Entrepreneurship Program

Office workers in discussion at conference table
The Flinn Foundation has announced its 2024 Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program participants:

Six Arizona startups driving biosciences forward in 2024

The Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program offers funding, professional support, connections, and networking opportunities to Arizona early-stage bioscience companies.

The program provides $30,000 in non-dilutive funding support for up to six startups each year, administered through a nonprofit partner, plus a professionally developed, yearlong plan specific to the needs of the individual companies that helps them advance to commercialization and become investor-ready.

Exclusive opportunities are offered to the competitively selected startups to engage with the state’s bioscience, academic, and policy leaders, including one-year memberships to Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap Steering Committee and the Arizona Bioindustry Association. Company leaders are also invited to convenings with fellow bioscience entrepreneurs.

Four of the six early-stage companies representing the 11th cohort of the program in 2024 are based in Tucson and two are based in the Phoenix area, including one in Carefree.

Stay tuned for details about future application opportunities.

Learn more:
Six Arizona startups driving biosciences forward in 2024
Application requirements and program eligibility
Meet the program participants from 2014 to today

Background

In 2002, the Flinn Foundation unveiled Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, the long-term strategic plan to advance Arizona’s bioscience sector. One of the four strategies of the Roadmap is to create a critical mass of bioscience companies in Arizona. In 2014, the Roadmap was updated, with the first goal being to “Form a hub of bioscience entrepreneurs and new enterprises across Arizona.”

To help address this need, the Flinn Foundation launched the Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program to foster entrepreneurship and help bioscience founders develop their early-stage companies into successful and sustainable businesses in Arizona.

Since 2014, the Flinn Foundation has selected 66 Arizona bioscience companies to participate in the program through a competitive process. The 11 program cohorts have received nearly $2 million in funding support through the foundation’s nonprofit partners.

Questions

If you have any questions about the program or application process, please contact Mary O’Reilly, Ph.D., Flinn Foundation Vice President, Bioscience Research Programs.