PRESS

Press Release
TiE Boston launches the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Alumni Circle

CAMBRIDGE, MA (November 15, 2024) - TiE Boston is thrilled to announce the launch of its TYE Alumni Circle, a vibrant network designed to bring together past participants of the TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) program. This new alumni initiative of the TYE program that started in Boston 20 years ago, aims to foster lasting connections, provide mentorship opportunities, and support the continued growth of entrepreneurial talent.

The launch event kicked off with an engaging meet-and-greet, where over 30 TYE alumni reconnected with old peers and made new connections. Conversations flowed as attendees shared stories, ideas, and experiences from their entrepreneurial journeys. Members of the TYE Boston leadership team, including Gaurav Mallik, Dr. Anil Saigal, Megha Desai and Pragathi Maroju met and interacted and interact with the alumni, fostering a strong sense of community and collaboration.

“It was great to see so many young minds together networking and sharing their experiences with peers. It is clear, TYE forges entrepreneurial thinking and one of the reasons it remains one of my favorite programs within TiE Boston,” said Gaurav Mallik, Chair of the TYE’s Leadership team and TiE Boston Board Member

The evening progressed to a lively networking session at the CIC Venture Café, which drew a professional crowd of more than 300 people. TYE alumni had the unique opportunity to network with innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from various industries. From discussing emerging trends to exploring potential collaborations, the event was a perfect space for TYE alumni to immerse themselves in a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“I am so proud to be one of the founding members of the TYE Boston Alumni Circle,” said Pragathi Maroju, who is on the leadership team of the TYE program and a TYE alumni herself. She continued, ”Entrepreneurial thinking is a mindset that is beneficial to career growth, regardless of the field students pursue in college and beyond.”

The TYE Alumni Circle launch marks the beginning of a new initiative for TiE Boston, as it strengthens connections among TYE alumni and provides them with resources and opportunities to advance their entrepreneurial goals. With events like these, the organization reaffirms its commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders and changemakers.

For more information about the TYE Alumni Circle and future events, visit www.tye-boston.org or contact Adam Carter, TYE Program Director, by email at adam@boston.tie.org

Press Release
TiE ScaleUp Launches Eleventh Cohort

BOSTON (October 17, 2024) - TiE Boston is thrilled to announce the lineup of twelve spectacular, local startups joining TiE ScaleUp’s eleventh cohort.

Each of these ventures has already developed notable customer or industry traction, raised capital or bootstrapped effectively, and expanded upon their brilliant core teams. On the cusp of rapid scaling, these founders and leaders are now ready to take full advantage of the world-class resources of the TiE ScaleUp accelerator: access to coaching from veteran mentors, an advanced scaling curriculum taught by industry experts, and a community of alumni, investors, and entrepreneurs through the esteemed TiE Boston and TiE Global community.

Each of these startups have already made substantial strides into the seed stage, garnering industry recognition, engaged customers or partners, and growing their core teams. These twelve teams have fundraised or bootstrapped effectively and, with rapid growth on the horizon, these founding teams are prepared to capitalize on the unparalleled resources offered by the TiE ScaleUp accelerator program. This includes expert mentorship, a specialized scaling curriculum, and a vibrant community of alumni, investors, and entrepreneurs within the prestigious TiE Boston and TiE Global networks.

"It’s a privilege to support these twelve remarkable teams. Each of these bold early-stage founders are fighting their way through a challenging market, and it is inspiring to see what they’ve been able to accomplish so far,” said TiE Boston President, Purnanad Sarma. “Resilient founders are capable of building companies under any circumstances. The TiE ScaleUp community—mentors, instructors, alumni, and allies—will do everything we can to support these bold entrepreneurs as they embark on their journey."

As a leading equity-free program, TiE ScaleUp has historically drawn on the generosity, curiosity, and entrepreneurial enthusiasm of TiE Boston Charter Members. Their contributions are vital in delivering the unique advantages of a later-stage accelerator to entrepreneurs and making a substantial impact on the Boston startup landscape. This year, we are excited to engage with many of our new members as mentors and subject matter experts – their involvement enables us to offer the unique value of a later-stage accelerator to entrepreneurs and create a meaningful impact on the Boston startup ecosystem.

TiE ScaleUp is grateful for the continued generous support of Arent Fox Schiff, HSBC Innovation Banking and Spinnaker Sales Group. We are excited to welcome Tracxn as a premiere perk provider to the program, equipping all twelve teams with exclusive industry and fundraising data. TiE Boston's community of mentors and TiE ScaleUp alumni have ensured that the ScaleUp network continues to remain strong and vibrant. Cohort 11 is LIVE, having launched on October 16, 2024; please join us in welcoming these twelve startups to the TiE ScaleUp and TiE Boston communities.

It is our distinct pleasure to introduce the Cohort 11 startups:

AcousticaBio is an advanced manufacturing company solving the greatest challenge in drug delivery of novel therapeutics. The AcousticaBio team is reformulating new and existing intravenously-delivered biologic products (long, hospital-based injections) into highly concentrated subcutaneous injections (quick, self-administered).

Empallo is delivering the world's best cardiologist, accessible from the phone in every patient's and provider's pocket.

Envoya is an AI powered gene therapy delivery company using non-lipid polymer-based nano-technology

GPx (General Prognostics) is revolutionizing remote chronic disease management with the world's first bloodless blood tests. GPx is transforming the standard of care of cardiorenal diseases and enabling patients to better understand their condition, much like the continuous glucose monitor has transformed diabetes care.

goimagine is an ecommerce platform for shopping local, handmade, and with purpose. Customers support local makers and artists while helping children in need on the marketplace that cares.

Grain Ecosystem makes it profitable for suppliers to reduce their emissions by leveraging their digital workflow platform to build decarbonization projects. Grain helps suppliers navigate incentive eligibility and carbon accounting calculations, ensure a positive business case, and match with the right partners.

HighTime Foods is a food-tech startup that delivers delicious and shelf-stable plant-based meat for every chef, every cuisine, in every corner of the world.

QualiVerse is a vertical SaaS, AI-native platform that accelerates and de-risks medical device clearance/approvals through the U.S. FDA.

RevivBio uses generative AI and ultrahigh throughput experimentation to design better proteins with greater efficacy and success. RevivBio’s B2B business partners with leading corporate partners across industries to collaboratively develop and commercialize bio-products and solutions for large markets.

SpadXTech is a materials platform technology leveraging cellulose-producing bacteria to craft high-performance, eco-friendly materials. SpadXTech’s initial products are applicable in multiple industries including textiles, automotive, construction, and packaging.

SynsoryBio is creating next-generation protein therapeutics that sense where they are in the body and only activate at diseased tissue. The SynsoryBio platform has the potential to expand the therapeutic window of highly potent drugs and apply to many diseases, including cancers and autoimmune disorders.

YourScore.AI scores homes based on your unique needs and wants, beyond basic criteria. Each home gets a personal score with instant reasoning provided for the score, helping you spot the right homes faster than ever.

Press Release
Seven Trailblazing Women Founders Shortlisted for TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition
First Place Winner to Represent Boston at the TiE Global Women Pitch Competition in Bangalore, India

BOSTON (August 22, 2024) - TiE Boston is proud to announce the seven exceptional women founders who have been selected to advance to the Boston Regional Finals of the 2024 TiE Global Women Pitch Competition. These founders will showcase their innovative ventures to a distinguished panel of judges from the New England startup ecosystem on August 29, 2024.

This year's applications reflected the vibrant diversity of the region’s entrepreneurial landscape, spanning sectors such as health tech, biotech, consumer products, and enterprise technology. The competition promises to be a testament to the strength and creativity of women entrepreneurs in New England. It is supported by the Subu Kota Foundation and the venue hosts this year are Ernst & Young, Boston.

Sunita Kanchinadam, Chair of TiE Boston Women and Board Member, said, "Narrowing down the shortlist from such a talented pool of applicants was no easy task. The quality of the submissions this year underscores the thriving nature of our ecosystem, filled with women founders who are developing game-changing solutions. I want to extend my gratitude to all the applicants and the screening committee for their dedication to advancing entrepreneurship for the common good."

Purnanand Sarma, President of TiE Boston, added, "Congratulations to the finalists! It’s inspiring to see TiE Boston as a hub for so many driven women founders. Our mission is to empower and support women entrepreneurs, and the Global Pitch Competition is a key initiative in realizing that mission. We invite all women founders to engage with our programs and join us in fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial community."

Congratulations to the seven shortlisted female founders:

Ananya Zutshi, Co-Founder and CEO, Guardian Bio
Christy Fernandez-Cull, Founder & CEO, Davinci Wearables
Irena King, Founder & CEO, Surgicure Technologies, Inc
Rachel Zayas, Founder & CEO, AGED Diagnostics
Rashmi Agrawal, CTO, CipherSonic Labs
Safia Rizvi, CEO, CILA Therapeutics
Sarah Ostadabbas, Founder & CEO, AiWover

The First Place Winner will represent TiE Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at the TiE Global Summit to be held in Bangalore, India in December 2024.

TiE Boston remains committed to helping female entrepreneurs by increasing visibility, providing mentorship, and creating pathways to access funding for their ventures.

Press Release
TiE Boston Celebrates Milestone with ConnectM's Nasdaq Listing

BOSTON (August 22, 2024) — ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNTM) began a new chapter by going public on Nasdaq in July 2024. This announcement has generated significant excitement within the TiE Boston Charter Membership and TiE Boston Angels community, which has invested substantially in and actively helped the company. TiE Boston Angels is a group of accredited investors dedicated to funding and supporting early-stage companies.

"We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone in our journey towards transforming the electrification economy. The support and strategic guidance from TiE Boston Angels and TiE Charter Members have been invaluable in our growth and success. Listing on Nasdaq is a testament to our commitment to innovation and our vision for a sustainable future," said Bhaskar Panigrahi, CEO of ConnectM Technology Solutions, Inc.

ConnectM's vision is to revolutionize the electrification economy through its advanced Energy Intelligence Network. This comprehensive technology platform monitors and manages electrified assets throughout their lifecycle, gathering anonymized performance data to enhance artificial intelligence models and continuously improve network performance. ConnectM's infrastructure empowers OEMs, third-party service providers, and consumers to effectively achieve decarbonization and net-zero goals.

“It takes a community to drive a company to success. Beyond financial investment, we believe that TiE’s network, support, and experience can profoundly impact a startup’s journey. We are thrilled to support the ConnectM team in achieving their entrepreneurial dreams,” said Purnanand Sarma, President of TiE Boston.

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Incoming President Purnanand Sarma and Treasurer Joe Falcão

To Begin Their Tenure July 1, 2024

JULY 1, 2024 - TiE Boston, one of the region’s largest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, announced today that Dr. Purnanand Sarma, who has been elected the 14th President, will begin his two-year term on July 1, 2024. Dr. Sarma replaces current TiE Boston President Yash Shah, whose two-year term ended on June 30, 2024.

Dr. Purnanand Sarma stated, “As an entrepreneur, I am deeply honored to take on the role of President of TiE Boston. This organization has been pivotal in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. I look forward to building on the strong legacy left by my predecessors, enhancing our programs, and further supporting our vibrant community of entrepreneurs.”

TiE Boston’s Immediate Past President Yash Shah remarked, “Dr. Sarma is a visionary leader whose extensive experience and entrepreneurial spirit make him the perfect choice to lead TiE Boston. During my tenure, we have significantly increased the engagement of our charter members and elevated our membership to its highest number to date. I am confident that under Dr. Sarma’s leadership, TiE Boston will continue to thrive and support the next generation of innovators.”

Dr. Purnanand Sarma, is Consulting CEO at GelMEDIX Inc, and until most recently, served as the President, CEO, and Board Member of Immunome (IMNM:NASDAQ), which he successfully led through an IPO in 2020, a large pharma transaction with $2B+ potential in January 2023, and a merger bringing in a seasoned new CEO and a $125M concurrent investment in October 2023. Sarma has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology business across multiple therapeutic platforms, and in companies of various sizes ranging from start-ups to large cap pharmaceutical companies including start-ups in the Boston life science ecosystem.

TiE Boston also announced today that the incoming Treasurer, Joe Falcao, will begin his tenure on July 1st, 2024. Joe Falcao has over 25 years of experience as a financial executive, leading transactions, corporate turnarounds, scaling organizations, and spearheading financial and operational improvements for global, middle market, and start-up companies across various industries including consumer, healthcare, telecom, and chemicals. Joe has held expatriate roles in Brazil, Belgium, and Malaysia and has been an active TiE member, particularly with TiE Boston Angels and TiE ScaleUp.

Joe Falcao said, “I am thrilled to take on the role of Treasurer at TiE Boston. This organization has made a significant impact on the entrepreneurial landscape, and I am eager to contribute to its continued success and growth.”

Outgoing Treasurer Rakesh Kamdar, who continues as a Trustee on the TiE Global Board, said, “Serving as Treasurer for TiE Boston has been a rewarding experience. I am proud of what we have accomplished over the past two years, particularly in strengthening our financial foundation and supporting our members. I am confident that Joe Falcao will bring valuable insights and leadership to the role, ensuring our continued prosperity.”

TiE Boston, the second oldest and second largest TiE chapter, currently has more than 225 charter members from various disciplines, such as technology, finance, life sciences, real estate and service industries.

Press Release
TiE Boston Women Application Portal Closes on June 30, 2024

JUNE 28, 2024 - TiE Boston today announced that the last day to sign up for the Boston region’s finals for the 2024 TiE Women Global Pitch Competition is June 30,2024. It is an incredible opportunity for women founders to showcase their innovative business ideas on a global stage.

TiE Boston invites all women entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and a drive to make a difference to apply to participate in this prestigious program. It is open to applicants in all stages of the entrepreneurial cycle, from the early stages of launching a startup or an established business looking to scale, this competition offers a platform to gain visibility, network with industry leaders & investors, and access mentorship.

The competition welcomes applications from women founders across all industries and sectors who meet the following eligibility criteria:

Female-founded or co-founded startups ONLY. (The opportunity to pitch will only be provided to the female founder/co-founder).
Female co-founder(s) must have minimum 33% equity in the company.
Applying companies must have been in business for less than seven years at the time of application (Company registration must have been after Jan 1, 2017)
Preference given to startups raising funds
Idea Stage Startups do not qualify for screening

TiE Women reserves the right to take a decision regarding applications to further the cause of the TiE Women mission.

The 6 semi-finalists chosen in the Boston regional competition will receive access to mentors, and a free membership to all TiE Boston events for 1 year, in addition to cash prizes. The 1st Place Winner will represent Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition and compete for additional equity-free money and prizes.

To apply, please visit tieboston.org/women and follow the instructions provided.

TiEWomen2024

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Theme for TiECON East 2024: The Connected Entrepreneur – Boundless Innovation and Borderless Connection

JUNE 11, 2024 - TiE Boston announced the theme for TiECON East 2024: “The Connected Entrepreneur: Boundless Innovation and Borderless Connections.”

Scheduled for September 13, 2024, at the Boston Sheraton Hotel, this year’s conference will spotlight the influential role of connected entrepreneurs in today’s dynamic business landscape.

For the first time in the history of TiECON East, the conference will feature an alliance with the New York chapter of TiE.

Historically organized by TiE Boston, this joint effort signifies a major milestone, expanding the conference’s reach and influence. The involvement of the New York chapter brings a wealth of additional resources, expertise, and networking opportunities. This cooperation promises to enrich the conference experience by fostering a broader exchange of ideas, facilitating cross-regional partnerships, and providing attendees with diverse perspectives from two of the most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems in the United States.

The synergy between the Boston and New York chapters is expected to elevate TiECON East 2024, making it an even more impactful event for all participants.

“TiECON East is a unique convergence of forward-thinking individuals who are dedicated to innovation, growth, and transformative change,” said TiE Boston President Yash Shah. “This year, we are thrilled to focus on the theme of the connected entrepreneur, emphasizing the critical role of networking and collaboration in driving success. With the exciting addition of New York as a partnering chapter, TiECON East 2024 is poised to extend its reach and impact, fostering connections that transcend geographical boundaries.”

The theme “The Connected Entrepreneur: Boundless Innovation and Borderless Connections” focuses on business leaders who effectively use their networks to foster professional relationships, access valuable resources, and leverage opportunities. Staying connected also means keeping abreast of market trends, innovations, and the latest business practices, making entrepreneurs particularly adaptable and often ahead in competitive environments.

“The conference theme encapsulates the essence of modern entrepreneurship,” said Bhaskar Panigrahi, Chair of TiECON East. “It highlights the importance of connectivity in driving innovation, fostering growth, and staying ahead of market trends. At TiECON East 2024, we aim to showcase how these connected entrepreneurs navigate and thrive in a rapidly evolving business landscape.”

This year’s TiECON East will feature a diverse range of keynote speeches, startup pitches, networking sessions, and TEDx-style programs relevant to entrepreneurship, innovation, technology trends, funding strategies, and business growth. The conference will cover six key topics:

1. Cutting-edge and Emerging Technologies of the Future

2. Fostering Growth with a Focus on Best Practices in Sales and Marketing

3. Share Your Story with Real-life Inspiring Connected Entrepreneur’s Journey

4. Showcase Opportunities to Present Brand and Value Proposition

5. Market Outlook from Investors and Investment Banks

6. Exit Options: Learning from Experienced Entrepreneurs

“The sessions have been meticulously designed to address the most pressing topics and trends in entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Nithya Iyer Singh, Co-Chair of TiECON East. “From exploring cutting-edge technologies to discussing best practices in sales and marketing, each session aims to provide invaluable insights and practical knowledge. We’re excited to offer real-life stories from inspiring entrepreneurs. Additionally, our focus on exit strategies will equip attendees with the know-how to successfully navigate their entrepreneurial journey.”

TiECON East 2024 is committed to empowering entrepreneurs with the tools and connections they need to thrive. The conference will be held at the Boston Sheraton Hotel. Tickets are available at tieconeast.com.

TiECON24Theme

Press Release
Young Innovators Shine at TiE Boston’s TYE Final Pitch Competition

Pictured: TelePark, the winners of the TYE 2024 Boston Finals

JUNE 7, 2024 - TiE Boston is thrilled to announce the winners of the Final Pitch Competition for their TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Academy. The highly anticipated event, hosted at Suffolk University’s Law School, saw an impressive turnout with over 150 industry insiders, mentors, judges, participants, and family members in attendance.

TelePark, powered by team members Sai Bezawada, Maruthi Birudavolu, Sarada Koppana, Vani Mittal, Saachi Badgi, and Deepika Bhardwaj, emerged victorious with their innovative mobile app solution to urban parking challenges. The app, TelePark, promises to revolutionize the parking experience by offering a seamless and efficient solution to a common urban problem. Special recognition goes to their mentor, Girish Juneja, who has remarkably mentored TiE Boston’s winning team for the second consecutive year. The team has been awarded a trip to Silicon Valley in June, where they will represent TiE Boston at the TYE Global Finals. There, winning teams from over 25 worldwide chapters will compete for top honors and cash prizes.

“We are immensely proud of all our participants,” said Yash Shah, President of TiE Boston. “The creativity, innovation, and dedication these young entrepreneurs have shown are truly inspiring. TelePark’s solution addresses a critical urban issue, and we are excited to see them represent Boston on the global stage.”

Speaking on behalf of her team, TelePark CEO Vani Mittal said, “We are super excited to represent Boston in the TYE Global Finals. It took a lot of teamwork and perseverance to get this far but we’ve learned so much, not only in how to

start a successful business, but how to work together as a team. We’re appreciative of the TYE team for helping us through our journey, and teaching us each step of the process of building a start-up; we not only were able to expand our entrepreneurship knowledge, but more importantly, we were able to meet new people and create new & lasting friends.”

Girish Juneja, mentor of the winning team, added, “It has been a privilege to work with such bright and motivated young minds. Their passion and hard work have paid off, and I am confident they will make a significant impact at the TYE Global Finals.”

The first runner-up in the competition was SleepInform, who came up with a smart pillow that provides users with sound therapy and sleep tracking capabilities. The team members were Sahej Singh, Pranav Nandyalam, and Arush Shangari.

MyPath, a web platform designed to guide students seeking non-traditional career paths, secured the second runner-up position. Team members were Parker Ferguson, Isha Shah, Kyan Sangani, Hannah Spratt, and Ashneel Ejenkar.

Additionally, UVShield was recognized for their Lean Canvas Business Model. UVShield’s product is the world’s first biodegradable UV light tracker, developed to help prevent skin cancer. Team members included Neal Mahidhar, Siddharth Deshmukh, Neil Dutta, Ritvik Shetty, and Aaron Kunnikuru.

IncluPlay, a toy company dedicated to empowering kids on the Autism Spectrum with customized toys for inclusive play, was also Prototype. Team members were Aneesha Aryan, Pranav Srinivasan, Aiden Suh, Kira Levin, and Ben Fox.

The winning teams received cash prizes to encourage them on their entrepreneurship journey. The 2023-24 TYE Cohort created solutions for issues ranging from reducing food waste, skin cancer prevention, music therapy and language learning.

Nilanjana Bhowmik, Past President TiE Boston and TiE Boston Foundation noted, “As a VC, I judge many pitch competitions. The TYE pitches are on par with any at the college and incubator level; the passion and idealism of the students stands out particularly. The TYE program does an outstanding job preparing students for the business world with practical know-how, critical thinking, team-work and effective communication. Congratulations to the class of 2024!”.

Over seven months leading up to this exciting day, fourteen teams of high school students worked alongside experienced TYE mentors to learn how to start and run a successful business. They developed business plans and presentations based on their original ideas, which they presented to panels of industry-leading judges.

During this event aimed at fostering and promoting youth entrepreneurship, students had the opportunity to connect with peers and receive valuable guidance from judges. The competition concluded with all participants emerging as winners, taking home valuable experience, important feedback, and lasting connections with other teams, judges, and organizers. TiE Boston extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the teams and looks forward to seeing their future successes.

Founded in Boston in 2005, the TYE Young Entrepreneurs Academy has since been replicated in over 30 TiE chapters worldwide. Generous support for TYE comes from BNY Mellon, Babson College, Suffolk University, and Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC).

TYE Boston’s Entrepreneurship Academy is dedicated to fostering the next generation of leaders through the transformative experience of building a startup. Over seven months, exceptional high school students are taught a rigorous curriculum by startup founders and industry experts, collaborating with peers to create solutions to pressing problems they identify.

Applications for the 2024-25 TYE Entrepreneurship Academy and the Summer Bootcamp are now open. Learn more by visiting www.tye-boston.org.

TYEBoston2024

Press Release
TiE Boston’s Flagship TiECON East 2024 Set for Sept. 13; Bhaskar Panigrahi Named Chair, Nithya Iyer Singh is Co-Chair

MARCH 25, 2024 - TiE Boston announced that TiECON East ’24, its much awaited annual flagship event, will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston, on Friday, September 13, 2024. This is New England’s largest conference bringing together entrepreneurs, industry experts, corporate executives, academics and students alike.

The conference will focus on the modern entrepreneur’s challenges and opportunities in facing new technologies. It will host keynote speakers, multiple tracks and panelists, a mentor lounge and an investor lounge. The objective of the conference is to bring rich content and networking opportunities for the entrepreneurial talent emerging from New England.

“Save the date for an electrifying convergence of minds at our upcoming TiECON East 2024, where a dynamic community driven by disruption, relentless progress, and boundless innovation will get together for discussions over several tracks and panels,” said Yash Shah, President of TiE Boston.

Mr. Shah also announced that Bhaskar Panigrahi, Chairman and CEO of ConnectM Technology Solutions will be the TiECON East Chair, and Nithya Iyer Singh, Co-Founder of 2123iX will be TiECON East Co-Chair.

“I’m excited to chair the 2024 edition of TiECON East, knowing that in bringing people together, we’re building bridges that can lead to countless opportunities and collaborations.” says Bhaskar Panigrahi, TiECON East chair. “It’s about curating an environment where business leaders converge, ideas intersect, and new paths are forged, building on this very powerful legacy of the largest entrepreneurship conference on the East Coast.”

Mr. Panigrahi has 25 years as a serial entrepreneur and investor building successful organizations in clean energy and software/IT space. He is currently Chairman and CEO of ConnectM Technology Solutions – a vertically integrated clean energy technology company electrifying homes, businesses, and transportation by leveraging its Energy Intelligence Network. He is also an investor and board member in CCI Energy/Fairhaven Wind, One Way VC, Sure Ventures, BluStream Corp, and Blue Cloud Ventures. Prior companies as Chairman/CEO include Cambridge Clean Energy, Cambridge Technology Enterprises, CellExchange, E-Solutions, and Unique Computing.

“Humanity is at an important inflection point, given the pace of technological breakthroughs. We are excited to bring industry leaders, VC, mentors, entrepreneurs and start-ups to this one-day conference where we discuss what is possible and how to make it happen.” says Nithya Iyer Singh, TiECON East Co-chair. “From fostering innovation to addressing societal impact, our goal is to facilitate conversations that inspire action, drive progress, and shape the future of entrepreneurship in a rapidly evolving world.”

Ms Iyer Singh is a seasoned Healthcare/Biotech professional. She has worked at GSK, Tesaro and Paratek and launched 2 antibiotics and immuno-oncology drugs in the treatment of endometrial cancer. She has also worked in the area of Specialty Pharmacy at Apria Healthcare and Express Script. Currently, Co-Founder of 2123iX which is in build mode. Her area of interest is in developing solutions using digital, AI and ML technologies in clinical drug development. She is Chair of the AIF NE Advisory Board and is involved in several other profit and non-profit organizations in an advisory role.

TiE Boston will announce the speakers for TIECON East 2024 in the coming weeks. Past TiECON East speakers have included John Scully, Chairman of NirvanaHealth and former CEO of Apple; Jeff Bussgang, Co-Founder at Flybridge Capital Partners; Helen Grenier, Co-Founder of iRobot; Rama Ramakrishnan, MIT Sloan; Sam King, CEO of Veracode; Aron Ain, CEO of Kronos; Gail Goodman of Constant Contact; Deepak Chopra; Craig Newmark of Craig’s List; Diane Greene of VMware and Chair of MIT, and Rohit Prasad, Chief Scientist of Alexa, Amazon.

Founded in 1997, TiE Boston connects tomorrow’s founders with today’s entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Operating for 27 years now, TiE Boston’s unparalleled network of successful, serial entrepreneurs are deeply engaged and committed to giving back to the community by providing mentorship, tactical advice, and expertise to rising entrepreneurs through signature programs. TiE is the world’s largest not-for-profit network dedicated to helping startups grow. This ecosystem was established more than 30 years ago, rapidly expanding the TiE Network to 16,000 members across multiple countries and contributed to $250 billion in wealth creation. TiE Chapters around the world have become a vibrant platform for entrepreneurs, professionals, industry leaders, and investors to interact with one another & forge long-lasting relationships.

TiECONMar25

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Shortlist for the 2024 TiE-U Global Pitch Competition for Collegiate Entrepreneurs

BOSTON- TiE Boston today announced the Shortlist for the Boston Finals of 2024 TiE U Pitch Competition, for collegiate entrepreneurs. The Boston Finals will be held on March 21, 2024 and the winning team will represent TiE Boston at the global finals of the TiE U Global Pitch Competition in Silicon Valley.

Dr. Venkat Maroju, 2024 Chair of the competition, SourceTrace CEO and social entrepreneur said: "This year, TiE Boston Chapter received the highest number of applications in the North Americas for TiE U Pitch Competition. We have greater participation not only from universities from the New England area but also from a wider geographical spread. TiE U is definitely gaining popularity among the university students and helping nurture potential entrepreneurs right from their college days.”

Yash Shah, President of TiE Boston said, “TiE U, at Boston, is now into its 3rd year and it has become an integral part of TiE Boston programming. The program offers incredible visibility and coaching to participating early stage companies where the founders are enrolled in a University or have graduated in the last two years. TiE Boston is proud to provide a full life cycle of programming geared toward fostering entrepreneurship to early, emerging and established entrepreneurs in the New England region.”

Shortlist for 2024 TiE U –Boston Finals:

Company	Name	Sector	University
Vitaliti	Zarah Lakhani, Co-Founder & CEO	Consumer	Boston College
hydroGel	Arjav Shah, Co-Founder & CEO	Environmental	MIT
Rooted Living	Rachel Domb, Founder & CEO	Consumer	Northeastern University
MabLab	Skye Lam, Co-Founder	Life Sciences	Harvard University
OLAKE LLC	Milan Tahiliani, Co-Founder	Enterprise Tech	Boston University
SneakerSoul	Brock Alpher, Founder	Consumer	Babson College
PriMetaz	Ryan McNaughton, CEO	Health Tech	Boston University
Delineate	Emily Nieves, CEO	Health Tech	MIT
Particle-N	Oliver Gilman, CSO	Energy	U-Conn

As part of the competition, the shortlisted startups will present their ideas to a seasoned jury panel that will select the Boston winner. The winning team will then become part of the global cohort which undergoes extensive mentoring and coaching by international mentors. These mentoring sessions cover many skills from pitching, presentation design, defining value proposition, fundraising, financial models and many other aspects of entrepreneurship.

As they move on to the TiE University Global Pitch Competition, the cohort then presents to an international jury and competes for cash and in-kind prizes.

To learn more about this competition please visit https://tieboston.org/tie-boston-university. If you are interested in getting involved or have any questions, reach out to the TiE Boston office at info@boston.tie.org

TiEU2024-Shortlist

Board Members 2024

Press Release
TiE Boston Appoints New Board Members

BOSTON (January 11, 2024)— TiE Boston, one of New England region’s largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, today announced the appointment of Alok Prasad, Pramod Kalyanasundaram, Sunita Kanchinadam, and Swarna Balasubramanian as directors to its Board. As charter members, they have led important initiatives and are deeply engaged with TiE Boston, demonstrating their significant commitment to the mission.

“We are pleased to welcome Alok, Pramod, Sunita, and Swarna to our board. They are proven leaders who are passionate about driving innovation with entrepreneurs and making a difference,” said Yash Shah, TiE Boston President. “Their leadership and capabilities complement our current board and underscore TiE Boston’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship.”

The new Board Members will work along with the current Board Members, bringing their diverse professional experiences and perspectives to steer TiE Boston’s constituencies through an entrepreneurial environment of disruption, growth, and positive business changes.

TiE Boston is the second oldest and second largest TiE chapter in the world, and currently has more than 200 charter members. Stability & continuity is critical to ongoing success of the organization. The appointment of new members to the Board and the recent election of Purnanand Sarma as the President Elect of the organization ensures continued success for TiE Boston.

About Alok Prasad

Alok Prasad brings 30+ years of successfully starting, building and investing in technology companies. He started his career at Rohm & Haas and helped start the Plaskon-division far-east operations in Singapore. Since then, he has been an investor-operator who has successfully started and built companies to hundreds of millions in revenue and led or supported companies to exit or IPO. He is Chair of TiE Boston Angels leadership team, and part of the leadership team for TiE Global Angels. Alok received his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.

“I am honored to be part of the TiE Boston Board,” said Alok Prasad. “As we get into the new era of breakthrough technologies such as Generative AI and bio-engineering at a global level, TiE is well-positioned to support entrepreneurs achieve their dreams on the

global stage. Facilitating that achievement by being on the Board is a privilege and an honor.”

About Dr. Pramod Kalyanasundaram

Pramod Kalyanasundaram is a TIE Charter Member and the Chair for the TIE ScaleUp program. He is an entrepreneur, Fortune 50 executive and is currently the SVP of Engineering and Operations at Wasabi Technologies LLC, a New England Unicorn company. He is passionate about technology, entrepreneurship, and leadership. For the past few years, he has served as a mentor, curriculum lead, and the Chair for the TIE ScaleUp program which is the #1 Seed+ to Series A, non-equity startup incubator which is hosting its 10th cohort this year.

“It has been a great experience being part of the TIE Boston Chapter and community over the years, including the TIE ScaleUp Program,” said Kalyanasundaram. “Joining the board gives me the opportunity to work with the TIE Boston board and the leadership team to create a positive impact at the Boston Chapter and Global level.”

About Sunita Kanchinadam

Sunita Kanchinadam is currently a Managing Director in Bank of New York Mellon, responsible for technology organization in delivering technology solutions to businesses in Asset Servicing. She has led multi-year transformation initiatives in large financial companies for over two decades and is passionate about driving impactful business revenue through technology and digitization. She has worked in Barclays, Goldman Sachs, State Street Bank to name a few among the top tier financial institutions. In 2023, Sunita Kanchinadam served as the Chair of TiECON East, and organized three tracks with 58 speakers for the conference.

“I’m excited to bring my tech and industry experience to foster and further the mission of TiE, with a focus on women-owned businesses,” said Kanchinadam. “Of particular interest is the transformation through tech solutions that would be impactful at the industry level and in furthering opportunities for women.”

About Dr. Swarna Balasubramanian

With over a decade of experience in creating, financing, and managing early-stage scientific innovations and startups in the life sciences industry, Dr. Swarna Balasubramanian is currently an Associate Director in Emerging Innovations Unit at AstraZeneca. In this role, she focuses on catalyzing novel science and technology in drug discovery and development, aiming to usher in the next generation of therapeutics for patients. Previously, she played a key role in the leadership team at Acidophil - contributing to company creation and holds a PhD from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Dr Swarna Balasubramanian served as the Co-Chair for the inaugural year of TiE Boston’s University Pitch Competition.

“Having actively participated in various TiE Boston initiatives over the past two years, I am thrilled to take on the role of Board Member,” said Balasubramanian. “In this capacity, I am eager to shape the future of TiE Boston and contribute to the growth, success, and greater diversity of the entrepreneurial community.”

2024-president

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Biotech and Pharma Executive-Entrepreneur, Dr. Purnanand Sarma as President-Elect
Sarma will begin his term on July 01, 2024, following six months of working closely with current President Yash Shah.

BOSTON (Nov 29, 2023)— TiE Boston, one of New England region’s largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, today announced that Purnanand Sarma has been elected as the 14th President of TiE Boston.

Beginning July 1, 2024, Sarma will serve a two-year term, during which he plans to further build and diversify the role of TiE Boston in elevating entrepreneurship in New England as well as around the globe.

Board Secretary, David Barbash, announced that charter members in good standing had voted by written ballot, as outlined by TiE Boston bylaws. The free and fair voting process followed several months of hard work by the Search Committee and approval from the Board.

Noting that Purnanand Sarma is an entrepreneur who has blazed trails, Yash Shah, current TiE Boston President said, “We warmly welcome Purnanand Sarma to the Board as President Elect, and look forward to leveraging his expertise in furthering our mission of fostering entrepreneurship in Massachusetts.”

Sarma said that he is thrilled to serve TiE Boston. Dr. Purnanand Sarma, until most recently, served as President, CEO and Board Member of Immunome (NASDAQ:IMNM), which he successfully led through an IPO in 2020, a large pharma transaction with $2B+ potential in January 2023, and a merger bringing in a seasoned new CEO and a $125M concurrent investment in October 2023.

Sarma has 30+ years of experience in all aspects of pharmaceutical and biotechnology business across multiple therapeutic platforms, and in companies of various sizes ranging from start-ups to large cap pharmaceutical companies. “I am thrilled and honored to serve as the next President of TiE Boston and carry the legacy of amazing founders, past presidents and members of TiE Boston”, said Dr Sarma.

TiE Boston is the second oldest and second largest TiE chapter and currently has more than 200 charter members.

TiE ScaleUp Cohort 10

Press Release

TiE ScaleUp Announces Tenth Cohort

BOSTON, MA, October 31, 2023 - TiE Boston is thrilled to announce the lineup of fourteen spectacular, local startups joining TiE ScaleUp’s milestone tenth cohort.

Each of these ventures has already developed notable customer or industry traction, raised capital or bootstrapped effectively, and expanded upon their brilliant core teams. On the cusp of rapid scaling, these founders and leaders are now ready to take full advantage of the world-class resources of the TiE ScaleUp accelerator: access to coaching from veteran mentors, an advanced scaling curriculum taught by industry experts, and a community of alumni, investors, and entrepreneurs through the esteemed TiE Boston and TiE Global community.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to support these fourteen amazing teams. While the market continues to challenge early stage startups, resilient founders can find ways to build in all conditions,” said TiE Boston President, Yash Shah. “The TiE ScaleUp community of mentors, instructors, alumni, and allies will do all we can to support these bold entrepreneurs.”

As an equity-free, premiere program, ScaleUp has long relied on the generosity, curiosity, and enthusiasm of TiE Boston Charter Members to help deliver the unique value of a later-stage accelerator to entrepreneurs and to make an outsized impact on the Boston startup ecosystem.

TiE ScaleUp is grateful for the continued generous support of Arent Fox Schiff. We’re also glad to welcome our newest program sponsors: HSBC Innovation Banking and Spinnaker Sales Group. TiE Boston’s community of mentors and TiE ScaleUp alumni have ensured that the ScaleUp network continues to remain strong and vibrant. Cohort 10 will launch on November 1, 2023; please join us in welcoming these fourteen startups to the TiE ScaleUp and TiE Boston communities.

It is our distinct pleasure to introduce the Cohort 10 startups:

BLOOM is an expert-led digital health and wellness platform that guides families through the teen years providing modern guidance, coaching, and a supportive community.

Boston Cell Standards offers the only immunohistochemistry (IHC) laboratory reference materials for cancer biopsy testing. Reference materials are required to deliver test accuracy & reproducibility. Our solution enables consistently accurate diagnosis and cancer treatment assignment.

Cellens offers an accurate and noninvasive bladder cancer detection test suite to support physicians’ decisions and improve patients’ quality of life.

Gratinsta sells unique, nature-inspired jewelry with a goal to connect people more with nature. They are a sustainable brand, using recycled sterling silver to limit mineral mining and plant a tree for every purchase made.

GoTeacher provides a collaborative workspace for educators to curate and distribute educational resources, while school leaders access deep engagement analytics across all student devices.

Magnomer is making packaging more sustainable through their magnetizable coatings for recyclable packaging. Their solution is fully compatible with current manufacturing and recycling infrastructure.

NonExomics are pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to mine the dark genome to identify novel therapeutics and diagnostics for a wide range of diseases.

Novobeing is a digital health company that provides immersive stress reduction and well-being solutions to individuals and healthcare organizations.

Radmantis develops uncrewed fish management tools for enhanced seafood production and precision aquaculture. Radmantis is advancing robotic fish farming by combining image processing, ML-inferencing, and physical and behavioral exclusion techniques.

Smartweave is revolutionizing connective tissue restoration through a generative AI-powered smart tissue design platform

Sol Clarity offers water-free, automated, non-contact solar cleaning involving no manual labor or moving parts through the use of their Electrodynamic Screen (EDS) technology.

SubAgent (formerly Nobee) is a tech-driven real estate echo-system enhancing the residential leasing experience for all parties involved.

Trillbit’s “Soundauth” is a passwordless login solution based on a passkey cryptography standard. Passkey is a phishing-resistant password replacement standard by FiDO, which is more secure than any password + MFA combined. Trillbit makes it easy and cost-effective for companies to move to this new standard.

Whoozcooking enables independent chefs to feed their local communities through their sophisticated marketplace and delivery options.

Press Release

TiE Boston Announces Shortlist for the Regional Women Pitch Competition!

First Place Winner will represent Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at TiE Global Summit in Singapore to compete for up to $50K of equity-free money and $100K investments.

Boston, August 9, 2023: TiE Boston is proud to announce the six women founders chosen to advance to Boston Regional Finals of the 2023 TiE Global Women Pitch Competition! These founders will pitch to a panel of three influential judges from the New England startup ecosystem on August 30th , 2023. There was considerable diversity to be seen in the applications this year that were a fair representation of of health tech, biotech, consumer, and enterprise tech among other sectors that form the vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in New England. Sangeeta Moorjani, Chair of TiE Boston Women and Board Member said, “Once again, this year’s applications reminded us that the ecosystem is thriving with an incredible group of women founders who have game-changing solutions for a diverse set of stakeholders. Arriving at the shortlist from all the amazing applications, was a tough task! I’d like to thank all the applicants and the screening committee for their commitment to promoting entrepreneurship for the common good.” Yash Shah, TiE Boston President said, “Congratulations to the Founders! I am delighted to see Boston serve as home to so many women founders. Our mission is to inspire and nurture women entrepreneurs and the TiE Global Pitch Competition helps us to deliver on that. I invite women founders to explore our programs and join us in our mission of fostering entrepreneurship.” Congratulations to the six shortlisted female founders: Joanne Mercaldi, Co-Founder of Bloom Leila Daneshmandi, Co-Founder and COO of Encapsulate Dr Ruchi Chauhan, Co-Founder and COO of NonExomics Inc Lori Sylvia, Founder and CEO of Rally Nathalya Mamane, Founder and CTO of RT MicroDx Andrea Crewe, Founder and CEO of Vitaliti The First Place Winner will represent TiE Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition in Singapore and compete for $50K of equity-free money and $1m in investments! TiE Boston remains committed to helping female entrepreneurs by increasing visibility, providing mentorship, and creating pathways to access funding for their ventures. For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/.

TiE Angels Sealonix Deal

Press Release

TiE Global Angels, led by TiE Boston, Invests $1.395M as part of a $20M Investment Round in Sealonix, Inc., a Surgical Sealant Product Company

Alok Prasad, TiE Boston Angels Chairman and TiE Global Angels Leadership Team Member

Amar Sawhney, Sealonix CEO

Boston, June 07, 2023: TiE Global Angels, led by TiE Boston Angels chapter with participation from TiE Angels Silicon Valley and TiE SoCal Angels, invests $1.395M in a $20M Series A financing round in Sealonix, Inc. The round was led by Excelestar Ventures with participation from AMED Ventures, Sparta Group, Iyengar Capital, and J2 Ventures.

Sealonix is using its biomaterials expertise to develop next-generation hemostatic sealants for surgical use. The initial product that Sealonix is developing is a sealant patch providing rapid hemostasis for abdominopelvic and orthopedic procedures. The PramStat patch is designed to bio-absorb within a week following implantation. The proceeds from this round will be used to grow the development team and execute clinical trials.

Amar Sawhney, Sealonix CEO, commented, “The PramStat patch builds on many years of research done by this experienced team, and now will move rapidly into clinical development. This capital will allow us to complete clinical development and pursue FDA approval. We look forward to bringing the most advanced device and method to control surgical bleeding to surgeons.”

“We are very excited to invest in Sealonix, Inc. to allow the company to develop this much-needed product and support its commercialization. TiE seeks to leverage its network to invest, help and support companies like Sealonix to make them successful”, commented Alok Prasad, TiE Boston Angels Chairman and TiE Global Angels Leadership Team Member.

TiE Boston Angels meet every two months to review fundraising pitches from companies. The leadership team comprises the Chair, Alok Prasad and members Venky Venkataramani, Satish Bhat, Joe Falcao, Yash Shah, and Myank Jain, who are charter members of TiE Boston. The group collaborates on global deals with Angels across the TiE community. To join this group of Angels, one needs to be a TiE Boston charter member.

About TiE Boston Angels: TiE Boston Angels is a group of accredited investors who provide funding and support for early-stage companies. Beyond funding, they leverage the TiE global network to help companies succeed. More information about TiE Boston Angels can be found at https://www.tieboston.org/angels

About TiE Global Angels: TiE Global Angels was founded on two pillars: mentoring and investment for diverse entrepreneurs. Each TiE chapter fosters development within its local ecosystem by giving both time and money to help new companies learn, grow, and ultimately achieve success. Through this process, TiE chapters create a self-sustaining virtuous cycle that supports local economies and encourages creativity and risk-taking by each new generation of entrepreneurs. More information about TiE Global Angels can be found at https://tie.org/programs/tg-angels/.

About Sealonix, Inc: Sealonix, Inc. is a privately held company based in Bedford, MA focused on the development and commercialization of hemostatic sealants using its proprietary biomaterials. The company, founded in January 2023, is the latest by serial entrepreneur Amar Sawhney who also founded Confluent Surgical, Ocular Therapeutix, Augmenix,, Instylla, and Rejoni among others. More information about Sealonix can be found at http://www.sealonix.com.

Press Release - Immediate

TiE Boston Announces ScaleUp Cohort 9

Cohort of Fourteen Pioneering and Innovative Startups is tackling some of the most pressing challenges in the modern workplace.

BOSTON, MA, February 24, 2023 - TiE Boston is thrilled to announce the commencement of Cohort 9 from TiE ScaleUp, their equity-free Seed to Series A accelerator based in Boston. Fourteen outstanding startups, judiciously shortlisted from a pool of applicants, will join the program.

Each of these Boston-based ventures has already developed notable customer or industry traction, raised capital or bootstrapped effectively, and expanded upon their brilliant core teams. On the cusp of rapid scaling, these founders and leaders are now ready to take full advantage of the world-class resources of the TiE ScaleUp accelerator: access to coaching from veteran mentors, an advanced scaling curriculum taught by industry experts, and a community of alumni, investors, and entrepreneurs through the esteemed TiE Boston and TiE Global community.

“With market headwinds putting early-stage startups under increased pressure and scrutiny, it’s more important than ever to rally around daring founders and provide them with the guidance and support they need to succeed,” said TiE Boston President, Yash Shah. “Our ScaleUp mentors have all built through prior market corrections, and are uniquely positioned to share their wisdom with these exceptional entrepreneurs.”

Cohort 9 also marks the first time in the program’s history that 60% the companies in the program are female-founded or co-founded. “I am overjoyed to see so many woman-led startups in this cohort,” said Past President Anu Chitrapu, who led TiE Boston in launching the TiE Women’s Pitch Competition during her tenure. “There’s no shortage of dynamic women entrepreneurs, and TiE Boston is committed to taking woman-led ventures in Boston to the next level!”

As an equity-free, premiere program, ScaleUp has long relied on the generosity, curiosity, and enthusiasm of TiE Boston Charter Members to help deliver the unique value of a later-stage accelerator to entrepreneurs and to make an outsized impact on the Boston startup ecosystem. Cohort 9 was recruited from the leading Seed and Series A companies in Massachusetts. Many of these companies work at the intersection of multiple sectors, with 11 sectors represented in total. The distribution of primary industries within this cohort, as seen below, reflects the industries and sectors in the local ecosystem:

35% Healthcare (incl. Medical Devices, Diagnostics)
15% Hardware + Robotics
10% E-commerce + MarTech
10% EdTech
10% SaaS
5% Cleantech + Energy
5% CPG
5% Fintech
5% Logistics + Supply Chain

TiE ScaleUp is grateful for program sponsors, in particular Arent Fox Schiff, who contributed generously towards the longevity of the program. TiE Boston's community of mentors and TiE ScaleUp alumni have ensured that the ScaleUp network continues to remain strong and vibrant. Cohort 9 will launch on February 26, 2023; please join us in welcoming these fourteen companies to the TiE ScaleUp and TiE Boston communities.

It is our distinct pleasure to introduce the Cohort 9 startups:

14Bis Supply Tracking provides asset accountability across systems and industries so nothing gets lost or forged. 14bis helps industrial logistics and supply chain customers increase readiness by providing access to verified data insights so that they can find parts and ensure lifecycle serviceability

Aahana’s Naturals is a natural food company creating delicious, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free convenient foods. Aahana’s globally inspired lentil bowls are made with sprouted lentils, contain 15 grams of plant protein, and are non-GMO, Kosher, and shelf-stable.

Biosens8 uses a platform technology to engineer novel quantitative, real-time, and portable biosensors. BioSens8 is developing continuous and non-invasive monitors which will give unprecedented insight into the body's health.

Duckietown offers a pedagogical ecosystem for teaching and learning robot autonomy, enacting a new vision for education: effective, accessible, and tailored to every skill level.

Full Code Medical is realistic medical simulation app for medical students and practitioners worldwide, with over 1 million downloads and a 4.8-star App Store rating.

GenH is a next-generation clean energy technology company. GenH 's technologies are highly productive and achieve economic parity with existing fossil fuel systems without subsidies.

Impact Biosystems is on a mission to prevent MSK injuries and revolutionize athletic recovery and performance with our novel muscle scanner, Pact Sense.

Parrots, Inc is a health-tech company that has created Polly, a SaaS platform that is hardware-agnostic and harnesses AI/ML to provide real-time voice, cognitive assistance, and telecare to people with neurological disorders.

Patient First.AI is building the first ever digital health card that the patients carry as they would their bank card, which seamlessly connects them with their physician, pharmacy and diagnostic labs records in one simple, connected place.

Rally uses data and analytics to show employers how to recruit today’s talent through social media and digital marketing, so they can ditch ineffective job boards.

Rivet is a fan management platform that helps creators discover their top fans, activate them with exclusive content and perks, and build strong, monetizable fan communities through direct, personalized outreach.

SafeBVM is bringing manual ventilation closer to a mechanical ventilator. safeBVM is a medical device startup working on the problem of inadvertent hyperventilation by healthcare providers during the procedure of manual ventilation.

Surgicure Technologies is dedicated to building the most effective medical instruments, developed for and by medical professionals.

Surround Insurance is a next-generation insurance agency that helps high-information consumers protect their future with the smartest advice and perfectly matched insurance products designed for modern life.

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

Dean Walsh is the TiE ScaleUp program manager. He can be reached at dean@tieboston.org. For other queries, write to us at info@boston.tie.org with questions.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/

IN THE NEWS

TiE Boston Elects Yash Shah as Its 13th President

March 09, 2022

Boston, MA

TiE Boston, one of the region’s largest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting entrepreneurs, executives, and venture capitalists, has elected Yash Shah as its 13th president.

Mr. Shah, whose two-year term starts on July 1, 2022, replaces current TiE Boston President, Anu Chitrapu, whose two-year term term ends on June 30, 2022.

Mr. Shah is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, product advisor and business executive with over 25 years of IT and software industry experience. His also on the advisory boards of several software startups around the world.

“I am honored at the opportunity to build on the incredible work done by TiE Boston founders, past presidents, and charter members. Passion for entrepreneurship runs deep in me, as demonstrated by my 22-year association with TiE Boston and starting multiple ventures of my own,” said Mr. Shah, founder of Jeavio and founder and managing partner of Indus Ventures. “As President of TiE Boston, I will look to drive higher focus on entrepreneurship and charter member engagement, with a goal to build out a robust end-to-end ecosystem to support early, emerging, and established entrepreneurs.”

As a dynamic and successful entrepreneur, Mr. Shah co-founded Jeavio, a venture services firm and plays a critical leadership role in its vision and strategy. He is also the Chief Technology Officer of SevOne, which was recently sold to IBM. In addition, he is a Founding Member of TiE Boston Foundation, an active member of TiE Boston Angels, and a TiE ScaleUp Mentor.

“I am excited about the election of Yash Shah as the next President of TiE Boston,” said current TiE Boston President Ms. Chitrapu. “His vast entrepreneurial and investment experience promises substantive impact on our programs and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

This article appeared on March 10, 2022 in India New England News.

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships. In 2022, TiE Boston is delighted to celebrate its 25th Year.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/

TiE Boston Elects Yash Shah as Its 13th President

PRESS RELEASE

TiE Boston Announces Cohort 8 of TiE ScaleUp

15 companies will participate in “New England's 1st and Only "Seed+ to Series A" Accelerator.”

February 14, 2022

Boston, MA

TiE ScaleUp is thrilled to announce the roster of fifteen leading-edge startups that will join us for our eighth cohort!

Each of these ventures has already developed notable customer or industry traction, raised significant capital, and expanded upon their brilliant core teams. On the cusp of rapid scaling, these founders and leaders are now ready to take full advantage of the world-class resources of the ScaleUp program and TiE Boston community: access to veteran mentors, an advanced scaling curriculum taught by industry experts, facilitated connections to compatible investors, and inroads to TiE’s esteemed global professional network.

As an equity-free, premiere program, ScaleUp has long relied on the generosity, curiosity, and enthusiasm of TiE Boston Charter Members to help deliver the unique value of a later-stage accelerator to entrepreneurs and to make an outsized impact on the Boston startup ecosystem. This track record of success resulted in ScaleUp being awarded a “Pathways to Scale” grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative in July 2021. Cohort 8 will be the first cycle of ScaleUp to benefit from this funding.

“TiE ScaleUp, with its unique focus on accelerating startups from the seed stage through Series-A funding, is exactly the type of program we envisioned supporting through Pathways to Scale,” said Pat Larkin, Director of the Innovation Institute at MassTech. “The startups in this new cohort represent a diverse cross-section of our

tech and innovation ecosystem. We wish the startups all the best and are excited to watch their progress.”

Cohort 8 was recruited from the leading seed+ and Series A companies in Massachusetts via a rigorous selection process. The distribution of industries within this cohort, as seen below, reflects the industries and sectors in the local ecosystem:

26% Healthcare
19% AI
11% Enterprise Software
11% Medical Devices
7% E-Commerce
4% CPG (Food and Beverage)
4% EdTech
4% Life Sciences
4% Sports Technology

TiE Boston President, Anu Chitrapu, shared, “I am super excited to welcome TiE ScaleUp's Cohort 8 to TiE Boston during our 25th Year. We are dedicating Cohort 8 in memory of our Charter Member, Neeraj Chandra. His leadership and vision is what has shaped the program and made it what it is today.”

TiE ScaleUp would like to thank generous sponsors Arent Fox, Wolf & Company, and Jeavio, our community of mentors, and our alumni for keeping the ScaleUp network strong and vibrant. The program will kick off on February 24. Please join us in welcoming Cohort 8 to TiE ScaleUp.

Cohort 8

Aurie exists to support their users' independence through the development of elevated medical products, so they can live their lives more fully on their own terms.

Breathe BioMedical is a development-stage diagnostics company using metabolomics and machine learning to identify disease in the areas of oncology and neurology.

FanUp is the best way to enjoy fantasy sports, together. We create immersive social experiences for fans; with fun, easy, and visual content - blending pop-culture with your favorite teams, players and brands - that cater to casual fans and a younger demographic.

Gentreo is an online estate planning platform that makes estate planning affordable and accessible to all. Through Gentreo, users of all service tiers can create state-specific documents, and securely store and share their documents.

Hilltop Bio -- a veterinary biotech -- has developed novel, room temperature, regenerative therapies for inflammatory diseases such as equine asthma and canine osteoarthritis.

Leuko Labs is an MIT spinout developing PointCheckTM, the world's first medical device that can monitor white blood cells non-invasively. By enabling more frequent at-home monitoring, Leuko aims to improve clinical outcomes for more than 2M cancer chemotherapy patients.

Knudge helps busy people take action and follow through on their tasks to meet their financial goals.

Naya Studio is a workflow + collaboration platform for anything product design. Naya is democratizing design.

Nivi is a conversational marketplace for health serving India, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Through WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger people can use askNivi, our automated chatbot, to learn about various health topics, get recommendations for health services and products, and get referrals to trusted service providers.

Noted Analytics is a guided selling platform that helps sales teams capture, collaborate, and close more sales opportunities.

nuvu helps businesses grow through innovative, faster and more effective solutions using Artificial Intelligence and Cloud technology.

Rahoo was created to give parents and caregivers a company they can rely on for helping babies and toddlers achieve developmental wellness. Rahoo does this by developing medically supported children's products and educational programming for parents.

Readlee is revolutionizing literacy outcomes through the power of speech AI." Reading aloud improves memory, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency better than reading silently.

Waku is a healthy beverage brand where we make prebiotic herbal teas that support a healthy gut. We put a modern twist on an ancient tea, using a centuries-old Ecuadorian recipe, the finest natural ingredients, zero sugar, and prebiotics to maximize the gut-health benefits.

WatchRx has created a smartwatch + AI-driven SaaS solution that helps seniors stay healthy, live independently and decrease avoidable hospitalizations. Using our remote patient monitoring (RPM), chronic care management (CCM) platform, physicians can improve patient outcomes, lower healthcare costs, and grow their revenue.

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships. In 2022, TiE Boston is delighted to celebrate its 25th Year.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

Dean Walsh is the TiE ScaleUp program manager. He can be reached at dean@tieboston.org. For other queries, write to us at info@boston.tie.org with questions.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/

PRESS RELEASE

TiE Boston Welcomes Two New Board Members

BOSTON, January 13, 2022 - TiE Boston is excited to announce the addition of two new members: Anupendra Sharma and Kiran Uppuluri. With extensive leadership experience, they bring unique expertise to assist TiE Boston’s vision of fostering entrepreneurship in the Boston, NE area. In their roles, they will join the 12-Member Board to provide governance over strategic planning and responsibly steward the organization’s goals over a two-year term.

“I am excited to welcome Anupendra and Kiran to the TiE Boston Board,” said TiE Boston President Anu Chitrapu. “They are both successful professionals who have contributed to the success and growth of TiE Boston and I look forward to working closely with them. I also want to thank Thara Pillai and Swapan Jha for their contributions over the last two years. Both of them will continue to support our mission as charter members.”

Other TiE Boston Board members include Thomas Arul, Shirish Nimgaonkar, Geeta Sreedhar, Venkat Maroju, Zenobia Moochala, Sangeeta Moorjani, and Darshana Zaveri, along with officers Emily Ladd-Kravitz (Secretary) and Asha Dixit (Treasurer) and Anu Chitrapu (President) .

“It is my honor to serve on the TiE Boston Board alongside stellar men and women leaders. I have always admired TiE's commitment to entrepreneurship and I look forward to contributing to this amazing community.”, said Kiran Uppuluri on being appointed to the Board.

Anupendra Sharma added, “While I've been involved in operational matters at TiE, working on strategic initiatives alongside a very accomplished group of Board Members, as well as Anu and her team, will be an entirely new and exciting experience.”

Get to Know the New Board Members:

Anupendra Sharma is Founder & CEO of Axlmed, a digital health company working on improving our understanding of disease. He has a background in venture capital, investment banking and corporate finance. Anupendra was Senior Investment Partner at Siemens Venture Capital for nearly 12 years investing in the US and China, and worked in Mergers & Acquisitions at JPMorgan, Citigroup and Siemens.

Anupendra co-founded several organizations to mentor innovators and entrepreneurs, including the Startup Leadership Program, which has educated nearly 4,000 entrepreneurs in 13 countries who have raised $3.4 billion; MALSI Day, which is an annual celebration of university research in the Commonwealth, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at BITS Pilani, and co-created the Healthcare Innovation & Commercialization course at Harvard Medical School that has educated nearly 1,000 MDs and PhDs about the process from ideation to spinoff.

Anupendra holds an MBA from Cornell, MS in Accounting & Finance from Manchester Business School, Masters in Economics and Bachelors in Instrumentation Engineering from BITS Pilani and is an ACMA from the UK.

Kiran Uppuluri is Founder and CEO verteXD. Kiran helps businesses reimagine business strategy, customer journey mapping and experience design with a relentless focus on human- centeredness and an intrinsic design thinking approach. Before founding verteXD, Kiran was in an executive leadership role at Citizens Bank where she led a team that created & owned the Customer Experience strategy and roadmap for multi- channel customer experiences; and before that with fidelity investments in various senior roles spanning marketing, product management and customer strategy & experience. Prior to that, Kiran spent several years in management consulting with Deloitte, in their Strategy & Operations practice.

She was recently the Chairperson for the highly successful TiECON East 2021. She serves as a business mentor at MIT VMS and as an industry mentor at the national level for NSF I-Corps. She is also a Design Thinking educator at DesignxRI. Kiran was named in the Top 10 CEOs of 2021 by Industry Era Women Leaders. She was also recently honored with the 2021 TiE Boston President’s Choice Award, for her dedication and contribution to the TiE Community during this past year.

Kiran holds an MBA from University of Maryland Smith School of Business, M.S. from Clemson University and a B. Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

Reach us by email at info@boston.tie.org with questions. TiE Boston’s Interim Executive Director, Rowena Kay Mascarenhas, oversees the strategic planning, operations and programs, while Archish Mittal manages memberships and partnerships, Dean Walsh manages the ScaleUp program, and Vivek Soni manages the TiE Angels program.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/.

TiE Boston Selects Winner in it’s 2021 Women Pitch Competition!

TiE Boston announces winners of the highly anticipated TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition:

First Place: Amrita Saigal, Founder and CEO of Kudos
Second Place: Alicia Tulsee, Founder and CEO of Moxie Apparel
Third Place: Bryanne Leeming, Founder and CEO of Unruly Studios
Social Entrepreneurship Prize: Shriya Srinivasan, Founder Project Prana

Sep 16, 2021

Boston, MA

During an exciting and action packed evening, TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition gave the floor to seven female founders/co-founders to pitch for a chance to compete for $100K equity free money. For the winner, Amrita Saigal Founder and CEO of Kudos, TiE Boston’s competition will prove as just one stop in the road map to compete in the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai.

The event opened with remarks from Keynote Speaker Desh Despande, Life Member - MIT Corporation at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Deshpande encouraged the Founders to stay optimistic, dig into the capabilities that will serve you the rest of your life.

Each Founder/Co-Founder took the floor to deliver a concise pitch, attempting to appeal to Judges Nilanjana Bhowmik, Co Founder & General Partner Converge, Darshana Zaveri, Managing Partner, Catalyst Health Ventures, and Rama Ramakrishnan, Professor of the Practice at MIT Sloan School of Management and serial entrepreneur. The semi- finalists fielded tough questions to paint a full picture of their startups. From dollar opportunity to exit strategies the Founders/Co-Founders were put in the hot seat for Q&A after every pitch to ensure the judges were capable of making a calculated and informed decision in selecting the winner.

This year’s winner, Amrita Saigal Founder and CEO of Kudos touts the first disposable, plant based baby diapers with 100% cotton liners to hit the market and has been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, and Red Tricycle. "I am honored to be selected for this award and I am deeply grateful to TIE for their support of women entrepreneurs. Every presentation was exceptional and I look forward to following the entrepreneurial journeys of other founders as well. The Kudos team promises to put this prize money to good use as we expand our vision to bring genuine advances in sustainability to baby diapers,” said Saigal.

Second place winner was Alicia Tulsee, founder and CEO, Moxie Apparel, a company that is disrupting the $12B medical apparel market as the first D2C brand for nurses. “The comradery felt in the TiE community is a strong one. Amrita, Bryanne and I connected on Linkedin with each other during the event having never met. We made plans right then and there to get together, before the winners were announced! What a delight it was to learn that the three of us were the First, Second, and Third Place winners,” said Tulsee. “As fellow women founders and disruptors, the respect and appreciation we felt for each other was recognized immediately. Being part of a community like Tie Boston that makes these kinds of connections and relationships possible makes all the difference in our journey!”

Third place winner, Bryanne Leeming, founder and CEO of Unruly Studios empowers students to learn critical STEM skills through active, social recess-style play! "We're honored to place in this competition and excited for how it will support our mission to break down barriers in K-12 computer science education," said Leeming. "This competition has also been such a valuable experience for meeting other women entrepreneurs on similar journeys in Boston who I now count as friends!"

A special prize, for social entrepreneurship, was given to Shriya Srinivasan, for her ground breaking work at Project Prana, a nonprofit dedicated to deploying accessible healthcare, beginning with the iSAVE, a tool to double ventilation capacity. "Starting and scaling a venture in the heat of a crisis has certainly been a challenging task. Having the support and recognition of an organization like TiE is a great source of encouragement,” said Srinivasan.

The resounding message from seasoned speakers like Geeta Aiyer and Desh Deshpande was: we need to change and women are the ones who are going to get us there. Be part of the change, be the visionary who leads positive change. Change can happen fast. Things that look terrible today, might look better tomorrow. Stay optimistic.

In closing, a special thank you from TiE Boston President, Anu Chitrapu was given to the TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition sponsors: Subu Kota, Anil Shah, Satish Jha, and Geeta Aiyer.

"Women play a pivotal role in the TiE Boston ecosystem. They comprise 50% of our Board and represent every aspect of the entrepreneurial ecosystem including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, executives and service providers,” said Anu Chitrapu, President of TiE Boston.

Closing remarks were given by TiE Boston Charter Members Geeta Aiyer, Anil Shah, Satish Jha, who emphasized the importance of women in power in the workplace, perfecting the pitch and trailblazing uncharted paths.

Congratulations and sincere thank you to the following female founders who competed in the TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition:

Dr. Marcie R. Black, Co-Founder and CEO of Advanced Silicon Group

Bryanne Leeming, Founder and CEO of Unruly Studios

Amrita Saigal, Founder and CEO of Kudos

Alicia Tulsee, Founder and CEO of Moxie Apparel

Dr. Theresa Dankovich, Co-Founder and CTO of Folia Materials

Avani Sarkar, Founder and CEO of Modi Toys

Dr. Shriya Srinivasan, Founder of Project Prana

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/.

Semi-Finalists TiE Boston Women's Pitch Competitin

TiE Boston Announces Semi-Finalists for the Women Pitch Competition!

First Place Winner will represent Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai and compete for $100K of equity-free money!

Sep 3, 2021

Boston, MA

TiE Boston is proud to announce the seven women founders chosen to advance to the semi-finals of the TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition! The semi-finalists will pitch to a panel of three influential judges in the New England startup ecosystem virtually, on September 15th from 4:30 - 6:30. Judges are Nilanjana Bhowmik, Co Founder & General Partner Converge, Darshana Zaveri, Managing Partner, Catalyst Health Ventures, and Rama Ramakrishnan, Professor of the Practice at MIT Sloan School of Management and serial entrepreneur. Keynote speaker Desh Despande will kick off the competition. Members of the community are encouraged to tune in and support the founders! Prize money will be awarded to the top three companies!

“Congratulations to our semi-finalists! It was not an easy task for our review team to pick 7 companies from all the amazing applications we received. I am personally thrilled to see Boston serve as home to so many women founders. Women play a pivotal role in the TiE Boston ecosystem. They comprise 50% of our Board and represent every aspect of the entrepreneurial ecosystem including entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, executives and service providers. TiE Boston is committed to take women-led entrepreneurship in Boston to the next level. I invite women founders to explore our programs and join us in our mission of fostering entrepreneurship.” - TiE Boston President Anu Chitrapu

Congratulations to the following female founders:

Dr. Marcie R. Black, Co-Founder and CEO of Advanced Silicon Group

Bryanne Leeming, Founder and CEO of Unruly Studios

Amrita Saigal, Founder and CEO of Kudos

Alicia Tulsee, Founder and CEO of Moxie Apparel

Dr. Theresa Dankovich, Co-Founder and CTO of Folia Materials

Avani Sarkar, Founder and CEO of Modi Toys

Dr. Shriya Srinivasan, Founder of Project Prana,

The First Place Winner will represent TiE Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at GITEX Technology Week in Dubai and compete for $100K of equity-free money! Airfare and hotel are fully paid for the Boston Finalist!

Register here to watch the TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition. Congratulations to our semi-finalists and best of luck!

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/.

TiE Boston ScaleUp Wins “Pathways to Scale” Grant Award from Innovation Institute at MassTech Collaborative

TiE Boston ScaleUp was awarded the grant from the Baker-Polito administration to support diverse emerging founders of scaling companies in Massachusetts develop as leaders and grow their business.

Aug 3, 2021

Boston, MA

TiE Boston's TiE ScaleUp, New England’s 1st and Only “Seed + to Series A" Accelerator Program, was announced as a recipient of the “Pathways to Scale'' grant from the Innovation Institute at MassTech Collaborative. The grant will help TiE ScaleUp continue to develop and launch programs and deploy seasoned mentors to support companies in the later stages of the entrepreneurial journey.

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined executives from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to announce the $700,722 in grants from the ‘Pathways to Scale’ program, an effort from the Commonwealth to boost tech and innovation companies emerging from the startup phase and poised for growth. The four grants will help build or expand mentorship programs statewide that support ‘scaling companies’ and aim to increase the survival rate of innovative, high-growth companies across Massachusetts.

The four awards include three grants to the UMass Lowell Research Institute, MassChallenge, and TiE Boston, as well as a planning grant for a project led by the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts.

Neeraj Chandra, Chair of the TiE ScaleUp TaskForce stated “This grant win is a very motivating endorsement of the unique value the TIE ScaleUp program delivers to the entrepreneurs and innovation economy in Massachusetts. It will really help us to grow the scope and further enhance the contents of the program.”

“Massachusetts has become a hub of innovation for start-up tech companies, and we want to do more to help these organizations thrive here in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Providing these companies with mentorship opportunities will jump-start their growth and bring them even closer to their long-term goals.”

Through the work of the Innovation Institute at MassTech, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has supported entrepreneur mentor programs statewide focused on the acceleration of early-stage startups. Evidence from the Innovation Institute’s work and its sponsored research report with MIT’s Industrial Performance Center titled “Growing Innovative Companies to Scale,” indicates that more work needs to be done to support high-growth companies in the post-acceleration stages. The “presence of business networks, mentors, and role models” with experience launching and scaling companies was identified as a critical ingredient for Massachusetts companies looking to professionalize operations and grow headcount, revenue, or market capitalization.

“TiE members represent every aspect of Boston’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Anu Chitrapu, President of TiE Boston. “ScaleUp leverages this immense combined power to turbo-charge new startups and help them find success. This grant will help us harness the combined power of our membership to support more entrepreneurs and accelerate their path to success!”

The event, hosted at UMass Lowell’s Northstar Campus in Lincoln, featured welcoming remarks from UMass Lowell Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Julie Chen and a roundtable of executives from the four grantees. Also in attendance were several local companies that will benefit from the grants.

The Innovation Institute has shepherded numerous programs that bolster the growth of innovative companies statewide, including targeted investments in research and development infrastructure, workforce development programs that fund internships at startups and boosting diverse talent in the state, and programs that boost emerging sectors in the Commonwealth.

For companies interested in learning more about the TiE ScaleUp Program, visit www.tiescaleup.org. To learn more about TiE Boston, visit www.tieboston.org. For companies interested in learning more about The Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative, visit https://masstech.org/. Additional Source: Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Press Release

About TiE ScaleUp

A program of TiE Boston, TiE ScaleUp works with emerging “high-growth potential” companies to overcome typical barriers to growth by helping them optimize their business plan, strategic positioning, operations, sales and competitive advantage. The ScaleUp program, which began in 2015, now proudly counts 93 dynamic start-ups among its alumni.

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/.

ScaleUp Pathways to Scale

ScaleUp Launch

TiE Boston announces 7th Cohort in TiE ScaleUp

15 companies selected to participate in New England's 1st and Only "Seed+ to Series A" Accelerator

Mar 10, 2021

Boston, MA

A program of TiE Boston, TiE ScaleUp works with emerging, "high-growth potential" companies to overcome typical barriers to growth by helping them optimize their business plan, strategic positioning, operations, sales and competitive advantage.

“While the past year has been difficult for startups, it also presented new, untapped opportunities,” said Anu Chitrapu, President, TiE Boston. “Many of the companies participating in Cohort 7 used these opportunities to their advantage and refined their business plans in light of a new normal. Now they are ready to scale and are uniquely positioned to take advantage of all that ScaleUp has to offer.”

Cohort 7 was recruited from the leading seed companies in Massachusetts via a rigorous selection process. The distribution of industries within this cohort, as seen below, reflects the industries and sectors in the local ecosystem:

37% Enterprise Software
31% Healthcare/Life Sciences
11% Clean Tech
11% E-Commerce
6% Ed-Tech
4% Food & Lifestyle

TiE Boston Executive Director, Simone LaPray, shared, “In the last cohort, we transitioned from our usual in-person structure to a virtual format. We changed sessions during the pandemic to help the companies where they needed help most. We are very thankful for our mentors, faculty, subject matter experts and corporate partners of TiE ScaleUp for rallying around our companies during that time. That momentum has shaped the program for 2021 and we are excited to welcome the companies to the 7th Cohort of TiE ScaleUp.”

“The most impactful differentiator of TIE ScaleUp program is the unique mentorship it provides to the companies in the cohort. For Cohort 7, we have codified the best practices of mentoring from the past cohorts and evolved “The ScaleUp Way” of mentoring. We are confident that this innovation will deliver an ever increasing value, in a consistent way, to Cohort 7 Companies and beyond.” said Neeraj Chandra, Chair of the ScaleUp Taskforce.

TiE ScaleUp stands with these founders to help them grow their businesses rapidly during these challenging times.

COHORT 7

Blue Green - Blue Green Analytics® is the visual-first, web and mobile analytics software by Blue Green. Our patent-pending algorithms identify high-growth opportunities at the intersection of visitor interaction and results.

Effexoft - a customer centric Supply Chain Solutions company that covers order to cash processes. It's core product, Effecta, extends the Salesforce platform with procurement, logistics, manufacturing, inventory and order management capabilities.

Emtropy - reinventing customer service through AI powered interaction intelligence

Erbi-Bio - develops, manufactures, and sells small-scale, high performance cell culture systems used in biopharma R & D and manufacture.

Folia Materials - patented, penny-unit cost nanosilver coating for paper used in anti-viral 3-ply face masks, microwave food packaging, $0.20 CPG water purifier in S Asia.

Givz - converts discounts into donations, adding a tangible value of purpose to every sale while increasing revenue and user engagement.

Hibersense - enabling smart & healthy homes through sensors, HVAC control & dampers ensuring comfort, efficiency, & indoor air quality.

IndianRaga - IndianRaga is building Raga Labs, the world's largest online school for teaching and performance of Indian music, using technology, fun practice tracks and performance videos to ensure better and faster learning and retention.

Monsoon Kitchens - purveyor of homestyle, natural and boldly flavored Indian products for foodservice and retail markets.

Moxie Scrubs - the first direct-to-consumer medical apparel brand inspired by and focused on serving nurses. Moxie Scrubs is on a mission to Enhance, Inspire, and Empower the MOXIE in every nurse!

myautoIQ - a deep tech SaaS company, changing the way US car dealers find, acquire, and engage car buyers through artificial intelligence.

QSM Diagnostics - helps veterinarians diagnose and monitor infections in 2 minutes using electrochemistry to measure bacterial communication.

reviving mind - develop valuable, lasting changes to your mental health through the evidence-based and multi-disciplinary 360° Mental Health Therapy program that integrates Group Therapy + Health and Wellness Coaching.

Senscio Systems - delivering AI orchestrated, integrated, proactive chronic care virtually in the home to populations with multiple chronic conditions.

Soltrix Solutions - providing a cloud management and governance solution to mitigate the costly waste attributed to the lack of visibility and controls in managing virtual machines. Our solution provides companies an average ROI of 200% within the first year of adoption.

TiE ScaleUp Cohort 7 Corporate Partners

McCarter & English, Wolf and Company, Jeavio, Tanna Insurance

About TiE Boston

TiE Boston connects tomorrow's founders with today's entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists. Founded in 1997 by entrepreneurs who immigrated from the Indus region, TiE Boston champions inclusion in innovation by blending the fundamentals of entrepreneurship with traditional Indian values that place importance on community, mentorship, and long-term relationships.

TiE Boston is one of the region's largest and oldest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, focused on supporting entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle — from ideation to creation, through growth, wealth creation and ultimately, support of future founders.

The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.

For more information about TiE Boston, visit https://www.tieboston.org/.

PRESS

Press Release TiE Boston launches the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Alumni Circle

Press Release TiE ScaleUp Launches Eleventh Cohort

Press Release Seven Trailblazing Women Founders Shortlisted for TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition First Place Winner to Represent Boston at the TiE Global Women Pitch Competition in Bangalore, India

Press Release TiE Boston Celebrates Milestone with ConnectM's Nasdaq Listing

Press Release TiE Boston Announces Incoming President Purnanand Sarma and Treasurer Joe Falcão

To Begin Their Tenure July 1, 2024

Press Release TiE Boston Women Application Portal Closes on June 30, 2024

Press Release TiE Boston Announces Theme for TiECON East 2024: The Connected Entrepreneur – Boundless Innovation and Borderless Connection

Press Release Young Innovators Shine at TiE Boston’s TYE Final Pitch Competition

Press Release TiE Boston’s Flagship TiECON East 2024 Set for Sept. 13; Bhaskar Panigrahi Named Chair, Nithya Iyer Singh is Co-Chair

Press Release TiE Boston Announces Shortlist for the 2024 TiE-U Global Pitch Competition for Collegiate Entrepreneurs

Shortlist for 2024 TiE U –Boston Finals:

Press Release TiE Boston Appoints New Board Members

Press Release TiE Boston Announces Biotech and Pharma Executive-Entrepreneur, Dr. Purnanand Sarma as President-Elect Sarma will begin his term on July 01, 2024, following six months of working closely with current President Yash Shah.

Press Release TiE ScaleUp Announces Tenth Cohort

Press Release TiE Boston Announces Shortlist for the Regional Women Pitch Competition! First Place Winner will represent Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at TiE Global Summit in Singapore to compete for up to $50K of equity-free money and $100K investments.

Press Release TiE Global Angels, led by TiE Boston, Invests $1.395M as part of a $20M Investment Round in Sealonix, Inc., a Surgical Sealant Product Company

Press Release - Immediate

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TiE Boston Announces ScaleUp Cohort 9

Press Release
TiE Boston launches the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Alumni Circle

Press Release
TiE ScaleUp Launches Eleventh Cohort

Press Release
Seven Trailblazing Women Founders Shortlisted for TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition
First Place Winner to Represent Boston at the TiE Global Women Pitch Competition in Bangalore, India

Press Release
TiE Boston Celebrates Milestone with ConnectM's Nasdaq Listing

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Incoming President Purnanand Sarma and Treasurer Joe Falcão

Press Release
TiE Boston Women Application Portal Closes on June 30, 2024

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Theme for TiECON East 2024: The Connected Entrepreneur – Boundless Innovation and Borderless Connection

Press Release
Young Innovators Shine at TiE Boston’s TYE Final Pitch Competition

Press Release
TiE Boston’s Flagship TiECON East 2024 Set for Sept. 13; Bhaskar Panigrahi Named Chair, Nithya Iyer Singh is Co-Chair

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Shortlist for the 2024 TiE-U Global Pitch Competition for Collegiate Entrepreneurs

Press Release
TiE Boston Appoints New Board Members

Press Release
TiE Boston Announces Biotech and Pharma Executive-Entrepreneur, Dr. Purnanand Sarma as President-Elect
Sarma will begin his term on July 01, 2024, following six months of working closely with current President Yash Shah.

Press Release

TiE ScaleUp Announces Tenth Cohort

Press Release

TiE Boston Announces Shortlist for the Regional Women Pitch Competition!

First Place Winner will represent Boston at the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition at TiE Global Summit in Singapore to compete for up to $50K of equity-free money and $100K investments.

Press Release

TiE Global Angels, led by TiE Boston, Invests $1.395M as part of a $20M Investment Round in Sealonix, Inc., a Surgical Sealant Product Company