Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator Pitch Day Showcases Excellence in
Local Biosciences Innovations
10 Westchester biosciences entrepreneurs among ventures showcased
White Plains, New York (May 2023) – Emerging biosciences ventures from the fourth cohort of the Westchester County Biosciences Accelerator (WCBA) participated in the annual Pitch Day event on May 11, 2023, at Florence Gould Hall in New York City. In addition to pitches and presentations from these ventures, the program also featured a panel of distinguished alumni who shared their work that is changing care within biosciences.
The 2023 WCBA cohort participants and ventures included:
- Chitra Dorai (Independent) – Amicus Brain Innovations, Inc
o 11M Americans care for people with dementia, lacking reliable advice, resources and support. Our platform with trusted AI advisors transforms caregiving, extending aging at home.
- Chris Buser (Independent) – BioCubic
o BioCubic makes inexpensive, nanoscale tissue imaging data accessible to customers in discovery, clinical research, and diagnostics, enabling earlier and more precise diagnosis of diseases.
- Guadalupe Astorga (Rockefeller University) – Top-down Therapeutics
o We create engaging software solutions to help autistic children gain independence in their daily lives based on our neuroscience research in learning and visual perception.
- Justine Witzke (Independent) – Aligneage Fertility
o Aligneage Fertility (est. 2023, NYC) is your boutique, human-centered sperm bank and fertility consultancy.
- Kareem Rashid Rumah and Edmondo Campisi (Rockefeller University) – NanoLytx
o Leveraging our breakthrough discoveries in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis, we are dedicated to stopping the devastating consequences of this disease at its initial onset.
- Lili Xu (Independent) – New York Huaqi Bioengineering
o NYHQBIO has developed a multi-organ preservation platform for 24-hour heart, lung, and liver preservation and 72 hours for kidneys confirmed in small and large animals.
- Neetika Ashwani (Columbia University) – KRIASH
o KRIASH improves the adherence of skin-to-skin contact practice in admitted premature-babies to improve health outcomes by wireless tracking and vitals monitoring through a non-invasive medical device.
- Nicolas Tricaud and Cathy Beaumard (Independent) – Nervosave Therapeutics
o Nervosave is an early-stage biotech company incorporated in Montpellier, France & New York, USA, with a focus on the prevention and cure of myelin-related disorders.
- Victor Varnado (Independent) – Databinder
o DATABINDER automates expert administrative tasks using patent-pending technology and AI, transforming unstructured data into structured formats for efficient analysis across various industries. Seeking funding to scale and form partnerships.
- Yosmayra Reyes and Vikiana Clement (CUNY) – SES Lab
o SES LAB is a revolutionary gaming platform that increases positive learning behaviors and diminishes disruptive learning behaviors through the use of AR/VR technology.
The Westchester County Office of Economic Development (WCOED) created the WCBA in 2019 to grow the local biosciences sector. The six-month program provides cohort members with coaching, networking and mentorship to help grow their ventures, attract funding, expand their teams and identify flexible space to house their research and operations.
Westchester County is home to the largest biosciences cluster in New York State, boasting 8,000 jobs and 20 percent of the State’s total biosciences employment. The cluster comprises academic institutes doing basic research, R&D and clinical stage startups, large manufacturers and supply chain participants. The County is proud to support biotech startups, stage two companies and global leaders in the broad life sciences industry.
