The DRIVEN Accelerator Hub, of which the University of Delaware is a collaborator, has announced a pilot program that will provide opportunities for medical start-ups and inventors to pitch their ideas to potential investors and business development leaders.

Up to five inventors/teams/ideas will be selected as partners. The DRIVEN Partnership Program will include a GAP assessment, technology level readiness (TRL) assignment, formation of an action plan, connection of the partners with all DRIVEN contacts and resources and funds for key enabling activities. The program will culminate with the opportunity for the partners to pitch in front of the DRIVEN external committee comprised exclusively of investors (representing over $10 billion in assets under management) and buy-side business development leaders (cumulative market cap exceeding $500 billion). All nominees will receive multifaceted and actionable feedback on their business/development plans.

The deadline for applications is July 23, 2019. Additional information and application materials are available on the College of Engineering website.

About DRIVEN

The DRIVEN Accelerator Hub is a NIH-funded collaboration between top research institutions in the Northeast led by Celdara Medical. The UD component of DRIVEN is being led by principal investigator Julius Korley, director of entrepreneurship and strategic partnerships for the College of Engineering and CEO of Affinity Therapeutics; Steven Stanhope, principal investigator of Delaware Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) and associate vice president for research; and Michael Bowman, associate director of the Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP).

For further information, please visit: http://engr.udel.edu/news/2019/07/driven-partnership-program/