partner and it doesn’t get any share or equity.
Don’t worry. From the moment you fill in the form, we’ll keep private all your information considered confidential. The intellectual property of your idea/technology/project is yours! You don’t have to share it with us. In case your team is selected, we will sign an agreement to offer you all the guarantees.
The application process will be on our website through a super-simple form, without bureaucracy or paperwork. At this time, we are not open for registrations for the next batch. Stay tuned because very soon they will be announced.
We are not open for registrations for the next batch. A tip is to subscribe to our online community and not lose our contacts.
Form filled and sent = registration for the first step of the selection process. Our team will analyze the form and we hope it will make it to the second and final phase, which is a conversation with the selected teams (on-site or remote). However, if you don’t make it this time, we’ll send you an email so you can try again soon.
BioStartup Lab is an initiative promote by Biominas Brasil and Sebrae Minas and it’s maintained by those institutions with the support of partners. Biominas Brasil works with the promotion of business in the life sciences sector and Sebrae Minas works with the with the strengthening and competitiveness of new business, BioStartup Lab creates value for both institutions by making the life sciences sector more dynamic and by diversifying the entrepreneur ecosystem.
for a generation of life science entrepreneurs
AV. JOSÉ CÂNDIDO DA SILVEIRA, 2100
HORTO - CEP: 31.035-536
BELO HORIZONTE - MG - BRASIL
T +55 31 3665 8450